My next simple natural weight loss tip is: Read.

Read the labels of food products that you buy. The more ingredients, the less likely it is good for you, especially if there are ingredients like hydrogenated or semi-hydrogenated oils or fat, or any ingredients that make you wonder, “What the heck is that?” If you can’t pronounce it, chances are you shouldn’t eat it.If sugar or corn syrup is one of  the first ingredients, it’s not a good choice, as ingredients are listed in order from the most prevalent ingredient to the least. (Here is an example of a good bread label: Whole wheat flour, water, yeast, salt. Here’s an example of one to avoid: White flour, wheat flour, water, high fructose corn syrup, wheat gluten, yeast, salt, dough conditioners, yeast nutrients, reduced iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, lactic, acetic and fumaric acids, calcium propionate, sodium propionate, vinegar, mono and di-glycerides, soy lecithin, calcium carbonate, polysorbate 60, calcium sulfate,phosphoric acid, azodicarbonamide. I know many of the chemical sounding names here are vitamins and minerals added to “enrich” the flour; what they are actually doing is adding artificial nutrients to replace some of the nutrients refined out. I think the flour is enriched in the same way as if I took your wallet, removed $20.00, put back $8.00 of monopoly money and told you I had enriched you.)

Look for food that is as close to its natural state as possible. Raw vegetables and fruits can add a lot of nutrition to your diet without adding a lot of calories. The best foods to eat when you are dieting are nutrient dense instead of calorie dense.

Make sure to read the ingredient list to be sure transfats are not being hidden by the claim on the front that says “0 trans fats”, since the government in its infinite wisdom allows foods that contain trans fats to make this claim (as long as they contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fats per serving), if the front label says “0 trans fats” but the ingredients say “hydrogenated oils” or “semi-hydrogenated” or “partly hydrogenated”, it contains trans fats, don’t buy it.

If you begin reading labels, you may be surprised at the sheer number of foods with added sugar and/or fat, and may begin to see that foods you thought were healthy are not.

Ignore the words “all-natural” on a label, as there is no standard of what that means, and there are some very artificial foods making that claim. (There are standards for the word “organic”, so that is one to look for.)

Today’s natural weight loss tip is: Read.