4 hidden ingredients to watch for in prepared foods
With the launch of a new school year, busy home schedules can get even more hectic. With work, soccer and football practices, band rehearsals and PTA meetings, you may find yourself reaching for more packaged and prepared foods for lunches and family dinners. But do you know the hidden ingredients in these conveniences you may not be looking out for, especially in foods that may be marketed as healthy?
“Being able to grab and go with prepared meals, like frozen lunches and packaged snacks can be very easy,” says Kayla Hansmann, dietitian at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. “Convenience is great, but what’s the long-term cost to your family’s health? A few extra minutes spent preparing fresh foods now can be less costly that the risks to your family’s future health.”
Hansmann says it’s especially easy to overlook possibly harmful ingredients in prepared foods, if you’re not reading the nutrition labels fully. She says there are four hidden ingredients you should look out for:
- Partially hydrogenated oils—These oils may also be labeled as trans fats on the nutrition label, but the amount listed may be tricky, Hansmann says. She says any amount of trans fat less than 0.5 g can be reported as 0, so pay close attention to the reported serving size. For instance, a serving of chips may be reported as 0 trans fats, but may actually contain 0.5 g. So, if you eat three servings in a sitting, you’re actually getting 1.5 g of trans fat. She suggested looking at the ingredient list and avoiding any hidden trans fats listed as “partially hydrogenated oils.”
- MSG and sodium—Hansmann says that, as a nation, we consume an overabundance of sodium, as evidenced by more and more children being diagnosed with high blood pressure. Packaged foods often contain a great deal of sodium, as not only reported on the nutrition label, but in the ingredients list as MSG. Ethnic dishes can be particular sources of MSG, which is often used as a flavor enhancer. Other foods that may contain hidden sodium are lunch meats, cheeses, frozen pizzas and even fresh baked breads.
- Sodium nitrates/nitrites—This hidden ingredient is often included as a food preservative, helping extend the life of a packaged food item. However, Hansmann says there is growing evidence that this preservative is linked to certain types of cancer.
- High fructose corn syrup—This ingredient, Hansmann says, is simply a fancy name for sugar and may be contributing to the growing diabetes epidemic in the U.S. She says to watch ingredient labels for anything ending in “-ose,” which are different forms of sugar. Look closely—there can often be three to four such ingredients in one food item.
In addition, she says to watch out for the sheer number of ingredients. For instance, a prepackaged cookie may contain as many as 50 listed ingredients, listed on the label in descending quantity, from most abundant to least. But fresh-baked cookies contain only the flour, eggs, butter and other natural ingredients you may put into them. Especially important are whole or natural foods, such as fruits and vegetables, that are naturally packaged and don’t require preparation time.
“Many chronic diseases are preventable with a proper diet,” Hansmann says. “You just need to build in a little extra preparation time and make certain your family is getting a properly balanced diet. Making meal preparation fun by including family members can make it seem less of a chore and teach good nutrition, at the same time.”
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
Very interesting to know what hidden ingredients to look out for in prepared foods.
These are good tips. I typically watch what I eat and even I didn’t know about sodium nitrates.
Thanks, Ernst. I’m glad you found the information useful!
Very interesting about the trans fats labeling. I admit I fall victim to the convenience of packaged foods. We’re working on it, though.
I know the feeling, Lynn. I’m a big packaged foods buyer myself!
I spend hours in grocery to find cereals without sugar added and other “flavors”. My suggestion is: instead of couching on TV, use the time to find a decent food. It might be pricey sometimes, but we should look for quality not quantity. Education about nutrition should be in curriculae.
Great advice. Thanks, Myra!
I am very health conscience, as i have been diaganoised with sugar, and high blood pressure. I eat nothing with trans fats, sugar, nitrates, sucrose, dextrose, or any other ose, also i under stand that the ingredient aspertame is not good for you. I try to get at least 30 minutes of cardio 5 days and 3day of strength training a week. And i pray every day. There is power in prayer
Thanks, Thomas. I think we can all learn from your example. I’m glad to hear you’re so health conscious!
These are great tips! Thank you!! I always bake my cookies from scratch, rather than buying them prepared, so I’ve got that part down!
Thanks, Emily!
Good to know! Will definitely start keeping an eye out for these things!