April 14, 2024: Food Labels
My weekly Get Your Stuff Together Sunday email series gives you one actionable focus for the week that will make your life a little easier.
{Did you miss last week’s GYSTS email? No prob! Go here and scroll to the bottom for a complete archive of all GYSTS emails}
Sugar-free, natural flavors, organic - the food industry has a way of decorating food packages to make them appear healthy. This week, we’re going to talk about how the food industry is fooling you with food labels and how you can keep from letting them do it to you.
Food makers use certain keywords and post them in either big bold print, so you don’t feel bad buying it, or hide them under the façade of something else, so you don’t realize what it is that you’re actually buying. It’s an all-year April Fool’s joke, but here are some things to look out for when reading food labels.
All Natural – The only things that are all natural are more than likely not going to be in a package. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a way of interpreting certain ingredients and including them in the “all natural” category. As long as it doesn’t contain added colors, flavors, or artificial substances it can be all natural. However, high fructose corn syrup is not healthy nor is it natural, but companies can argue that, because it comes from corn, it’s included as all natural.
Sugar Free or No Added Sugar – So you found something that contains sugar free or no added sugar on it and breathe a sigh of relief you’re able to have your cake and eat it too - not so fast. No sugar added doesn’t account for the sugar that’s already in a product. Fruit, vegetables, cereal, and milk all have sugars in them. The carbohydrates, the simple sugars and complex starches, already in a product can raise your blood sugar. And sugar free is a fancy way of saying it has sugar alcohols which contain sometimes twice as many calories as sugar and, if eaten in excess, can cause diarrhea.
Organic – The regulations for labeling something as organic is when 95% of the ingredients were grown or processed without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, and if the label says “made with organic ingredients,” then 70% of those ingredients must meet that standard. Even with this description, organic doesn’t mean low calorie, low fat, low sugar, etc. These products can be organic, but they might not be healthy.
Fat Free – A package containing the fat free claim is free of trans and saturated fats, which are associated with several health risks, but, again, just because it’s free of fat does not make it immune to a number of other ingredients that are just as bad for you. Compare a label of fat free to one without, you may be surprised that the sugar or calorie content is just as bad or worse.
Multigrain – Carbs shouldn’t be thrown to the wind because you’re watching what you eat, but the kind of carbs you eat make a big difference. Multigrain sounds like something you should be eating, because grains are good. But, not all grains are created equal. When buying bread, look for labels that say 100% whole grains. Whole grains contain more fiber and nutrients than multigrain or products that are just made with whole grains. Those items have had the most nutritious part of the grain removed.
Serving Size – A serving size is how much of an item contains what’s listed on the label. It could be a tablespoon or a cup, depending on the product, but another way the industry fools you is by making their serving sizes unrealistic so you think the product doesn’t contain as much sugar, fat, or calories as it actually does. If you’re eating the recommended serving size for ice cream, you’d have one ½ cup scoop, but most people don’t have just one scoop and can easily triple the number of calories, sugar, and fat in one sitting. Be sure you’re paying attention to the serving size and make sure you keep it realistic if you’re keeping track.
Unfortunately, the standards of food labels bend to the food companies producing the food rather than the consumers. This makes it so important to pay attention and understand what you’re reading so you’re not being misled into buying something that doesn’t work for your goals.
Next Sunday, we’ll talk about how you can use exercise as a super-effective stress management tool.
Want some expert help with reaching your health goals painlessly? Check out my programs! We’ll get everything taken care of in a way that fits into your current lifestyle so you never have to think about your health again. Love reading? I have books, too. Check out my books!
Do you have a friend who could stand to G(her)ST? Feel free to forward this!
I hope you have a wonderful week,
Kelly
My weekly GYSTS email give you one actionable thing to do for the week that will make you life a little easier. As "they" say, "Fail to plan; plan to fail." Get these emails (and more!) delivered right to your inbox by clicking HERE.