Over the past few years I have really focused on eating clean and nutritious foods. I try to stay away from packaged foods and I buy minimally processed foods.

There was a time where I made excuses why granola bars were easier, why I needed crunchy foods (pretzels, crackers, chips) in my life, and why these foods were all convenient for me. While they did make my life easier because I just had to purchase them, I didn’t like how bloated I felt, I had less energy and how I could never seem stay full and satisfied.

Once I started experimenting with simple and easy whole food recipes I decided I felt better when I ate cleaner. It took a while to fully transition but now its routine for me to prepare healthy snacks and meals.

Although I have always been a healthy eater, my snack choices in the past weren’t the wisest and I believe that has to do with the fact that I wasn’t as educated about nutrition as I am today!!

I had no idea granola bars were bad for me until I started decoding food labels to find that some ingredients were chemicals, there were added sugars and ingredients I have never heard of.  Now I look at all nutrition labels and ingredients before I buy anything in a package.

Of course there are still some foods that I buy in boxes or cans, but I make sure to read the labels to make sure I’m buying the best product.

My Package Food Checklist

• Can you pronounce all the ingredients?
• Are there any added sugars?
• Does it contain artificial sweeteners?

If I don’t know what the ingredients are I don’t buy it, If I can’t pronounce it, it stays on the shelf, and if it has added sugars/sweeteners its out.

I hope this post makes you think the next time you go buy something at the grocery store. Even a simple jar of BBQ sauce can have a list of ingredients that you don’t want to put in your body so take the time to check it out and find some healthier options!

Have you ever taken the time to read food labels?

Are you a healthy eater or do you find its something you need to work on?