However, I would be far less concerned about the oil and more concerned about the sugar. Try cutting back significantly on sugar, as well as sodium, trans fats and saturated fats as a superior way to better health. Once you have accomplished that objective, you can always do more if you wish, such as eating foods without artificial ingredients and switching to organic foods as your budget allows. Always remember to get a balanced nutrition along the way!

One great way is to try and buy certified organic products whenever possible. In the United States, you can find more information at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop regarding certification and much more. Certified organic products are typically free from synthetic pesticides, herbicides and antibiotics in meat. Organic or not, ALWAYS thoroughly wash your food before consuming it! There is no telling who has touched your food before you got to it or what they did with their hands before that. The best way to manage your risk however is to stay informed. In addition to my site of course, you should frequent official government agency websites such as the USDA, CDC, NIH and FDA for starters. Incidentally, the jury is still out on BPA, but I prefer taking the more cautious approach, just in case. Until we have concrete evidence one way or another, I’m staying away from plastics containing it altogether. Better safe than sorry!

With talk of pesticides and fertilizers in produce, antibiotics in meat, and Biphenol-A (BPA) in the containers in which food is stored, how can I be sure that my healthy food is actually “healthy”?

Say no more - we are presented with a dizzying array of food choices these days. The situation is exacerbated when we have an exceptionally finite amount of time, as a single Mom such as yourself knows all too well. I will be writing about fats in an upcoming article, but to help you out in the short term, I recommend purchasing Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the vast majority of your consumption (except for cooking). Not only does it taste great, but it is one of the very healthiest of all oils. Research suggests it is a powerful weapon in the fight against both heart disease and several types of cancer. Try to replace your saturated fat consumption with olive oil (2 tablespoons daily when practical), which is high in monounsaturated fat (that’s good) and antioxidants. And for your pocketbook, olive oil producers are responding to greatly increased demand by pumping out generous amounts of their product, which is helping all of us by lowering prices. Good luck!

We all know that we are what we eat but, when faced with so many choices at the grocery store, the rising cost of food, and the busy lifestyle of a single mom, how do I know what products to buy? For example, on my last trip to the grocer I found myself staring at the cooking oil, perplexed. I couldn’t remember what fats were good and which were bad. With all the claims on the labels and the wide price differences I felt like I could have spent an hour contemplating this purchase. I went for speed, checked out the prices, and bought the least expensive vegetable oil.