We recommend that you consult with a health-care professional before starting any new nutrition or weight-loss program to determine the proper foods for your specific needs, or if you have questions about your health in general.

About the Service
What is BrandAid?
How do I sign up?
Is there a charge to sign up for the BrandAid e-mail newsletters?
Will you share my e-mail or personal information with others?
How do I unsubscribe from the service?
When will I get my e-mail newsletters?
How can I submit a question to the Brand Doctor?
If BrandAid doesn’t charge for providing the e-mail newsletters, then how do you make money?
Can food manufacturers pay for a write-up in any of the BrandAid e-mail newsletters?

About the Best Brands
What are BestBrands?
How does a product get on the BestBrands list?
There was a list of "best brands" in your book The Last Diet Book Standing. Has this list changed?
What exactly is a SilverMedal brand?
Does price play a role when choosing BestBrands?
What if my grocery store doesn’t carry one of the BestBrands or even a SilverMedal brand?
Is there a BrandAid newsletter for kids?

About the Brand Doctor and Her Sleuthing Staff
Who is the Brand Doctor?
Is Kerry a real doctor?

Advertising with BrandAid
How can I advertise with BrandAid?

Q: What is BrandAid?
A: BrandAid is a free, bi-weekly electronic newsletter that aims to teach shoppers how to find the healthiest and best-tasting foods in their local grocery stores. We teach shoppers how to decode food labels in order to spot “healthy food imposters” packed with preservatives, chemicals, and artificial ingredients that are known to contribute to chronic disease and obesity.

Q: How do I sign up?
A: Anyone with a valid e-mail can sign up for the BrandAid service by going to www.ebrandaid.com. You can sign up right now here.

Q: Is there a charge to sign up for the BrandAid e-mail newsletters?
A: No. A subscription to BrandAid is free – so tell all of your friends about it too.

Q: Will you share my e-mail or personal information with others?
A. Absolutely not. We will never share any of the information you provide, including your e-mail address – everything is kept strictly confidential.

Q: How do I unsubscribe from the service?
A: Simply go to the page on our website marked Unsubscribe and follow a few easy steps.

Q: When will I get my e-mail newsletters?
A: You will receive a BrandAid newsletter in your inbox on Tuesday and Thursday every week.  Our rotating features include: Label Lessons, the day we teach unsuspecting shoppers how to spot the numerous chemicals, additives, and preservatives hidden in so many brand-name foods; BestBrands, the day we take subscribers through the grocery store, aisle by aisle, in search of the healthiest brands, and the Doctor Is In, the day the Brand Doctor answers your tough questions.

Q: How can I submit a question to the Brand Doctor?
A. You can submit a question to the Brand Doctor here. She is eager to answer your tough questions! And even if your question is not published, the Brand Doctor will make every attempt to answer your questions in a timely fashion.

Q: If BrandAid doesn’t charge for providing the e-mail newsletters, then how do you make money?
A: We offer paid advertising options to a variety of companies including food manufacturers.

Q: Can food manufacturers pay for a write-up in any of the BrandAid e-mail newsletters?
A: Absolutely not! All product information and recommendations are based solely and entirely on a strict set of nutritional guidelines developed exclusively by BrandAid, and not on any form of paid advertising. Food manufacturers cannot pay for a spot on our BestBrands list either, nor can they pay to be taken off our list of “healthy food imposters.” We adhere to this strict editorial policy because our goal is to be every shopper’s trusted source for cutting through the clutter and the label trickery so rampant in the food industry’s packaging and marketing. We would never endorse, promote, or accept advertising dollars from a food manufacturer that uses junk ingredients.

Q: What are BestBrands?
A:  We created the term “BestBrands” to describe foods that pack a nutritional punch without all those hidden, harmful junk ingredients that are found in so many popular brand-name foods.

Q: How does a product get on the BestBrands list?
A: To earn the BestBrands Stamp of Approval, a product must adhere to a strict set of BrandAid guidelines! A product must be free of any of the harmful chemical additives we call “evildoer” or “junk” ingredients. And it must be processed as little as possible – while still maintaining its nutritional value.

Q: There was a list of “best brands” in your book The Last Diet Book Standing Has this list changed?
A. Yes. The list of “best brands” that we published in The Last Diet Book Standing has changed. We have tightened our standards in terms of which brands/products can now be considered for the BrandAid list of BestBrands. For instance, a product that has any type of artificial sweetners, regardless of its overall nutritional value, will not be placed on our BestBrands list. However, these types of products that are still healthy, but contain one of our least favorite ingredients (like an artificial sweetner), can be found on our SilverMedal list. 

Q: What exactly is a SilverMedal brand?
A: We recognize that sometimes the healthiest choice might contain one of our least favorite ingredients. While not a BestBrands, we offer products in this group – our SilverMedal distinction – meaning it’s still a good choice, just not the best.

Q: Does price play a role when choosing BestBrands?
A: While price is not a BestBrands criterion, we are always on the lookout for ways to save shoppers money (hey, we work for a living too!). We provide ways to cut costs, whenever possible, by recommending buying in bulk, using coupons, and checking out online shopping resources.

Q: What if my grocery store doesn’t carry one of the BestBrands or even a SilverMedal brand?
A: We know that not all grocery stores are going to carry every product on our BestBrands list or even on our SilverMedal list. Not to worry. We always provide a no-fail set of guidelines that will help you choose the healthiest brands on your local grocery store shelves!

Q: Is there a BrandAid newsletter for kids?
A: We are in the process of developing other BrandAid services that target specific groups. BrandAid for Kids is in the works! However, we constantly address brand-related kid issues in our current tri-weekly newsletters, because we know that busy moms want and need as much information on which brands are truly healthy for kids. Getting kids on the nutritional “brand wagon” is our number one goal at BrandAid headquarters!

Q: Who is the Brand Doctor?
A: Kerry McLeod, PSHFC (Practitioner in the Science of Healthy Food Choices), is BrandAid’s chief Brand Doctor. Kerry became a professional label reader and expert brand selector years ago, after making the major transformation from chocolate-chomping, junk-food junkie to author, Sports Nutrition Certified Instructor, wife, and mother. She is the author of the popular diet and nutrition book The Last Diet Book Standing.  Kerry has been a contributing writer for eDiets.com, Atlanta Sports and Fitness Magazine, and Jezebel magazine.

Q: Is Kerry a real doctor?
A: No. Kerry is not a medical doctor, and does not claim to be. But Kerry is a “PSHFC (Practitioner in the Science of Healthy Food Choices)” – a term we created to describe the work we do at BrandAid. This “degree” means she knows what to buy and what to shun at the grocery store based on the ingredients listed on food packaging. She created BrandAid in order to pass on this important information to you. Please keep in mind that the BrandAid service is solely for informational purposes and was designed to help shoppers decode food labels on products found in most grocery stores. It is not intended to replace medical advice or to be a substitute for a physician. Always consult with a medical or health-care professional before starting any new nutrition, weight-loss, or exercise program, or if you have questions about your health in general.

Q: How can I advertise with BrandAid?
A: Just click here and complete the form and a BrandAid Sales Representative will contact you immediately.