Grocery shopping to me is a time consuming task as I go through ingredient lists of each new product that I buy. Any product with unfamiliar ingredient doesn't make it in my pantry. I have a habit of reading nutritional chart. Here is the list...
Rennet: Used in cheese making to curdle the milk. Few years ago my sister mentioned about this Rennet in cheese and their extraction from young calves stomach. After having found the source, I never felt like eating them. For few years I stopped eating Pizza as I was not aware of alternatives. Thanks to Whole Foods who carry Rice cheese and Almond cheese for vegans. Trader Joe's have mozzarella cheese made using microbial/vegetable rennet and so does Costco in kosher section. Better to avoid if you are a vegetarian.
Carrageenan: These are used in food industry for gelling and thickening. I found this ingredient in Trader Joe's Almond milk. I use Almond Beverage from TJ's. Carrageenan has no nutritional value and some people can't digest them. Better to avoid this addictive.
Sulfites: These are used as preservatives as they inhibit growth of bacteria. I have seen Balsamic vinegar brands and some dried fruits often mentioning sulfites as their ingredient. Some people often experience side effects like face swelling, asthma attacks after consuming food with sulfites. Fermentation naturally causes sulfites. So vinegar has natural sulfites in them. I avoid products where sulfites were "added".
MSG - Mono Sodium Glutamate: This is used as flavor enhancer in Chinese food, canned vegetables and soups. It has long list of side effects so better avoid.
Artificial Food Dyes: Although they make any boring dish look more fancy and colorful, they never make it in my pantry. They pose great risks to kids and sadly all colorful food stuffs are consumed by kids. Natural food Dyes are some options. Found this article for few enthusiast to try. http://nourishingjoy.com/homemade-natural-food-dyes/
High Fructose Corn Syrup: This is found in sodas, baked items like cakes/bread and fruit flavored drinks. It contributes to unwanted calorie hence leading to weight gain. Better to avoid.
Artificial Sweeteners: I remember those days when seeing/trying "sugar free" products never felt guilty. But studies have proved that it does more harm than normal sugar. They never make it in my pantry!!
Trans fat: As kid I loved eating a bag of Potato chips. When the side effects of trans fat surfaced, I had to let go this favorite snack from entering my kitchen. Occasionally I do munch them as they say old habits die hard!!. It shoots up cholesterol levels.
Table Salt: I met a lady few years back who had a son recovered from an unknown illeness. She adviced me start a healthy life by replacing simple stuff like salt and sugar from my pantry. Table salt are mined from salt deposits and are heavily processed to give fine texture there by loosing all trace minerals. They also have additives added to prevent clumping. Use Sea salt/Kosher salt or Himalayan Pink salt as an alternative. I buy Himalayan Pink salt from https://www.seasalt.com and shipping is free in the USA.
Table Sugar: I detest the idea of consuming highly processed food, so normal sugar is one among them!! Like table salt white sugar is stripped off all nutrients and animal bone char added to bleach them. I use a combination of sweeteners in my pantry like Jaggery, Brown sugar, Agave never and Stevie plant. I am finding my way to get hold of palm sugar which is next best natural sweetner.
Carrageenan: These are used in food industry for gelling and thickening. I found this ingredient in Trader Joe's Almond milk. I use Almond Beverage from TJ's. Carrageenan has no nutritional value and some people can't digest them. Better to avoid this addictive.
Sulfites: These are used as preservatives as they inhibit growth of bacteria. I have seen Balsamic vinegar brands and some dried fruits often mentioning sulfites as their ingredient. Some people often experience side effects like face swelling, asthma attacks after consuming food with sulfites. Fermentation naturally causes sulfites. So vinegar has natural sulfites in them. I avoid products where sulfites were "added".
MSG - Mono Sodium Glutamate: This is used as flavor enhancer in Chinese food, canned vegetables and soups. It has long list of side effects so better avoid.
Artificial Food Dyes: Although they make any boring dish look more fancy and colorful, they never make it in my pantry. They pose great risks to kids and sadly all colorful food stuffs are consumed by kids. Natural food Dyes are some options. Found this article for few enthusiast to try. http://nourishingjoy.com/homemade-natural-food-dyes/
High Fructose Corn Syrup: This is found in sodas, baked items like cakes/bread and fruit flavored drinks. It contributes to unwanted calorie hence leading to weight gain. Better to avoid.
Artificial Sweeteners: I remember those days when seeing/trying "sugar free" products never felt guilty. But studies have proved that it does more harm than normal sugar. They never make it in my pantry!!
Trans fat: As kid I loved eating a bag of Potato chips. When the side effects of trans fat surfaced, I had to let go this favorite snack from entering my kitchen. Occasionally I do munch them as they say old habits die hard!!. It shoots up cholesterol levels.
Table Salt: I met a lady few years back who had a son recovered from an unknown illeness. She adviced me start a healthy life by replacing simple stuff like salt and sugar from my pantry. Table salt are mined from salt deposits and are heavily processed to give fine texture there by loosing all trace minerals. They also have additives added to prevent clumping. Use Sea salt/Kosher salt or Himalayan Pink salt as an alternative. I buy Himalayan Pink salt from https://www.seasalt.com and shipping is free in the USA.
Table Sugar: I detest the idea of consuming highly processed food, so normal sugar is one among them!! Like table salt white sugar is stripped off all nutrients and animal bone char added to bleach them. I use a combination of sweeteners in my pantry like Jaggery, Brown sugar, Agave never and Stevie plant. I am finding my way to get hold of palm sugar which is next best natural sweetner.
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