I just reread the label of my favorite mac-n-cheese alternative, the Country Cheddar Bowl by Amy's Kitchen, and happened to catch something on the list of ingredients that I didn't recognize — nigari. In parentheses it says "magnesium chloride, a natural firming agent," but that use of the word "natural" didn't make me feel any better. I trust food from Amy's Kitchen because it's made with Read more

A couple weeks ago, I reviewed Annie's Bunny Fruit Snacks. As much as I liked them, I was a little weirded out by one item on the list of ingredients — carnauba wax. As unappetizing as it sounds, I know in my heart that a company like Annie's would never put anything unhealthy in their foods, right? If you're curious to know what this ingredient truly is, then read more Read more

To save money and eat for my heart, I've been enjoying veggie burgers instead of hamburgers. While checking labels, I noticed the ingredient methylcellulose on the All-American Grilled Boca Burger. This ingredient is derived from cellulose and used as a thickener and an emulsifier to bind ingredients together. It's what helps keep all the veggies and grains together in one compact patty. This Read more

I made the switch to all-natural shampoo and conditioner a few years back. Not only do I like the fact that they're made with "a perfectly balanced blend of botanicals," as the bottle states, but I also like that they're made without animal testing. As I was washing my hair the other day, I went to pour some Nature's Gate Herbal Conditioner in my palm, and I saw Quaternium-87 in the list of Read more

I like to read food labels; I find them fascinating, especially when the list of ingredients seems long enough to contain a plot character development. As a general rule, I try to steer clear of foods made with ingredients that have lengthy confusing names. When researching for the yogurt breakdown, I saw tricalcium phosphate on the Dannon yogurt label. The name reminded me of sodium bicarbonate, Read more

Another day of food shopping, another weird ingredient. What in the world is malic acid? I found it on the label of Dannon Fruit on the Bottom yogurt. It doesn't sound healthy to me, but I may just be thinking this because it also contains high-fructose corn syrup – an ingredient I don't like to find in my yogurt. To find out, just read more Read more