Health Matters with TSET: Nutrition Labels

In today’s segment of Health Matters with TSET, News 9 health coach Dottie Small delves into the importance of reading nutrition labels.

Emma Ryan, an integrative nutrition health coach, joined her to provide insights on why understanding food labels is crucial for healthier living.

Ryan, who works with individuals and companies to promote better lifestyle choices, said that the ingredients in our food can significantly impact our health.

“It's really important to know what you're putting in your body because certain ingredients, a lot of science and data is showing us that's really harmful,” Ryan said. “That can't be digested and absorbed by the human body, and so that causes inflammation and then we have all of these other issues.”

Ryan said her advice is a simple rule: if you can’t pronounce an ingredient, it’s best to avoid it.

For example, cereal is a popular food, but the nutrition labels show there are ingredients that could be harmful.

“The third ingredient is sugar, which means there's quite a bit of sugar in this,” Ryan said. “We have a lot of colors. So like Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, Blue 1, natural and artificial flavors. So again, these are all things that we really don't know what they are.”

In contrast, Ryan highlights the benefits of choosing simpler, single-ingredient products. She points out organic rolled oats as a better choice.

"What I love about products like this, that are just simple single ingredients, is if I want to add flavors, I get to choose what those are. So I can add my own cinnamon powder, my own honey, my own banana," Ryan said.

Ryan recommends that families start making changes by evaluating their pantry.

“Look at those ingredients. Can they pronounce them? Yes or no? If they can't, really try to, work your way to lowering those,” she said.

Reading nutrition labels is a crucial first step toward making healthier food choices. By understanding what’s in our food, we can make informed decisions that support better health.

For more information, check out the Shape Your Future Nutrition Facts Guide here.

https://shapeyourfutureok.com/individual_pdfs/nutrition-facts-label-guide/