3 “Healthy Foods” Which Are NOT!
If there’s one thing I really can’t stand, it’s false advertising! Especially when it comes to things we consume. Pharmaceutical companies are heavily regulated, but the food industry, not as much—or should I say there are certainly a fair number of ways to mislead consumers all while remaining “legally compliant”.
What the advertisers of these food products know is that when people are armed with a bit of knowledge, then they can be easily persuaded…as long as they do know look into the matter too closely.
Well, I am here today with my magnifying glass to read all those tiny letters and numbers found in the ingredient and nutritional labelling that is required by law, all in an effort to unmask those products posing as nutritionally valuable, when in fact, they are quite harmful to your wellbeing!
Shall we begin?
#1 Yogurt
Not all yogurt is created (manufactured) equally. Only those with less than 20 grams of sugar plus protein (i.e. Dannon® Oikos Greek yogurt) are actually sound nutritionally. One container of Yoplait® brand yogurt, for instance, contains more sugar than two bowls of Lucky Charms® cereal! Now why would you “Go-gurt®” with that for a breakfast or snack time choice?
#2 Wheat Bread
Again, not all breads that are sporting the “100% WHOLE WHEAT” label are as healthy as they are pretending to be. Sure, they’re baked using 100% whole grains—good! But they also contain other ingredients which are very BAD. A number of popular brands, including Pepperidge Farms® 100% Whole Grain varieties, are sporting high fructose corn syrup and/or a whole bunch of plain ol’ sugar baked right in.
#3 Cereal or Granola Bars
Store shelves are chock-full of healthy impostors when it comes to grab-and-go bars. Fiber One® bars are probably one of the worst you can grab—yet they sound so very good for you (‘cuz they have F-I-B-E-R in them). Yet every bar contains: high maltose corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and honey. Oh, how sweet it is!
Do yourself a favor; be a label reader. Don’t purchase a new-to-you item without taking the time to read and analyze its small print. Many companies want to distract you with their BOLD-face, healthy claims, all the while they are doing the ol’ bait and switch routine!