Bobby Parrish - Bobby Approved: Your Ultimate Shopping Guide At The Grocery Store

Ingredient

Bobby Approved

Explanation/Notes

Acacia gum

Yes

Common emulsifier in plant-based milk

Annatto

Yes

Color from a seed added to make cheese orange.

Artificial flavors

No

This one is easy!

Aspartame

No

Fake sugar, aka NutraSweet

BHT

No

Bad preservative in cereal, most brands dont use any more.

Calcium carbonate

Yes

Vitamin fortified with calcium, common in plant-based milk

Calcium disodium EDTA

No

Preservative used in mayonnaise to cover up rancid smells

Canola oil

No

Only expeller pressed non-GMO or expeller pressed organic

Caramel color

No

Makes food look brown like stock and broth.

Carrageenan

No

Emulsifier made from seaweed known to upset your stomach

Cellulose

Yes, but not ideal

Wood pulp and used as anti-caking agent on shredded cheese

Corn starch

No, except in some vegan products

Usually made from GMO corn

Corn syrup

No

Highly processed sugar from GMO corn

Cottonseed Oil

No

The most processed and chemical laden oil.

Dextrose

No

Processed form of sugar

Dicalcium phosphate

Yes, but not ideal

Common emulsifier in plant-based milk

Dipotassium phosphate

Yes, but not ideal

Common emulsifier in plant-based milk

Dough Conditioners

No

Chemicals bread makers use to bake bread faster

Enriched flour and bleached flour

No

Processed flours that have the nutrition stripped away.

Erythritol

Yes

Sugar free sweetener, best when used in monk fruit sweetener

Expeller pressed

Yes

The safe way to consume certain oils

Food colors

No

Anything that says yellow #5, Blue #2, and so on.

Gellan gum

Yes

Common emulsifier in plant-based milk

High fructose corn syrup

No

Highly processed sugar from GMO corn

High oleic oil

No

High in heart healthy monounsaturated fat, but not expeller pressed

Hydrolyzed protein

No

Another name for msg

Locust bean gum

Yes

Common emulsifier in plant-based milk

Maltodextrin

No

Preservative usually made from GMO corn. It's high on the glycemic index and will spike your blood sugar

Monk fruit

Yes

Both the pure form and monk fruit sweetener is one of my favorites

Mono and diglycerides

No

Another word for trans-fats

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

No

Man-made MSG

Natural flavors

No

Stay away and read this chapter of the book

Palm oil

No

Avoid this highly processed oil.

Polysorbate 80

No

Nasty emulsifier

Potassium Sorbate

No

Preservative that can be bad for your gut. Not allowed in organic food products.

Riboflavin

Yes

Another word for vitamin B2

Safflower oil

No

Only expeller pressed is OK

Sodium erythorbate

No

Used to cure deli meat faster, making it pinker

Sodium nitrate/nitrite

No

Salt that has long been used to preserve foods like deli meat and bacon.

Sodium phosphate

No

Avoid this common preservative in lunch meat

Soy lecithin

Yes

Common emulsifier in plant-based milk

Soy protein isolate

No

Avoid this protein derived from soy

Soybean oil

No

Only expeller pressed non-GMO or expeller pressed organic

Splenda

No

Chemically made fake sugar that makes your brain crave more sweet things

Stevia

Yes

Only buy pure, 100% stevia with no additives

Sucralose

No

Another word for Splenda

Sunflower lecithin

Yes

Common emulsifier in plant-based milk

Sunflower oil

No

Only expeller pressed

Tapioca maltodextrin

Yes, but not ideal

Safer version of this food preservative.