Don't judge a book by its cover
A very short blog post on using first principles to read a nutrition label
Ankush walks into the grocery store to buy himself something healthy to eat.
He notices the following labels on certain items he would like to buy:
“Low in Fat”
“No Added Sugar”
“High in Vitamins”
“99% fat free”
He assumes that these are the products he should ideally buy based on the claims that they make on the front of the package.
But out of curiosity, for a change, today he decides to check the back of the nutrition label of one of the products he consumes almost every day, to get a sense of the actual ingredients being used.
He notices ingredients that he has never heard of before.
Out of concern, he selects a random ingredient from the package to reassure himself, as this is a product he has been consuming for many years.
He picks out BHT.
Doing a basic Google search, he discovers that BHT is 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene with a chemical formula listed as C15H24O. Since he is not a chemist, he decides to check what it is used for to keep things simple.
"BHT and BHA are used to prevent fats from becoming rancid. BHT is used to preserve the color, odor, and flavor of food. It is found in many packaged foods and is directly added to shortening, cereals, and other foods linked to fat and oil."
Okay, so BHT may be used to preserve the quality and longevity of the food, but what could be the possible side effects?
“Independent researchers have shown that the derivatives of BHA and BHT, called metabolites, may contribute to carcinogenicity or tumorigenicity. Some independent researchers have even found that there would be a certain set of individuals who may not be able to metabolize BHT and BHA efficiently, resulting in health and behavior changes.”
He checks out more links to avoid being biased by one study and finds glaring similarities in all the studies on the harmful impact of BHT.
He also notices these similar alien ingredients in the other products that he has been buying all these years and finds major issues in the long-term benefits of these chemicals.
With his newfound knowledge, he asks himself if these items are worth consuming daily.
He decides that he would rather buy something that he understands and keeps away from products that involve ingredients made in a chemistry lab.
He heeds his mother’s good old advice and comes back home to cook himself a homemade meal with natural ingredients.
Conclusion
Ankush has learned that it is better to avoid these kinds of foods daily and only consume them on occasion unless he does not mind his body getting disintegrated by these chemicals.
Very good advice Ankush.It is so important to read the ingredients before buying a product. Thank you.
This Ankush guy seems to be making smart choices :P