Your Keto Journey #5 – Label Reading
Good morning fellow Keto-ers.
I know you are busy.
Time is a precious commodity.
But I think I can justify what I’m about to ask you to do…
What I’m asking is that you start reading labels on the food you buy.
Remember that old saying, you are what you eat? Well, it’s true!
I urge you to take the time to read labels before you make your purchases. While it’s true that you will be investing more time at first, once you begin to see and understand which brands are right for you, the amount of time you need to spend reading label ingredients will be drastically reduced.
Why do I urge you to read labels? Because obesity is spurred on through sugars, carbohydrates, starches and corn in most all its forms.
Carbs, starches and corn break down into sugar in our bodies.
And that excessive sugar is making us fat, sick and killing us!
When you think of carbs, consider this: breads, fruits, potatoes, pasta, rice, yogurts, wheat, corn and things that come in a can like sauce, condiments including tomato paste and sauce. Dairy products have a lot of sugars in them.
I was appalled at the levels of sugar in yogurts while I was label reading
Dr. Colbert quotes a fact on page 34 of “Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet” regarding a plate of white rice eaten regularly will increase your risk of diabetes by some 10 percent.
Sugar is a killer!
If you must sweeten, use Stevia or monk fruit. Stay away from artificial sweeteners. You know, when it says on the front of the food label: No sugar added or zero sugar or low sugar? This is a red flag to read the nutritional label on the back of the product.
Also, just because a salad dressing or mayo says "made with Olive oil" on the front label, does not mean they only use Olive oil in the product. By reading the nutritional label on the rear, I’ve seen that often there is also soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, etc. Some oils are often hydrolyzed. Stay away from these products. You will also see modified corn starch, corn protein, corn syrup, hydrolyzed soy, vegetable protein (corn, soy, wheat) corn syrup solids, modified food starch (corn). You also want to stay away from these ingredients.
I also personally have chosen to stay away from yeast extract, “natural flavors” and MSG. These are ways that producers identify monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer. Since I began avoiding these three items I have felt much better.
Read your labels. Get to know which products and brands to buy and which ones to avoid. You may not think it is a big deal now if you are younger, but your body and your budget will thank you in the years to come as you stay healthy and trim.
Stop over at my website and check out the “Resource” page. There you will find a link to “Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet” book. I highly suggest you read it. If nothing else, put in a request at your local library and ask them to get a copy that you may borrow.
Share your experiences, good or bad, with your Keto family here at YourKetoJourney.com. Scroll down and leave your comment.
Share this blog with someone you love and care about. I’m here for you!
Good Day, Good Week and Good Health to you all!
Kat Heil
Copyright
© 2018 Kat Heil 2018 Kat Heil, LLC
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Journal of an Opioid Addict: A Letter to Mom and Dad
Book two in the Conversations You Hear Series
Many people have addictions. Some addictions are easily seen and noticed by others. Other addictions are hidden for years, if not decades, and are not seen or noticed by others until the person with the addiction admits two things.
First that an addiction exists. And second, that it is nearly impossible to kill an addiction without the loving help of other people who are willing to do whatever it takes to help the addict bury the addiction and live without it.
This is the story of a young woman who prefers to remain anonymous. She does this for personal reasons. She speaks from her heart and does not wish to be judged by you, the reader.
The young woman has made a commitment to herself and also toward others who find themselves in this humbling place of hurting oneself and not really understanding why until you come out the other side of your addiction and take a long, hard look back. Looking back is not a way to blame others for what happened to you as much as it is recognition of why you made the choices that you did.
Many times a young person makes choices based on fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the known. Fear of what you think you know. Medical professionals trained in this area of study understand that fear is irrational. A perceived danger or threat. Frightening facts or evidence that appear real.
A person’s response to fear varies. One of these response variations is an addiction. An addiction as described by a young person, untrained in the fields of medicine, psychology or psychiatry could be described as “something I do to keep my fear at bay”.
A young person living in fear often will not be able to clearly state his or her feelings. He or she simply knows that there is something that is bothering them on a regular basis that needs to be taken care of. So they experiment. They try things to make themselves feel better. More secure. Protected from danger.
Once he or she finds what “works” for them, they use this behavior as a way to get free of their problem. Notice the words “free” and “their problem”. Yes, this is a very personal event for many young people. It is their way of dealing with a problem that they have. They know no other way of curtailing the situation. So as long as the addiction works for them, they will continue the course of action.
Fear comes in many shapes and forms. This young woman’s fear came from growing up in what many would call a “normal family atmosphere”. Only to some children, what is called normal by others is far from normal for her.
As listeners, conversations have a way of awakening our senses. When we listen to the conversations of others, we have been granted access into another person’s very personal view of a topic. Be that view right or wrong, it is important to hear what the person has to say. If we desire to lovingly help people, especially young people, then it is important that we listen to the “cry” of their heart. Without judgment. Without interruption. Just listen. Listening is the first step.
© 2020 Kat Heil, LLC
