Do you ever find yourself scanning the nutrition label of an item without quite knowing what you’re looking at? An important part of watching what you eat is being aware of what you’re actually putting in your mouth. Everyone knows how to count calories, but what about understanding the ingredients?

Here are 5 ingredients to watch out for:

1.) Partially hydrogenated fats and oils are processed versions of naturally occurring fats and oils. In nature, most dietary fats and oils exist in a structural form called “cis.” When these natural cis fats are processed by bubbling hydrogen gas through them at high temperatures they become partially hydrogenated which changes their structure to the “trans” form. The natural cis fat has a bend and the processed trans fat is a straight molecule. This difference in cis and trans shapes is of major significance. When eaten, fats and oils are incorporated into cell membranes altering the composition of these delicate structures. When they interact with normal fat metabolism, they disturb function in a most deleterious manner. Hence, these substances meet the definition of a “poison.” Trans fats interfere with important, normal functions by inhibiting enzymes which are necessary for the body’s normal metabolism of fats and they keep doing it for a long time. Try to avoid or limit foods with these ingredients on the label.

2.) Monosodium glutamate [MSG] is a white crystalline substance that looks like salt or sugar, and is added to foods to enhance flavor. MSG is tasteless, but may act by stimulating flavor receptors in the tongue. This food additive is classified by the Food and Drug Administration as “generally recognized as safe.” Some individuals who are especially sensitive to MSG, or who ingest a large amount, may develop the “MSG symptom complex,” symptoms of which may include a burning sensation, numbness or tingling of the face, neck, arms and back; chest pain; headache; nausea; rapid heartbeat; drowsiness and weakness. MSG can also cause wheezing in people with asthma. Symptoms occur within an hour after eating and resolve without treatment. Even without developing these symptoms, MSG contains a substantial amount of sodium, so it’s best to try to avoid it.

3.) Enriched flour has had most of the natural vitamins and minerals extracted. This is done in order to give bread a finer texture, increase shelf life and prevent bugs from eating it. Why is it bad? When the bran and the germ (the parts of the wheat that contain vitamins and minerals) are removed, your body absorbs wheat differently. Instead of being a slow, steady process through which you get steady bursts of energy, your body breaks down enriched flour too quickly, flooding the blood stream with too much sugar at once. Your body then has to work hard to absorb the excess and stores it as fat. This causes quick highs and lows in your blood-sugar level which can lead to type-two diabetes and obesity. All this and you’re not even getting close to the amount of nutrients that whole grains contain. Instead, look for whole grain bread. Whole grains are richer in dietary fiber, antioxidants, protein, dietary minerals, and vitamins. By eating whole grains you reduce the risk of some forms of cancer, digestive system diseases, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Be aware of breads that look healthy, but are not. If the bread says “soft wheat” or “multi-grain,” make sure you still read the ingredients. Most of these are primarily made with enriched flour. Even if the word “enriched” is not there, if it does not say “whole”, it’s the same thing. Don’t be fooled by color either. Even if it’s brown, unbleached wheat flour is still missing the bran and the germ that contain essential nutrients as well as the fiber that aids digestion. Look for products that say 100% whole wheat.

4.) Don’t believe the commercials. High fructose corn syrup is not the same as sugar, nor is it “fine in moderation.” HFCS is a highly refined clear liquid derived from cornstarch. Food manufactures love to use it because of its long shelf life and its relatively low cost. When HFCS is ingested, it travels straight to the liver and turns the sugary liquid into fat, and unlike other carbohydrates, HFCS does not cause the pancreas to produce insulin, which acts as a hunger quenching signal to the brain. So we get stuck in a vicious cycle, eating food that gets immediately stored as fat and never feeling full. HFCS is found in almost everything we eat today. However, the worst culprit has to be soft drinks. A single 12 oz can of cola has up to 13 teaspoons of sugar, most of it fructose from HFCS. There is HFCS hidden in many of our other foods as well, like ketchup, relish, cookies, and most alarmingly, in low-fat diet foods. Manufactures substitute HFCS for the fat in food like mayo and salad dressings, then mark them as diet foods. If HFCS, fructose, or modified cornstarch appears within the first five ingredients of an item, just put it back. As you make your way through the store, you will begin to realize just how much of what you have been eating on a daily basis contains HFCS.

5.) Artificial sweeteners are chemicals or natural compounds that replace the sweetness of sugar, without all of the calories. However, aspartame ([NutraSweet, Equal, NatraSweet, Canderel, Spoonfuls, DiabetiSweet) is a common chemical sweetener with possible side effects that sound like they’re out of a horror movie. From hallucinations to seizures to brain tumors, it is hardly worth consuming for the sake of saved calories. Recent research suggests Sucralose (otherwise known as Splenda) can enlarge both the liver and kidneys and shrink the thymus glands. It breaks down into small amounts of dichlorofructose and can cause skin rashes, panic, diarrhea, headaches, bladder issues, and stomach pain; and those side effects don’t even sum it up. Think this sounds bad? Do some further research. Some recent studies suggest they can even cause cancer. So, instead, turn to natural sweeteners such as honey, organic maple syrup, molasses, date sugar, and brown rice syrup.