Keeping our bodies healthy in this modern world can be a struggle. We all know that eating healthily is essential, but trying to make the right choices can be a bit of a nightmare – so many labels to read, so many words you don't understand, here are a few tips to help you make the right choices.

1.         Only contains ingredients from natural or unprocessed sources and is free from artificial additives.

2.         Does not contain hydrogenated vegetable oils. (see article ´The Truth About Dietary Fats´)

3.         Does not list chemical names you’ve never heard of or can’t pronounce.

4.         Is certified organic as this means it will be GM-free, pesticide-free and virtually free of artificial additives.

5.         Is not bright blue – this is not a naturally occurring colour in nature.

6.         It doesn’t have an ingredient name which sound like the proper name e.g. ‘vanillin’ instead of vanilla.

7.         Is in a tin so it won’t need artificial preservatives. But watch out for other artificial additives.

8.         It doesn’t contain processed meat. This stuff is usually held together by all sorts of artificial additives.

9.         It doesn’t say ‘just add water’ because you can bet this food isn’t in its natural state.

10.       Ingredients are not mainly a list of E-numbers or their chemical alternatives.

Always bear in mind that although not all additives in food are artificial, you can bet that if it’s made from natural ingredients the manufacturer will shout about it!

Watch out for claims like ‘free from artificial preservatives’ as this is irrelevant if there are other artificial additives present like artificial colours and flavours. What we need to see is ‘free from artificial additives’ or similar.