The read diet is one question:
What’s that ingredient doing in my food?
The read diet is eating smarter by reading first. Read what’s in your foods and drinks, read about the ingredients and than decide if you want to buy.
Three steps of the read diet
Follow these three steps while buying food or drinks:
- Read the ingredient list on the food package.
- Ask this question for each ingredient: what’s that doing in my food?
- Decide if you want to buy this food or drink.
When in doubt: leave it
If it’s not clear what the ingredient is doing in your food, or if you just don’t trust it, leave it.
Read everything
Read all ingredient lists, also of basic foods like crackers, cookies, meat, juice, light products, yoghurt drink and margarine. Read at home about the ingredients, what they do in your foods and what they do in your body.
Other questions to ask while shopping
- Simple foods like milk, juice, bread, margarine, cookies, chips, pasta sauce and meat should have a short and clear ingredient list, right?
- Why is there corn and soy based starch in my ‘yoghurt drink’?
- Why is there dextrose in my hamburger?
- Are sugar replacements good for my body?
The ingredient list
- Most ingredient lists are printed in order of ingredient weight.
the most used ingredient is in front of the list. - Some information about common ingredients: High-fructose corn syrup (a.k.a. corn sugar, used in candy, cookies, energy-, fruit and fizzy drinks), glucose (syrup), fructose (syrup), dextrose, aspartame, sorbitol (chewing gum and tooth paste), xylitol (chewing gum).
- Some of the ingredients above can be addictive, suppress the feeling of satisfaction after eating, or are differently absorbed by the body.
Warning! The read diet is not a way to lose weight, live healthier or a guaranteed way to success. It’s meerly a way to make you more conscious of what you eat! Ook te lezen in het Nederlands als Het Leesdieet.