Recently, CBC’s Marketplace did an article on five popular foods that promote themselves as healthy. Their packages make big promises, but if you read the fine print, you may be surprised. Just because a food has healthy label, doesn’t mean it is actually healthy.
The High Protein Healthy Label
Marketplace looked at the product called Vector by Kellogg’s. It’s called a meal replacement, but you find it in the cereal aisle and it looks like a cereal box. On the package, Vector says it has 13 grams of protein. When you read the smaller nutritional label, you find out that it only has that much protein if you add skim milk to the “meal replacement” aka cereal. How can they get away with this? Kellogg’s says that because it is a meal replacement, it enjoys different rules around labeling.
The Labels of Vegetables and Fruit
I remember when Sensible Portions’ Garden Veggie Straws came out. People were so excited to buy these vegetables that looked and somewhat tasted (if you used your imagination) like potato chips. Well, it turns out it is actually mostly a potato chip. The Veggie Straws are mostly made out of potato starch, potato flour, and cornstarch. They then add some tomato paste and spinach powder to make the vegetable claim, and follow up with sugar to make it edible. Experts in the article say that these are actually more processed than potato chips!
Welch’s Mixed Fruit Snacks are delicious little gummies that claim to be filled with fruit. The label says that fruit is the first ingredient. Well, kind of. Fruit puree is actually the first ingredient. When you puree fruit, it brings the sugar to the forefront and takes out the many healthy nutrients from the food. There’s actually 10 grams of sugar in each serving.
Bolthouse Blue Goodness beverage claims to be made of blueberries and blackberries – fruit that is full of antioxidants and fiber. When you look at the actual ingredients, it is full of apple juice and banana puree. It’s fiber comes from a supplement, not from the fruit itself. There is almost 7 teaspoons of sugar in just one cup of this juice.
The High Fiber Healthy Label
We all want more fiber in our diets, and the Fibre 1 Chocolatey Fudge Brownies promise high fiber in a delicious brownie. You know what they say – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The label claims that each brownie has 5 grams of fiber. Well, it’s that fiber supplement again, which can be okay, or it can cause severe stomach upset and pain, especially for those with IBS or other digestive issues.
The Downlow on the Healthy Label
Keto products are certainly not immune to these labeling antics. Often I’ll pick something up that says “keto” only to find that one of those items has up to 20 grams of carbs in it. The only way to tell for sure what is in a food is to look at the ingredients and the nutritional information on the side.
Shouldn’t we be able to trust that our government has our backs when it comes to labeling food? Well, advertisers are a smart bunch, and if there are loopholes, they will find them. So, how do we protect ourselves? We did a blog on shopping for keto groceries, and the bottom line is that you have to read the fine print.
Our Experiences with Buying Foods
The other day, Bill said, “Did you look at the nutritional info on this?” When I looked, he had a bottle of chili powder in his hands. The nutritional label said there was 1 gram of net carbs in a serving. So, what’s the big deal? Well, the serving was a teaspoon, rather than the usual tablespoon. It’s not going to make or break us, but it shows that even when you’re trying to pay attention, some things slip past.
The good news is that once you find a brand you like and you’re clear on the nutritional information and ingredients, you can keep buying that brand. It’s not very adventurous, but it does make shopping easier. As this Marketplace article shows, it is a buyer-beware environment out there!
Wendy
