Food and marking described : Shocking facts you should know

Have you ever vowed to go on a “healthy eating” venture and headed to the store on a mission to find healthy foods?  I’ve done this befo...

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Have you ever vowed to go on a “healthy eating” venture and headed to the store on a mission to find healthy foods?  I’ve done this before and have gotten frustrated once I got to the store because I could never really be sure if the food products that boldly screamed, “I am healthy!” were really, in fact healthy.
Are the “whole grain” crackers really good for me?  Is the ice cream really made with real fruit? Are they trying to scam me?  The longer I looked and the more I thought about it, I deciphered that many of the products that claimed to be healthy were not as healthy as they cracked themselves up to be.
The next time you’re at the store, keep in mind the following facts about the marketing aspect of the food industry.

0g trans fat doesn’t always mean zero trans fat.
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Actually, a product can state that it has 0g trans fat even if it has a smidge of it in there.  The US guideline states that products can have up to 0.49g trans fat and still confidently claim 0g.  It is a bit misleading.  The amount recommended daily is 2g, so 0.49g is still trans fat regardless, so the 0g trans fat product you may be eating still may have a little trans fat in it.

Fat free and sugar free doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy.
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Don’t believe all the labels that say “fat free” or “sugar free”.  Sometimes when a company takes out fat content, it will add extra sugar, which sort of nullifies the lower fat.  Not to mention the fact that the artificial sweeteners that are often added are under scrutiny for being harmful to the health.
Even the foods that claim to be 99% fat free can have a good bit of fat in them because the percentage is calculated by weight and not calories.  So basically that 2% milk you drink that you think is almost fat free has over 1/3 of its calories coming from fat.

Nutrition labels are not always accurate.
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The FDA tries to regulate the information on the labels of products, but much of the time the labels falsify information. That candy bar says it has 300 calories in it, but it really might have 400.  Actually, in a report in 2011, it was stated that 1 out of every 4 product labels in the store are significantly inaccurate.  They might be a ball park figure, but there really isn’t enough verification from the FDA in this area currently.

“Natural” might not be so natural
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I know for me, I love to see the word “natural” slapped onto products as I go about my healthy grocery shopping ventures, but what I’ve come to realize is that not every product that claims their product is natural is truly natural in the essence of organic and good for me.
The FDA doesn’t have any stipulations as to what the word “natural” should constitute when slapped onto a product for marketing purposes. This basically means that there’s a ton of gray area on the matter.
For instance, high fructose sugar can be called “natural” and the FDA shrugs its shoulders.  Additionally, the popular Kashi-brand company received a lot of flack due to it proudly asserting that its cereals were “all natural”, when in fact it was discovered that non-organic and genetically modified ingredients were added to them.  The public was angry but the FDA, and some retailers removed the brand from their shelves, but they are still free to market “suspiciously”.

Serving sizes might not be accurate.
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The label might be on track, but some companies will not be completely truthful when it comes to serving sizes.  Some actually reduce the serving size by a certain percentage and then boldly claim that the product is “less this or less that”.  It is misleading to say the least.

Don’t always believe when a product claims to contain “whole grains” or “real fruit”
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You know the bread that you happily eat because you think it is loaded with whole grains?  Sorry to disappoint you, but it might not have all the whole grains you think it does.  The FDA is slack on regulating how much “whole grain” actually has to be in a product in order for the company to boast of its health consciousness.
Many whole grain foods have little whole grain and a whole lot of refined flour. Awhile back Sara Lee had to remove some products because an advocacy group argued that their bread was mainly made with refined flour and their marketing was inaccurate.
You should also do your homework when you come across products that shout “made with real fruit”, because they may just have a smidge of real fruit in the ingredients.  Many companies add a tiny bit of fruit concentrate and deem it healthy.  The truth is that plenty of the products are made with plenty of corny syrup and enriched flour.  Pop Tarts are a great example of this. There is really only about 5% of ingredients from real fruit, so 95% is pretty much junk.

Fortified is most of the time just for Show
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It’s great that companies want to add some nutritional value to their junk foods, but the little bit of vitamins or minerals they add does not necessarily do a consumer any good; they’re still getting very little nutritional value in the product.
Even if they’ve added Omega-3 and fiber, the product is probably still loaded with high amounts of sugar or refined flour. If you drink a soda that has a few antioxidants included in it, you’re still consuming a drink that has little to no nutritional value to you. Eating fruits, vegetables, or nuts is your way to go to get your necessary vitamins and minerals, without any extra “junk” included.
Be careful of the marketing efforts from companies. They are not always out for the consumer’s best interest.  They want to sell their product and many of them will stretch the truth in order to get their products moving.
At the end of the day, trying to eat foods that are as close to its natural state as possible is the best way to make sure you get what you are looking for and it’s also the healthiest way to eat. So stick with fresh fruits and veggies, real cuts of meat and try and avoid anything that was package, created or processed.