Are You A Label Reader...?

 When our kids were little, we started being more aware of the things we ate. Around the same time, we found out many of us had sensitivities to artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. By eliminating them from our diets, it's helped in many ways. There's a trade-off, of course.

We started reading the labels.

It's a small thing, really. You read a label once and you find out if it's okay to try. If it's bad, you dismiss it and you don't have check again. And when you go shopping every week for years, you get to know the products. Still, every once in a while, I'll see something that looks good (mostly desserts and the like...) and I'll read a label. Almost every time, after reading the label I put whatever it is I'm checking back on the shelf.

Don't get me wrong. We can still eat better, but it's something we've tried to do and have kept it up for a couple of decades.

Reading the labels can be educational as well. Did you know that some things in food may cause cancer, but only in California? Apparently, it's true.

After all these years, I still don't know what all of those chemicals are, but I do know if there's a number involved, it's probably not good.

Some days, I'm able to pick up something delicious-looking and it'll be safe. I like those days.