In an effort to start eating healthier, I have been trying to educate myself in what is ‘healthy’ and ‘natural’ but with Marketers getting smarter and smarter, knowing what everything means can be quite confusing. So here are a few terms I learned today. Hopefully, this can help you decipher what you put into your body as well…

Enriched
The facts: “Enriched” means the nutrients that were originally in the food were lost during the refining process and have been replaced to make it more nutritious. Enriched foods don’t compensate for the natural nutrients and fiber that were lost during processing.

Fortified
The facts: Foods that are “fortified” have nutrients added (such as vitamins and minerals) that were never present in the original product. For example, milk is fortified with vitamin D, which was never present when it came out of the cow.

All-Natural
The Facts: Beware of foods labeled “all-natural” or “100%” natural.” The FDA and USDA don’t regulate products with these claims. The labels “all-natural” and “100% natural” actually have no nutritional meaning. A manufacturer can take anything that grows in nature, process and strip it of its nutrients, and still claim that it’s “all-natural.” You can verify whether a product is truly made with “all-natural” ingredients by reading the ingredients list. Avoid products in particular with artificial and processed ingredients, added sugars, and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.

Good luck guys! Let’s all continue to have a healthy 2012 together.