NIAGARA FALLS — A visit to the supermarket is a weekly practice for most of us, and if you are like me, maybe even daily. We are so fortunate to have exposure to so many healthy choices, even off-season. 

Most stores now have “healthy” or “ natural” sections to make life easier for those striving to take steps to improve the quality of their diet.  Unfortunately, you still have to survive the toxic and industrially created foods that so many succumb to. 

The following information contains some valuable advice when it comes to shopping for those who would like to avoid the onslaught of drugs and medical conditions that come from eating foods that actually hurt our bodies. If you follow this advice, you will be protecting your health and improving your odds for longevity. For those of you who are already suffering from chronic illness, this may help reverse them. 

Avoid foods with labels as much as possible. Food that come in a box, package or can have little benefit in your body. A few exceptions are sardines, artichoke hearts or roasted red peppers. If eating foods that have an ingredient list, pay attention to where the main food falls in the list. If the real food is at the end of the list — beware!

Avoid foods with more than five ingredients. Foods with more than five ingredients tend to contain chemicals that are harmful to us. Use caution when selecting products that have health claims on them. The exact opposite is usually true. For example, Splenda was touted to be the “healthy” sugar alternative, but it actually resembles a chlorine molecule, which is not healthy at all. Frozen foods such as Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine are anything but healthy. Please avoid these frozen meal disasters at all cost!  I would not feed these poison chemicals to my worst enemy.

Avoid sugar. The average bottle of ketchup may contain as much as 33 teaspoons of sugar. There are many disguises for sugar such as fructose, dextrose, maltose, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup and more. High fructose corn syrup is a super sweetener that wreaks havoc on our blood sugar. Some contain mercury as a by-product of manufacturing. Anything containing high fructose corn syrup should be considered a low quality food.

I have a big pet peeve about diet products that contain lots of fiber or are low fat. This usually means they usually contain a large amount of sugar. A great example would be the FiberOne Bar. Yes, it may contain fiber, but most of the varieties contain at least six different types of sugar, a beautiful set up for future diabetics — and you thought it was a healthy option. Please remember that most enriched breads break down to sugar in the body — not to mention all the issues with gluten.

Avoid the word hydrogenated. This indicates that they contain trans fats. I have even seen products say they do not contain trans fats and yet you read these words on the label. How do they get away with this you say? The amount of the serving size has usually been reduced so the trans fat amount falls below the allowable limit. Trans fats add a great deal of shelf life to your foods. Margarine and butter spreads should be avoided like the plague. Some cities, such as New York City, have banned trans fats. Trans fats have been proven to cause heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Avoid foods with unpronounceable ingredients or which contain colors and additives. MSG is easily and legally disguised under the title “natural flavorings” so buyers beware.

Avoid artificial sweeteners. Aspartame, Splenda, sucralose, sugar alcohols that typically end in “ol” like xylitol or sorbitol. These sugar substitutes actually make you hungrier and more of a monster when it comes to cravings. Bloating and gas are very common side effects.

Eat single ingredient foods. Fish, chicken, meat, lamb, vegetables, fruit, nuts, beans and grains such as quinoa or brown rice can be combined to make some amazing meals. Add fresh herbs and spices and you’ll have a meal that will satisfy just about everyone. The key is that you mixed the ingredients.

Foods that come from a farm or field are far safer than anything that is manufactured in a factory or a lab. Eating for health is not hard it will just come down to changing a few bad habits. These changes will keep you out of harms way, improve your energy levels and have you shedding pounds in no time. By shopping like this you will help to create a demand that improves the health of not only you and your family — but a whole population.

Catherine Stack is a doctor of naturopathy and a certified nurse midwife. Her practice is located at Journey II Health in Niagara Falls. She can be reached at 298-8603 or at her website at journeyiihealth.com.