Last updated on July 21st, 2022 at 03:37 pm

We hope you enjoy this post from guest blogger Andrea Donsky, creator of NaturallySavvy.com and co-author of “Unjunk Your Junk Food: Healthy Alternatives to Conventional Snacks.”

For many of us, junk food is a staple in our diets. Chips, candy, chocolate and cookies are good examples of the type of junk food we consume on a regular basis.

As the founders of NaturallySavvy.com and authors of “Unjunk Your Junk Food: Healthy Alternatives to Conventional Snacks,” we believe you don’t have to give up the food you love, but rather the junky ingredients.

Many conventional junk foods contain the same seven chemical additives which we have coined the “Scary Seven”—high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats, artificial flavors, monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial colors, artificial sweeteners and preservatives (such as nitrates, sulfites, sodium benzoate, BHA/BHT, polysorbates and TBHQ). Side effects of the “Scary Seven” ingredients include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and insulin resistance.

“Unjunk Your Junk Food” provides better-for-you junk food options by visually displaying the “bad” choice on the left hand side and the “good” choice on the right. The guide is easy-to-read and encourages label reading, so by the time you are finished, you will fully understand which ingredients to avoid, and why you should avoid them when grocery shopping. None of the Naturally Savvy-Approved brands contain any of the “Scary Seven” ingredients, and many use healthier alternatives, such as stevia rather than artificial sweeteners, and fruits and vegetables for coloring.

We are realists and don’t believe you need to give up junk food entirely, because we all enjoy a treat once in a while. Making smarter food choices, however, can drastically improve your health and your family’s health. The key is knowing what to look for on the label.