What Are You Eating? Ask LABELWATCH

Ever wondered exactly what’s in that “health” drink you’re sipping on? I certainly have. I recently ended my long love affair with a certain vitamin-fortified water when I realized that I was drinking rather than eating most of my daily calories. But it’s not just the calories that are scary. The ingredients are another story. A slick new website called LABELWATCH takes more than 25,000 food and beverage items and breaks the ingredients down bit by bit. Additives and preservatives are color coded: Green means beneficial, yellow means safe enough, and red indicates a cautionary ingredient that could be problematic. And what’s more, you can click on ingredients to learn more about them. For example, most of us know by now that high fructose corn syrup is the enemy but I learned that it goes by many names (Fructose Corn Syrup, Glucose Fructose Syrup, Crystalline Fructose and Fructose to name a few). How sneaky! Anyway, look if you really want to know and if not, check out their Smart Recipes section. As if you haven’t guessed already, most of the recipes come with detailed nutritional profiles that include calories, fat, protein, fiber and sugar content. Other recipes are available in the form of a step-by-by video. The site is free to use and is packed with supplemental healthy eating and lifestyle articles and videos. Join the site and get news and updates from LABELWATCH along with optional coupons and special offers, as well as the ability to save your shopping listing and favorite recipes. So the saying goes, beauty is only skin deep and so is fancy product packaging. Buyer beware. For more, visit www.labelwatch.com.