I can't remember when I started to read food labels. But I do remember the first time my mother saw me doing it.


We were in the middle of a grocery asile and I was home for the weekend. Every time I came home I cooked. Getting out the 4-H recipes for Bread. Sour dough starters, cinnamon rolls, anything complicated with a lot of "farting around to it"I gravatated to and naturally wanted to make. My mother didn't understand that fussing part, hijacking her kitchen all afternoon! But during the afternoon in question I was in the middle of a whirlwind cooking phase and had to go into town with her for further supply.


I was stopped in the asile at the gocery store, staring at a friendly and familiar blue and white box. I was having misgivings about dessert now. Questioning myself on biscuit dough and did I really want to move ahead with it since I couldn't get creme in the country and the only alternative was this friendly box that said it was an edible petroleum product. What was that, I wonder?


"You mean to tell me you stand there and read labels!" my mother says. trolling up behind the rear "I can't believe it!" After all our jont in was supposed to be a short. A get in and out back home affair not take all afternoon.


"Well, yeah. I read labels." I said, "don't you?" I said.


"Well if I had as much time on my hands as you seem to," she is telling me "I wouldn't get much done. And no. I don't. Besides, what difference does it make here!" I should clarify this time I was living in Toronto and had access to food around the world. Fresh, interesting of every description.


At least on the "here" part mom was right. In our only country grocery store there was iceberg lettuce two brands of milk. No one for miles had even heard of an avocado much less eat one or figure out why you would be needing or wanting to eat one in the first place. If you didn't want what was offered in our town, this meant no alternative, going without. If you couldn't live with that what you had to do was take a 45 minute drive to the city for whip creme. Not many saw good sense to it. Often times people in the tiny country seem to have the poorest access to good food.


Today it seems odd anyone would question the need to read a food label. Why we need to pay special attention to what we're eating is clear. Diabetes, hyper-tension, food allergies, headaches, loosing weight. These are all good enough health reasons.


These days I am a better informed consumer, but I will quickly admit I am daily confused by what I read what's on my label. Reading labels on food we are at least familiar with even if we don't understand what it is we read.


Strange this same concern does not extend to what cremes, soaps and beauty products we put on and into our bodies.


I have decided to do my little bit in an effort to change that. To bridge the understanding gap. To build a user friendly dictionary of ingredient terms for the beauty business. So the next time you're stuck in the shopping asile with that certain something in your hand with words that derail you that you can't make sense of you might say instead, "oh yeah, I remember didn't Nancy mention that in her blog...? So dear friend here it is your friendly neighbourhood beauty reference guide:


Paraben: