‘Healthy’ Labels May Be Misleading You
The year was 1990 and I can clearly recall the first Entenmann’s commercial for fat free cake. The villagers watched as a man powerfully proclaimed, ‘you can eat cake!’. And that was it. I immediately thought… oh no, people will eat the entire cake! And guess what, they did. Check it out: click here
And then in 1992, Snackwell cookies came out and the grocery stores could not keep them on the shelves. People ate the entire box in one sitting.
While the consumers knew for sure they were overeating these cake and cookies, the idea that they are fat free removed the guilt. Even though the products are low in fat, they are loaded with sugar. The serving size is one slice… not the whole cake!
What was the serious impact?
Obesity rates skyrocketed! From 1990 to 2018, the average percentage of obese adults increased from 11.1% to 31.3%. In 2020, 83 percent of men and 72 percent of women are overweight or obese.
Beware… it is happening again right now!
I was shopping with my daughter at an upscale, Los Angeles grocery store. We strolled the store slowly, aisle by aisle and we saw product labels screaming … keto, organic, gluten free, vegan, sugar free, paleo, natural, no high fructose corn syrup and more. When we turned the products over to read the ingredients and looked at the nutrition label, it was déjà vu to 1990.
People are stocking up on these foods with great intention to support their health. Yet so many of the products are devoid of any nutritional benefit. And worse, if the label states vegan, it may lure a person into thinking it is healthy. Yet it may be loaded with sugar and lack any fiber, protein or healthy fats.
Lesson Learned.
Don’t be fooled by food claims alone as a motivator to purchase a product!
Here’s a 3 Step Approach:
Look closely at the ingredient panel. Be cautious of ingredients such as polysorbate 80, lecithin, xantham gum, carrageenan, and sugars since these have a negative impact on our body’s gut microbiome. I mean sugar even if it is organic cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, and artificial sweeteners. These ingredients are in a great deal of seemingly ‘healthy’ new foods on the market.
Read the nutrition facts. Is this food providing with me with any nutritional benefits? Is it a protein source, a fiber source, rich in vitamins or minerals? Or is it calories with no real nutritional benefit which is referred to as empty calories. The nutrition facts can be a true clue so use it as a tool to know more about the product before you buy it.
Check out is the serving size. Let’s say you don’t keep cookies in the house because you will eat the entire package, and now you find a vegan, organic cookie on the shelf which claims: high in fiber, sweetened with stevia, chia seeds, flax seeds and all natural ingredients. If there are 8 servings in the package (120 calories/serving) and you eat the whole bag, that is 960 extra calories. Even though the food may be ‘healthier’! If you can’t have the package in the house without eating the entire bag, then consider leaving it on the shelf of the grocery store. Don’t be surprised if you are eating package after package of ‘100% natural’, ‘no artificial ingredients’, ‘organic’, ‘vegan’ foods and struggling with your weight. If you can’t eat a reasonable serving, then don’t bring it home.
Let’s not let today be a repeat of the 1990s when we were fooled by products disguised as ‘healthy’. Be leery of the 2020 food claims.
If you need help sorting through the product madness, book a discovery call to learn more.
Yours in good health~
Debbie