If you read labels to steer clear from any sketchy sounding ingredients, you've probably come across xanthan gum in random items from ice cream to salad dressings, from toothpaste to gluten-free desserts. Xanthan gum sounds artificial, but what is it really, and why is it in so many products? Without getting too scientific, xanthan gum is a carbohydrate created through fermentation. The process Read more

Label reading is an obsession of mine, and there are a few ingredients I just won't eat. Enriched flour, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and mono- and diglycerides are on the to-be-avoided list. Add to that the ingredients whose names I just cannot pronounce. I recently came across the ingredient disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate on a package of Alexia Roasted Red Potatoes & Harvest Read more

While researching light foods recently, I came upon an interesting ingredient I'd never heard of: erythritol. Sounds like some kind of chemically-derived alcohol that shouldn't be anywhere near wholesome and natual apple juice. The nutrition label for this light juice reads "certified organic erythritol is a 100 percent natural low calorie organic sweetener derived from GMO free organic cane Read more

I was going on a trip and picked up some Kashi TLC Trail Mix bars. I trust their products completely so don't feel it's necessary to read labels before buying them. While in the car, I happened to check out the list of ingredients and saw vegetable glycerin. If you're curious to know what it is or why it's used keep reading Read more

At the grocery store to pick up some soy nut butter for a batch of Soy Nut Butter Muddy Buddies I was planning on making, I saw a new kind made by Simple Food. Checking out the label I noticed an ingredient I've never heard of — organic palm stearin. If you're curious to know whether it's healthy or not read more Read more