The Label Detective

Suspect #006  “ Artifical Dyes: Hiding in Plain Sight”  Hey there fellow label detectives! This week we're cracking open case file 006,and it's a big one! Let's put artificial dyes in the hot seat!  It wasn’t a piece of candy. It wasn’t even cereal. It was a women’s multivitamin — something I was taking to support my health. One morning, I glanced down at the pill in my hand and thought, Wait a minute,why is this pink? I flipped the bottle over and scanned the ingredients list… and there it was: Red Dye 40. A synthetic dye made from petroleum, sitting right there in my so-called health supplement. I was actually angry. Because if even our vitamins aren’t safe — what else are we blindly trusting? 🚨 What Are Artificial Dyes? Artificial dyes are synthetic chemicals added to food and supplements to make them look more appealing — as if “pink” equals “healthy.” The truth? These colors are all show, no substance. The main culprits include: Red 40 Yellow 5 Yellow 6 Blue 1 Blue ...

“What ‘Enriched’ Really Means—and Why You Should Think Twice”      Hey there detectives!! This week we're putting suspect #005 under the magnifying glass…”Enriched” products. It sounds like a good thing, doesn’t it? I mean, who wouldn’t want their food to be “enriched”? That word feels healthy, like your bread got a promotion. But what does that actually mean? When food is “enriched,” it means certain nutrients—like iron and B vitamins—have been added to it. Sounds great in theory, right? But here’s what they don’t tell you: these are synthetic nutrients that were only added after the food was stripped of its natural goodness. Let’s take wheat as an example. Whole wheat naturally contains three parts: 1. Bran – the fiber-rich outer layer 2. Germ – the nutrient-dense core (this part is alive) 3. Endosperm – mostly starch and a few proteins The germ is where most of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats live. It’s like the soul of the grain. But, ...

Artificial Sweeteners: Sweet or Sketchy? By Amanda Hinshaw-Reed | The Label Detective Let’s be honest—we all love a little sweetness in life. But when it comes to artificial sweeteners, things get a little... sticky. I know a lot of people think that grabbing the “sugar-free” version of something is a smart move. No calories? No sugar crash? Sounds great, right? But once you actually read the ingredients and connect the dots, you begin to realize there’s a lot more to the story. So let’s break it down, label detective style. What Even Is an Artificial Sweetener? In simple terms, artificial sweeteners are man-made chemicals designed to taste sweet without adding calories. They're used in everything from diet soda and protein bars to chewing gum and toothpaste. Some of the big names: Aspartame – found in Diet Coke, sugar-free gum, and some sugar-free yogurts. Sucralose – also known as Splenda. Saccharin – old school, usually in those pink packets. Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) – oft...

Alright, detectives—grab your magnifying glass and your grocery list, because we’ve got another suspect on the loose. Today, we’re zeroing in on Natural Flavors—aka suspect #003 in our lineup of shady ingredients. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I first saw “natural flavors” on a label, I thought, Oh good, this one’s safe. I mean, “natural” sounds harmless, right? Comforting even. Boy,was I wrong. Here’s the scoop: "natural flavors" is one of the most vague, unregulated, and industry-protected terms on the ingredient list. It sounds innocent, but in reality it's as guilty as they come.  The FDA defines “natural flavors” as anything derived from a plant or animal source—but after it goes through chemical processing, lab tinkering, and a few cloak-and-dagger tricks, is it still something you want in your food? These flavors can include solvents, preservatives, emulsifiers, and other substances they don’t legally have to tell you about. And no, companies don’t have to ...

Welcome to another Label Detective mystery!! Today we have suspect #002. It's been creeping around our grocery store shelves for decades: hydrogenated oils. If this were a crime drama, hydrogenated oil would be the slick con artist wearing a fake mustache, pretending to be your friend—while slowly wrecking your health behind your back. So what are Hydrogenated Oils, anyway? Ok,imagine this: Big food companies take cheap vegetable oil—like soybean or corn oil—and blast it with hydrogen gas under high heat. Why? To force it to become a solid. And your body has no idea what to do with it. The result is trans fat, a man-made fat that’s been linked to all kinds of health disasters, from heart disease to stroke. And even though the FDA finally cracked down on it, loopholes and labeling tricks mean it’s still lurking in the foods we feed our families. Where It Hides Hydrogenated oils are masters of disguise. You’ll find them in: Margarine and shortening (think Crisco) Packaged baked goods...

Case File #001: The Sticky Truth About High-Fructose Corn Syrup 🔎  Alright, folks — the investigation begins. This is the first post in a new series where we dig into sneaky, shady, health-wrecking ingredients that are hiding in plain sight. And today’s prime suspect? High-Fructose Corn Syrup (aka HFCS, aka the sweet-talking con artist of the grocery aisle). What’s the charge? HFCS is a cheap, lab-made sweetener that shows up where you least expect it — breads, condiments, crackers, yogurts, even “healthy” snacks. It’s a master of disguise. On labels, it may also appear as: Maize syrup Glucose-fructose Isoglucose Fructose syrup Corn sugar Why is it guilty? Because it messes with your body’s natural signals. It can: Spike your blood sugar Increase inflammation Contribute to weight gain and fatty liver Lead to insulin resistance over time Leaves you craving more “Already convicted overseas.” High-Fructose Corn Syrup has already been sentenced in countries like the UK, Austria, Norwa...