1) Food labels list the ingredients included from the greatest to the least. Manufacturers don’t want consumers to know how much sugar is contained in their product, so many include and list a dozen or more unique sugars to give a false idea of how much sugar is really present. Most consumers don’t know the technical names of most sugars and don’t notice the numerous other sugars listed near the bottom of the exhaustive ingredient list. For a list of the more common sugar impersonators, see: Top 18 Sugar Impersonators ....
2)
Most protein bars are simply candy bars with added nutrients. Are all the
calories, fat, and sugar worth consuming for the small amount of protein and
fiber? As in any product, always avoid the exaggerated and deceptive claims on
the front of all colorful and alluring food packaging. Turn the box over and
evaluate the ingredient list and nutrition info.
3)
Liquid meal replacements like Ensure and Boost should only be served to the
elderly who need a serious calorie boost as well as vitamins and minerals. Many
dieticians consider them essentially fortified melted ice cream. Most popular
offerings contain twice the calories and 1.5 times the sugar as an equivalent
glass of cola.
4)
“GMO-free” banners on products are misleading in many cases. Oat based
breakfast cereals that make this claim are deceiving the public. Scientists
have still not been able to produce genetically modified oats! They don’t
exist! The GMO claim refers to the tiny amounts of sugar and cornstarch in the
product.
5)
Nutrition-facts panels are not standardized. This means manufacturers can base
the nutrition info on any serving size they choose. Many deceptively choose an
unreasonably small serving size to make the info more palatable. Consumers need
to do some mental arithmetic to find the actual numbers for a full serving.
6)
Most yogurt brands make excessive and unsubstantiated health claims on their
packaging and media advertising. The reality is that most of them contain as
many or more fat, calories, and sugar as regular ice cream or chocolate bars.
Danon’s Greek Yogurt recently received the SICK Award – Social Irresponsibility
toward Consumers and Kids. This award “alerts consumers to the millions of
dollars restaurant chains and food manufacturers spend on misleading
advertising and other efforts that push unhealthful foods.” Danon is a repeat
offender in deceptive ads. In 2009 and 2010 they were fined more than $50
million for exaggerated and false claims related to the “amazing” effects of
probiotics in their products. http://www.pcrm.org/media/news/dannon-social-irresponsibility-award
7)
Fake news sites are set up by some supplement manufacturers to legitimize their
exaggerated and often completely false claims. According to the FDA: “More and
more, scam artists are exploiting people’s trust in well-known news
organizations by creating fake news sites that use the logos of legitimate news
organizations or sound-a-like names and web addresses.” Marketers of acai berry
dietary supplements are just the recent catch of the day: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0299-fake-news-sites-promote-acai-supplements
8) Recently, many garden
vegetable sliced bread products have hit the market. You’ll be surprised how
many vegetables are REALLY in the bread!
9) Nutella contains 94 hazelnuts in every jar – but is it good
for you? Two tablespoons of Nutella equals 5 Oreo cookies!
10) You should drink Coca-Cola – Grandpa’s version!
Primary Source:
Wendy Haaf, “Are You Being Health-Washed?” Good Times, May 2014
Jerry De Luca is a Christian freelance writer who loves perusing dozens of interesting and informative publications. When he finds any useful info he summarizes it, taking the main points, and creates a (hopefully) helpful blog post.
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