Daily Baby Steps #3

Daily Baby Steps
This is the beginning of a series of baby steps that everyone can do to move toward better health for yourself and your family. Some of these will be easy, no brainers!  Most are simply exchanging one thing for another or eliminating something from your now healthy diet. I will include information that I think pertains to the “Why” we should do something and I will include the swap details. Usually when you remove an item, it can be replaced with a healthy alternative.
I am not perfect. I hope these things help you and encourage you, but you may have a different opinion or just not feel good eating something. Please, trust your own body. I welcome your comments and suggestions!

Step #3 Start Reading Food labels
This is a great habit to get into. It is AMAZING how many things end up in your food without you knowing or even thinking about. Reading labels takes time. So, give yourself more time at the store to read them. You can also go to your cupboards and read the labels on the stuff you already have.
So, what do you see listed on your labels? Do you recognize them? Are there some things that you can't even pronounce let alone know what they are or why they are in your food?
These are great questions to ask yourself and to find out the answer too. I am not going to cover EVERY food additive or ingredient that MAY be in your food. But, guess what? You can find everything you want to know, and more, on the internet. I will probably cover most of the major offenders, but you should take charge of your health!

Why should I read food labels?
There are many reasons to read labels. It's good to pay attention to the sodium levels or sugar levels in your food. It's also good to pay attention to fiber and protein levels. But, for our purposes of eating healthy foods that feed our bodies and help us be healthy, we should read labels to know and understand what we are eating.
Knowledge is power!
You can get tuna without added salt and you can get canned fruit without added sugar. But, you have to pay attention. Over time, you will gravitate to only buying certain brands that have ingredients that you allow for your family and your reading time will get less and less.