You are consciously watching what you eat,
checking the side panel for the nutritional information and daily value. However, you are being deceived. Yes, it is
important to read the nutritional facts panel on the food label. Food manufacturers try to fool you
into eating high fat foods and high sugar foods by listing the percentage of
fat/sugar by weight or volume and also by disguising ingredient names to add to the
confusion.
To get a clear picture of what you are
eating it’s best to calculate the percentage of calories in a food that come
from Fat or Sugar by using the following formula;
(i),
Look at the number of grams
from fat or sugar on the label
(ii), Multiply
the number of grams by 9 to get the
number of fat calories or
Multiply the
number of grams by 4 to get the number of sugar calories.
(ii) Divide that number
by the total number of calories to find the % of calories from fat or sugar.
As an example, I am using a popular Kellogg’s“Nutri
Grain”Cereal Bar ;
For
Fat Content
(i) 3 gms of fat in one serving totaling
130 calories.
(ii)
3 gms of fat times
9* = 27 Calories from Fat
(iii)
27 divided by 130 Total
Calories = 20.7% fat
*there are 9 calories in a
gram of fat
As you can see in the example, the actual percentage of fat you are eating
is 21% and not the 5% you are misled to
believe.
For
Sugar
(i)
13 gms of sugar in one serving totaling 130 calories.
(ii)
13 gms of sugar times
4* = 52 Calories from Sugar
(iii)
52 divided by 130 Total.
Calories = 40% Sugar
*there are 4 calories in a
gram of Sugar
Here the actual percentage of sugar is 40%,
not the 9% daily value listed.
Because food companies list Fat and Sugar
percentage by volume, by weight, or by “daily value” this reflects a very small
serving size. Using the above formula is helpful in clearing up such misleading
information.
According to Kellogg’s: website the
Nutri-grain bar is….“Made with invigorating whole grains and the delight of a
delicious filling made with strawberry to help you move at the speed of morning” 6
According to Fooducate.com, this product
rates a Cminus.
Personally I think Fooducate is being
generous in it’s rating…..
Let’s dissect this a bit more.
In the above example, you are eating 130
calories – not much of a Breakfast for the most important meal of the day….
– 40%
is made up of sugar with no nutritional value. You are eating 3 1/2 tsp of sugar per
bar. And according to Kellogg’s “smartlabel” ALL of the sugar is added –none comes
from natural sources. 6 - So
much for Real Fruit…Oh wait, Kellogg’s website states that it only “tastes”
like real fruit.
This is a HIGHLY PROCESSED product. Many of the ingredients are used to increase
the shelf life and improve flavor. Flavor yummmmm......
Natural
and Artificial Flavour
Added flavorings are created in a lab to
compensate for flavor loss during processing.
“Natural Flavorings” contain animal products, glutamates –
including MSG and other allergens – sorry vegetarians & vegans, so much for
the environment….
8
grams of Whole Grains per bar
Focusing on the fiber band wagon, there is
no knowledge of the percentage of whole grains in thIS bar. Although whole grains is better than
processed grains, only 100% whole grains should be consumed. So much for wholesome…..
Artificial
Colors
Food looks nicer and sell better when cheap artificial dyes are added. Unfortunately they pose a risk for
hyperactivity in children, allergic reactions, and cancer.
Wheat
Gluten –causes inflammation in both stomach linings
and the brain.
Contains
Zinc Oxide Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound used as an additive in various products including rubbers, plastics, ceramics, glass, ,paints,
,adhesives, sealants, and batteries –
to name a few. Banned in Canada, it is
still listed on Kellogg’s US website.
Contains
Glycerides
Used to "improve" quality in
baked goods, glycerides are created by using partially hydrogenated oils or animal fats. Glycerides
are synthesized into phosphates which is a potential environmental hazard.
Cereal is one of the most profitable businesses for food
manufacturers. They can turn an
inexpensive ingredient (processed grains) into a pricy commodity.
So, what about another Breakfast favorite – Kellogg’s Mini-Wheats?
Well, with icing sugar being the
second ingredient on the label, that 11 grams of sugar per serving amounts to
eating a dose of 23% sugar.
What is more concerning is that
it contains BHT - Butylated hydroxytoluene a chemical preservative that has
shown to cause cancer and thyroid changes in animals. 7
Quaker Instant “Super Grains”
Oatmeal – is not much better. It still
contains 23% sugar per serving and uses sodium sulphite as a preservative. As this is not organic, all the “super grains”
would contain the weed killer – glyphosate, a known cancer concern.
Well, what do I
eat?
Organic Steel cut Oatmeal, with
REAL fruit, nuts and seeds (Chia,
Pumpkin, Hemp).
One bowl is a complete breakfast with only 4% being natural fruit sugar.
½ cup of Bob's Red Mill
Organic Steel Cut Oats
½ cup of Moov Organic Berry
Cherry Blend
1-2 tbsp of Hemp Hearts
1 tsp of Flaxseed (ground roasted)
1/3 cup of Pumpkin Seeds/Mixed
Nuts (Cashews,almonds,walnuts)
1 ½ tbsp. of organic Chia Seeds
820 calories with 50% Fat, 4%
Sugar and 16% Protein.
FAT: 46.25 gms, or 416 fat calories = 51% Fat
SUGAR: 7.5
gms or 30 sugar calories = 4% Sugar
PROTEIN: 33.5
gms or 134 protein calories = 16%.
One bowl has 820 calories, half of my
breakfast is made up of healthy fat. Even with
half a cup of real fruit, there is no worry of my pancreas working
overtime to keep blood sugar normal. Fat - not carbohydrates is the preferred
fuel of human metabolism. Our bodies
thrive on "good fats" and cholesterol. Although vegetable fiber is the best for the
body, the fiber from oatmeal helps slow down insulin output, causing a funneling
of glucose into the bloodstream over a longer period Plus the protein consumed helps build and
repair tissue, produce enzymes and hormones
and manage weight loss and muscle gain.
Now back to the facts - as you can see, Food Manufacturers do
NOT have your best interest at heart.
According to the BEUC (European Consumer Organization) 3-, three of the most common misleading practices
include
·
labeling
products as 'traditional' or 'artisanal';
·
displaying
fruit pictures on packaging for products that have little or no actual fruit
content;
·
labeling
as 'whole grain' products with barely any fiber
Back in the 1960’s the sugar industry paid
scientist to down play the link between sugar and heart disease and promote
saturated fat as the culprit. 5- Now, people these days are more concerned
about carbs and sugar intake. Rightfully
so, added Sugar is hiding in 47% of packaged foods! 1
And, there
are at least 61 different names for sugar listed on food labels! Although some sugar occurs naturally in fruit, the majority is
added. Some
common names include sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, glucose, fructose, dextrose,
maltose, lactose, barley malt, brown
rice syrup, agave nectar, etc From the
example above, of the 13 grams of sugar listed, all of it was added..
Manufacturers use several different kinds
of sugar so they can hide the real amount.2
As the
main ingredient is listed first on the label, disguising sugars as
different names seperately is one way
that manufacturer’s deceive consumers. A
food may contain lactose, high-fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, barley malt,
and evaporated cane sugar –all different names for the same thing – Sugar.
Sugar-free products aren’t much
better. Although sugar-free products may
have less sugar per serving than the regular version, they do contain sugar
alcohols (mannitol, xylitol, sorbitol) –at roughly 2 calories per gram, and not
only add up in calories but can cause bloating and diarrhea…4-
According to Robyn AO’Brien, Author of “The
Unhealthy Truth-How our Food is making us Sick…” a major problem in our diet is our reliance
on processed foods. We deprive ourselves
of nutrients that are vital to our health.
With processed foods you are getting the fat, calories and carbs but NOT
getting the nutritional building blocks that we need. The micronutrients, which contain no
calories, and come in the form of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals or
other types of plant-based chemicals
only come in natural foods.
There are many chemical reactions created
in industrial processing of goods.
Sugars reacting with ammonia and sulfites under high pressure and
temperature have dire consequences - as they are potential cancer-causing
agents.
So, in summary, Nutritional labels are
confusing and health claims by companies are misleading so “Buyer Beware”..
The most effective way to remain healthy is
to know what you’re eating and STOP eating packaged and boxed foods. Not only will you reduce your sugar and bad
fat intake, but you reduce the intake of chemical additives and preservatives
that are bad for the body.
If you are serious about you and your family’s health, eating whole, natural and unprocessed foods is the only way to go. Real Foods IS the ingredient!!
3-https://www.beuc.eu/publications/beuc-x-2018-049_our_recipe_for_honest_labels_in_the_eu.pdf
4-https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20599288,00.html
5-https://w7ww.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/well/eat/how-the-sugar-industry-shifted-blame-to-fat.html
6 -http://smartlabel.kelloggs.com/Product/Index/00038000359217
7 -https://www.ewg.org/research/ewg-s-dirty-dozen-guide-food-additives/generally-recognized-as-safe-but-is-it
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