With the start of the new year, I made a conscience effort to try to eat healthier and buy and cook healthier foods for my family. Step one was to add more whole grains to our diet. In the bread isle at our local grocery store, I looked for breads that were labeled "whole grain" and didn't give a second thought as I put the so-called "whole grain" bread into my cart. The following week, I felt good as I ate my breakfast sandwich with my "whole grain" bread. Funny thing was around 9:30 AM I already found myself incredibly hungry. Before, when I was eating my breakfast sandwich on plain white bread, my hunger was kept at bay until around 11:30 AM. I was very curious as to why my "whole grains" were not satisfying my hunger longer as I was under the assumption that whole grains are digested more slowly than refined grains. I started doing some research and discovered I had been duped. My so called "whole grain" bread contained no whole grains at all, but instead contained enriched flour and caramel coloring. Lesson learned, and from now on I'll be reading the ingredients list to make sure "whole wheat flour" is the first item listed.
However, I am surprised at the amount of deceit that food manufacturers are allowed to put on labels and even in the nutritional information listed on the foods we eat. For instance, did you know the FDA allows food manufacturers to round down to zero
any ingredient that accounts for less than 0.5 grams per serving? This means any product claiming to be "0 grams of trans fat" may very well contain trans fat. While 0.5 grams per serving does not seem like a significant amount, over time it could add up, especially when you take into consideration very few people actually only eat one serving. So, how do you tell if a food item truly has 0 grams of trans fat? You have to look at the ingredients list. If it lists hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated then trans fat is there.
In this day and age, people are trying to eat healthier. We're told to add more whole grains and eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Picking healthy foods is hard enough without worrying about food manufacturers taking advantage of you. But, who can blame them for trying to profit off the new healthy food trends?
Eat smart and be smart! Read the labels closely and check the ingredients list.
UPDATE: Poll Results 1/12/09 - 1/19/09
Do you think food manufacturers are misleading on food labels?83% Yes
16 % No
00% Meh
Do you think there should be stricter guidelines on nutrition labels?83% Yes
16% No
00% Meh
