That's how you know what you're eating!

Jan. 13, 2025

Quiz question: how many of the following do you recognize? Potassium lactate, sodium ascorbate, xanthan gum, monosodium glutamate and carboxymethyl cellulose? Chances are you have no idea what these substances are, but eat them daily. Pretty strange idea right? In fact, more than half of our daily energy intake comes from processed foods, in which you often find the aforementioned substances. We often know that soft drinks, cookies and chips are not healthy and contain the necessary added substances. But even products that we perceive as "healthy," such as bread, breakfast cereals and fruit juices, can contain added substances and be less healthy than they are presented, in addition to a lot of sugar and salt. Curious about what you're actually eating? We are happy to show you around the supermarket.  

Learn to read labels 

A good first step is to learn to read labels better. First of all, pay attention to the ingredients: they are always listed in order of quantity, from most to least. Besides some ingredients you probably recognize, you can also find the so-called E numbers - from one to a whole laundry list. These numbers are divided into different categories depending on their function in food, think colorings, antioxidants and preservatives( you can easily look them uphere ). If you want to eat less processed food, a good rule of thumb is: the shorter the list of ingredients, the better. At no more than 5 ingredients, you're often fine. If you can't pronounce or recognize an ingredient, chances are it's an artificial additive!  

  

Pro tip: OpenFoodFacts is a super handy app that lets you scan products in the supermarket. The app scores how healthy the product is for you (and the planet).   

  

Take health claims with a 'grain of salt' 

Health claims on packaging can unfortunately be quite misleading: 'fat-free' often means full of sugars and 'light' products can still be unhealthy due to additives such as trans fats or too much salt. It is good to keep in mind that products that contain 5 grams or less of carbohydrates (mostly sugars) and less than 1.5 grams of salt (per 100 grams) are in the healthy corner. With these figures in mind, look at the labels of "healthy" products such as, cruesli, fruit yogurt and energy bars (and don't be shocked).   

What actually makes fewer additives healthier? 

That too much salt and sugar is bad for us, we know by now. But what about all those additives in our food, are they really that unhealthy? It depends on what substances are added and to what extent. Products with an endless laundry list of E numbers, are often referred to in science as "highly processed" or "ultra processed. Scientists are concerned about these products because they are linked to problems such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer. For example, research shows that a diet with ultra-processed foods can lead to higher calorie intake and weight gain. Choosing products with natural and honest ingredients more often is healthier and often even tastier. 

Eat consciously and join a supermarket safari! 

You don't have to be a nutritionist to make healthy choices at the supermarket. Just by being more aware of what you eat and looking at labels just a little more often, you can make a big difference. Within Healthcoin's vitality program, we challenge participants to go on a journey of discovery in the supermarket and challenge themselves with a challenge to learn to read labels.  

  

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