Hello and welcome to the nutrition diva podcast I'm your host Monica Reinagle.

I've gotten a series of questions from listeners lately and although the specific topics

were quite different they all have a common route and that is confusion

about what various food designations and certifications mean.

For example, Roeats question was about contaminants in protein powders.

He wrote, I was recently researching which protein powder to buy and to to my shock one of the brands I was

looking at was rated worst in terms of contaminants,

specifically lead and cadmium.

This plant-based protein was certified USDA organic. Clearly this

label means nothing since they do not test for heavy metal

contaminants. Why do we place so much importance on the USDA organic label if it does not

protect us from contaminants? Dennis, on the other hand, was surprised to find that certified

vegan products are often full of miscellaneous chemicals and artificial ingredients.

He wrote, I've come to the conclusion that if I want to eat nutritious meals,

avoiding processed foods

whether vegan or not may be more important

than seeking out certified vegan products.

And Elaine's question had to do with weight loss.

She wrote, I've already cut gluten and dairy out of my diet.

I'm not sure what else I can do to lose weight.

Now in each case, I think there's some confusion about what various labels such as organic,

vegan or gluten-free do and don't mean for your health and nutrition. Certified organic, for example, does not mean free of chemicals.

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