"Eight tips for understanding what's in your food"

Notes from: Skinny Bitch: The Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

I thought I'd follow that "read your labels" as the book did. First with understanding labels and second with understanding organic.

1. Less is more: Healthier, minimally processed food tend to contain the fewest ingredients.
2. The finicky five: In the first 5 ingredients listed should NOT be: fats, sugars, partially hydrogenated oils or high- fructose corn syrup
3. Cool it on the Cholesterol: Since your liver makes 80% of it for you, you don't need that much in your diet
4. Monitor your sodium (this one I need to work on, bad): Daily- 2,000mg or less. No food should contain more than 500 mg. It causes high blood pressure.
5. The Good Fats, Bad Fats and Low Fats: Bad- saturated and trans. Good- polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. If it says "low fat" it probably has refined starches and sugars for taste, stay away.
6. The secret of sugar-free: Unless it's from the health food store and is sweetened with agave nectar, don't let it fool you. High fructose corn syrup and refined sugars are "the devil in disguise."
7. Don't be fooled by advertising jargon: Not regulated by the FDA are the terms, "all-natural," "fresh," and "no additives."
8. Names that require an interpreter: If you can't pronounce it, it was probably made in a test tube and who really wants to eat something from the lab?