5 Food Labels All Meat-Eaters Should Understand

By Well+GOOD
If you’re a health-minded carnivore, you’ve probably found yourself standing in a grocery aisle, holding two options in your hands and puzzling over the labels.

What, exactly, does free-range mean again? You pause for a moment, and turn to the other package before wondering, And is organic better?

Welcome to the confusing world of meat terminology, where it sometimes seems like a nutrition degree is necessary for decoding what you put in your fridge and your plate.

“I think there’s more confusion because of the explosion of manufacturer-created logos and marketing terms that don’t have true regulatory oversight,” says Ashley Koff, RD, who runs the Better Nutrition Simplified Program. “People are confused what to look for for.”

RELATED: How to be a better reader of food labels

With that in mind, here’s the 411 on the five terms that will help you be a smarter meat eater:

1. Natural
“Natural” is a clear and meaningful meat term, insofar as the USDA has a set definition for it, explains Dawn Undurraga, RD, a nutritionist for the Environmental Working Group (which publishes a comprehensive Meat Eater’s Guide). To qualify, meat must contain no artificial ingredients or added color (gross to think about, we know), and be only minimally processed. All fresh meat, therefore, is considered natural–but it doesn’t mean a whole lot beyond that.

2. Organic
“Organic” is another label with a clear, USDA definition–and one the experts say you definitely want to prioritize in your shopping trip. Organic meat and poultry can’t be treated with hormones or antibiotics, and it must consume only organically grown feed. Plus, the animals are required to have access to the outdoors. “‘Organic’ is a great certification, and it’s great for the environment,” says Undurraga. But looking for a combo of labels is better. In other words, organic may be awesome, she says, but organic and grass-fed (more details on that below) is potentially even better.

See 3 more food labels all meat-eaters should understand.

More Reading from Well+GOOD:
7 totally different ways to eat Paleo
Why “100% preservative-free” on your beauty label could be a red flag
Why more vegans are putting meat back on their plates
(Photo: Pixel Stories/Stocksy)

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• Not every step toward a more nutritious diet has to taste like one. Forget the steamed broccoli and try incorporating more great-for-you greens into your favorite meals you’re already making.

  We asked the experts to share with us some of their favorite sneaky ways to get more greens. Here are some of their most drool-worthy suggestions.

• Try pureeing greens and adding them to muffins, suggests Elisa Zied, MS, RDN, CDN. When paired with other flavorful ingredients, like blueberries or chocolate, you won’t notice the spinach hidden in the mix. “You won’t even feel like you’re eating vegetables,” says Heather Bauer, RD, CDN. This trick even works with brownies! (Just remember this isn’t a free pass to eat the whole pan.)

• Elizabeth M. Ward, MS, RD, swears by greens in omelets, especially kale, which you can easily buy frozen and throw into the mix whenever you’re in the mood to make breakfast.

• As you’re just about finished cooking your favorite noodle dish, around the time when you might typically add some fresh basil, try adding heartier greens to the mix, says Julie Upton, MS, RD, CSSD. Spinach works particularly well, she says. Greens also work in lasagna, says Zied, or instead of basil in homemade pesto, says Cheryl Forberg, RD. (You can even try the pesto as a yummy condiment to serve on sandwiches, she says.)

• To change up your morning routine, try mixing spinach or kale into those homemade fruit smoothies, says Ward. A handful of leaves doesn’t have to make your sip look — or taste — green!

• There’s no reason you can’t add a little green to your favorite homemade slice. A handful of leaves can add a refreshing factor to that warm and gooey cheese. Upton suggests baking your dough with just fresh mozzarella. Then when it comes out of the oven, cover the entire pie with a mix of arugula, cherry tomatoes, olive oil and vinegar.

• “When I’m making black beans (with tomato, garlic, onion, cumin, etc.), I love to stir in a couple cups of chopped, blanched greens like spinach, chard or kale at the end,” says Forberg. “Adds great color, texture and flavor!”

• Just about any green can be pureed to make a thicker soup, helping to camouflage a distinct health-promoting taste, says Bauer. Whipping up a greens-based soup or sauce is an especially good trick for the severely veggie-averse, she says, who might not even want to see vegetables.