My New Job: Label Detective

It's no seceret my favorite tv shows are crime shows. Criminal Intent, CSI Miami, Bones. Love them!! My secret desire in life has been to have a job as either a Police Detective or a Private Eye. And guess what? I got my wish - kind of.
Since starting this weight loss program I have become a bonefide Label Detective. Before January 1 I didn't care about the nutritional labels or the ingredients listed on food wrappers. Not so any more. I read eveyrthing now. It used to take me about 30 minutes to grocery shop from the time I went into the store until Iwas back and loaded in my car.
Now it takes anywhere between 45 and 60 minutes, depending on how much I need to read. And I read everything.
For instance, I used to buy bread ( which will remain nameless just in case the manufacturer is reading this (( in my dreams!)) ) that said right on the label "100 % whole wheat." And like most people, I believed the adveristing. The first time I went to purchase that bread after starting the program and learning the tool of reading everything, I found a HUGE discrepency in what the outside label claimed and what the ingredient list said. You would think that the claim of "100% whole wheat" would be repeated in the ingredient list by listing "whole wheat" as a first ingredient, or at least somewhere near the top. Na-ha.
THe first 4 ingredients of this bread were: Unbleached white flour, sugar, maltose and high fructose corn syrup.
Where was the whole wheat? It was down at around ingredient 15 and said "processed with refined wheat flour."
I'm not kidding.
I stopped buying that brand of bread and now buy one that has truth in advertising. It says "100% percent whole wheat," and the first ingredients are "Enriched whole wheat flour, flax seed, water and yeast."
If the first ingredients listed in any product are sugar, maltose, high fructose corn syrup, or unbleached white flour, buy something else. You will be sabatoging any weight loss by eating stuff loaded with these items. Be a Label Detective and you'll eat better.
I love my new job.