Look up any ingredient on a label.

also known as Prunus dulcis, Sweet almond

A whole tree nut used raw, roasted, or ground into flour and butter. Almonds are mostly monounsaturated fat with useful protein and fibre, and they arrive in a product as a recognisable single-ingredient food rather than an extract or an isolate.

also known as Vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid, E300

Vitamin C, added both as a nutrient and as an antioxidant that stops fats and colours from oxidising. A good example of a chemical-sounding name that describes something entirely unremarkable.

Whole fruit, used fresh, frozen, or freeze-dried. Contributes natural sugars along with fibre and the polyphenols that give the skin its colour. On an ingredient list it means the fruit itself, not a flavouring derived from it.

also known as Rice protein concentrate

A plant protein separated from brown rice, common in dairy-free bars and shakes. It is an isolated fraction rather than a whole food, but the isolation is mechanical and the result is simply the protein portion of the grain.

also known as Anhydrous caffeine, 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine

A stimulant that occurs naturally in coffee, tea, and cocoa, and is also added in purified anhydrous form. Well characterised and widely tolerated, but dose-dependent — the source on the label tells you less than the milligrams do.

also known as Sucrose, Evaporated cane juice, Turbinado

Sucrose crystallised from sugar cane juice. Metabolically it is sugar — there is no meaningful nutritional gap between cane sugar, beet sugar, and the versions sold as "raw" or "organic". What matters is how far up the ingredient list it sits.

also known as E330

An acid used to adjust tartness and pH and to help preserve. Naturally present in citrus, but the commercial supply is produced by fermentation. Long-established and used in small amounts.

also known as EVOO

Oil pressed mechanically from olives with no heat or solvents, which is what the "extra virgin" grade certifies. Predominantly monounsaturated fat, and it retains the polyphenols that refining strips out of the lower grades.

also known as Whole grain rolled oats, Old fashioned oats, Flaked oats

Whole oat groats steamed and pressed flat. The processing is physical only, so the bran and germ stay attached — which is what keeps the beta-glucan fibre intact compared with more heavily processed instant oat flours.

also known as Sodium chloride

Salt harvested by evaporating seawater. Chemically almost identical to mined table salt — the trace minerals that survive evaporation are present in quantities too small to matter nutritionally. The relevant number is the total sodium on the panel.

also known as WPI

The protein fraction of milk, filtered to remove most of the lactose and fat. A complete protein with the full amino acid profile, and the isolate grade is usually tolerated by people who react to whey concentrate.

also known as E951, APM, Aspartyl-phenylalanine methyl ester

A high-intensity artificial sweetener roughly 200 times sweeter than sugar, used in diet sodas, sugar-free gum, and tabletop sweeteners. Because so little is needed, it contributes effectively no calories.

also known as Butylated hydroxyanisole, E320

A synthetic antioxidant added to fats and oils to delay rancidity, found in cereals, snack foods, chewing gum, and some packaging. It is effective in very small quantities and extends shelf life considerably.

also known as Rapeseed oil, LEAR oil

A neutral-tasting seed oil extracted from rapeseed bred for low erucic acid. Mostly monounsaturated fat with a high smoke point, and typically produced with solvent extraction followed by refining, bleaching, and deodorising.

also known as HFCS, Corn syrup, high fructose, Fructose-glucose syrup

A concentrated liquid sweetener made by converting corn starch to glucose and then partly to fructose. Cheap and easy to formulate with, and it delivers a large amount of added sugar with no fibre or micronutrients.

also known as MSG, E621, Sodium glutamate

The sodium salt of glutamic acid, added to deliver savoury depth. Glutamate occurs naturally in tomatoes, parmesan, and mushrooms, and the body does not distinguish added glutamate from the kind in whole foods.

also known as Palm fruit oil, Palmolein

A semi-solid fat pressed from the fruit of the oil palm. Around half saturated fat, and valued in manufacturing because it stays solid at room temperature without hydrogenation — which is why it replaced trans fats in many products.

also known as Allura Red AC, E129, FD&C Red No. 40

The most widely used synthetic red dye in the US food supply, made from petroleum feedstocks. It is purely cosmetic — it adds colour and nothing else — and appears in drinks, sweets, cereals, and some medicines.

also known as E211, Benzoate of soda

A preservative that suppresses mould and yeast in acidic products such as soft drinks, dressings, and pickles. Effective and inexpensive, and only works in an acidic environment, which is why it shows up alongside citric or phosphoric acid.

also known as E955

An artificial sweetener made by chlorinating sucrose, around 600 times sweeter than sugar. Heat-stable, so unlike aspartame it survives baking, and it passes through the body largely unabsorbed.

also known as E171, TiO2

A bright white pigment used to whiten and opacify icings, coffee creamers, chewing gum, and sweet coatings. It has no nutritional purpose and, like other colours, exists to change how a product looks.

also known as Tartrazine, E102, FD&C Yellow No. 5

A synthetic lemon-yellow dye used in soft drinks, sweets, cereals, and condiments. Like other colours it is purely cosmetic, and it is one of the few additives with a recognised, if uncommon, sensitivity reaction.