Recipes & Rituals — ingredients

Most protein powder labels are designed to impress, not to inform. Here is a plain-English guide to reading them properly — and knowing exactly what to avoid if you have IBS.Start With the Ingredients ListThe ingredients list tells you everything the nutrition panel does not. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight — so the first ingredient is the most abundant.Red Flags for IBS SufferersSweeteners ending in -ol: Sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol and erythritol are all polyols — the P in FODMAP. They are directly implicated in bloating, gas and diarrhoea. For a full explanation see our Low FODMAP beginners...

The front of a protein powder tub is one of the most misleading pieces of marketing you'll encounter in a health food shop. "Clean." "Natural." "Gut Friendly." "Plant Powered." "No Nasties." These claims are largely unregulated, entirely self-declared and frequently contradicted by the actual ingredients list on the back. Here's how to read past the marketing and assess what's actually in your protein powder — and what the red flags look like when you know how to find them. Step 1 — Ignore the Front Completely Seriously. Turn the product around before you form any opinion. The front of the...