So, in an attempt to regain my love for nutrition, I decided tonight, while many people are sitting in front of the television watching the latest crappy reality television show or perhaps at another boozy holiday mixer (yea, it’s Monday, but who knows!), I would parlay an attempt at putting on my writing shoes again.
Being a nutritionist of sorts…I do my best to practice what I preach. I enjoy eating whole, fresh foods. I frequent the farmers markets as often as I can. I shop the parameters of the grocery stores in search of the organic fruits and vegetables. When I buy packaged goods, I try to only buy the ones that are made without hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. I think I shop pretty smart when it comes to groceries.
But being pretty smart about grocery shopping is not always easy. Unfortunately, there is this epidemic out there called “false advertising”…basically, the use of false or misleading statements in advertising…and yes, even us nutrition people can fall victim to this sort of thing. Other professionals call this sort of food labeling “health halos” and as many as 25 percent of the foods and beverages we see at the market today can have them.
So what is the big deal with false advertising? Who cares? I do! Lots of people let down their guard when they think something is low-fat, or trans-fat free. The devilish effect of false advertising can be especially treacherous for dieters, as people who are watching their weight tend to be more easily misled by labels. If a label sounds healthy, people are often persuaded to eat much more of the item then they intended.
To help people distinguish some of the more virtuous foods from the ever so sinful, I thought I might identify just a few of these terms that can often pop up on packaged items…as well as on restaurant menus.
TRANS FAT-FREE
Trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid and increase shelf life. Why do companies bother using something they know is bad for people? Well, simple. It’s cheap, inexpensive to use and lasts a REALLY long time. Incase you weren’t aware, trans fats aren’t always called as such. Another name for trans fats is “partially hydrogenated oils.” So next time you think about buying a packaged good that has this in its ingredient label, you might want to note that trans fat boosts your total cholesterol while lowering artery-clogging “good” cholesterol (HDL) and elevating “bad” cholesterol (LDL). Mmmmm…sounds delicious doesn’t it?
So thanks to a loophole in the FDA, manufacturers can claim their product has zero grams of trans fat if it contains .5 grams or less per serving. So if you are like most of America, who eats more than one serving, you could be consuming plenty of this dangerous fat. For example, eating a few crackers and cookies in one day without really paying attention to what is in the ingredients and you could be taking in roughly 2.5 grams of this fat, even if the label claims it has zero percent! That is pretty scary, considering the American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 2 grams of trans fat a day. For the most part, trans fats tend to show up in junk foods like snack cakes, doughnuts and tub frosting, so buying fewer, or better yet NONE of such foods will automatically slash your intake.
NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
A few years back, there was research that suggested a link between high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and rising rates of obesity and diabetes. That was the point where this sweetener became a number one enemy of the public. According to a market research firm, 1/3rd of consumers now claim to avoid ALL foods containing this item. I will admit this has included myself. Many companies have replaced HFCS with a wide variety of other products, like juices or alternative sugars, and proudly claim it on their products, hoping that will salvage the sales of whatever their product may be.
This label is often a gimmick, especially when it is slapped on highly processed foods. According to research published in the American Medical Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there is no evidence that high fructose corn syrup is metabolized differently from or more closely linked to obesity than other sweeteners. However, what IS bad for you is TOO MUCH sugar…in ANY form. Remember that four grams of sugar is equivalent to one teaspoon- and that is the same with honey, molasses, agave, sucrose, fructose, whatever! If a product lists any sugar in the first four ingredients of its ingredient list, you are bound to be getting a lot more sugar than you need in that product. For example, in one packet of flavored instant oatmeal, you are getting three teaspoons of sugar. In oatmeal? Really? All the more reason to make your own.
WHOLE GRAIN
Whole grains are cereal grains that contain cereal germ, endosperm and bran. This is in contrast to refined grains, which contain just the endosperm. I won’t go into too much detail about each part of the grain, but I will say the bulk of dietary fiber, minerals and essential fatty acids is found in the bran.
There is no doubt in people’s minds that whole grains are a healthier option. In a recent survey, half of grocery shoppers report putting more whole grains in their grocery carts because of such thinking. Whole grain crackers, whole grain cookies, there are even chicken nuggets sold with a whole grain coating on them! Is that healthy?
Yes, whole grains are healthier (though I am not sure I want to condone chicken nuggets of any kind). Whole-wheat flour has 25 percent more protein, 78 percent more fiber and 93 percent more vitamin E than refined flour. But be careful with the labeling. Make sure you read the entire ingredient list of a packaged whole grain product. Whole should be in the name of the first ingredient and check to see that the whole grain product you are buying has at least 3-4 grams of fiber per one serving.
I know that many people, especially in the nutrition world, will argue with me for days about whole grains, because of all the research that comes out on a regular basis on the problems with wheat and how it is grown nowadays, etc. The truth is people are still going to eat this wheat and packaged goods so I am trying to be realistic! And for those who go without much or any wheat or grains, that leads me to my next sneaky label.
GLUTEN-FREE
Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye. It gives elasticity to dough, helping it to rise and to keep its shape, and often gives the final product a chewy texture. A gluten-free diet excludes foods that contain gluten. Originally the sales of gluten free products were designed for people with celiac disease, which is the inability to digest gluten, but the sales of these products have doubled since 2005. This is thanks in part to celebrities or famous athletes who claim gluten free eating is the key to everlasting health and an amazing body. Shoppers think these foods will help them lose weight.
The truth is, gluten free doesn’t always equal healthy and these foods won’t help you lose weight. Gluten free products tend to be higher in calories and lower in fiber than regular grain products because they have to pack extra sugar and fat to make them taste better! Most of the packaged products are also quite pricey and are not necessary if you do not have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, which means you test negative for celiac, but still suffer from symptoms like diarrhea and migraines when you ingest the protein gliadin. Oh, one more thing, many gluten free products are not enriched with iron and vitamin B as other grain products are, so you may be missing out on key nutrients.
I suggest learning to cook more of your own food if you REALLY want to go gluten free. There are sites with bread recipes using buckwheat and brown rice flour. There is also no shortage of delicious quinoa recipes. Buy a slow cooker or rice cooker and experiment. If you are willing to spend the money for expensive packaged gluten free goods, it wouldn’t hurt to spend the money and make your own!
LOW-FAT
Ah yes, low-fat. In our weight obsessed, diet crazed society, this label may as well just read “Eat me!” According to a study done in the Marketing Journal of Research, people down nearly 30 percent more candy when it is labeled “low-fat.” People think fat is evil, and promoting this one positive aspect of a product, that is was low in fat, is enough for most people to assume they can eat more of it.
So, the reality check is that many, if not all, low fat foods have just as many, or close to as many calories as their full fat counterparts. What many people do not realize is that when a product has less fat in it, it is compromising flavor and the satiety factor. What is the satiety factor? Well, fat is more satisfying. So when you eat a bowl of full fat vanilla ice cream- ingredients cream, milk, sugar, eggs and some vanilla extract…one bowl probably makes you satisfied. When you dig into a low fat ice cream, there is less of that satisfying fat to make you feel satisfied and more sugar and other chemicals, binders, etc. that are supposed to make the product taste as good as the full fat version.
A low fat diet can also be rough on your heart. If you eat less fat, and of course that is keeping good fats like almonds and avocados in mind, you may fill your diet with more refined carbohydrates like white pasta and baked goods. This can help lower your “good” (HDL) cholesterol levels and increase blood fats called triglycerides. Low fat foods that are worth buying include lean cuts of meat, poultry and dairy staples like milk, cheese and yogurt. Buy yogurts plain and sweeten them yourself. All that is missing from these products when you buy them low fat is the saturated fat and extra calories.
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