Why You Should Be Aware of Nutrition Label Lies
What is the most common mistake people make when they're trying to lose weight or build muscle? They take the food companies at their word! Yes, a lot of what you read on food labels is a lie. It's a well devised lie...in fact, it's so cleverly worded that these companies rarely get in trouble. However, you have much to lose if you take everything a food company says literally.
The Top Nutritional Lies
First, don't believe one of the biggest nutritional lies out there--that everything the FDA or USDA approves is healthy, or generally OK for you. These organizations are notorious for holding back legitimate natural products and releasing products that have bad fats, unhealthy chemically-created ingredients and foreign contaminants (the likes of which you probably don't even want to know).
Never assume that just because a company uses the term "organic" or fat-free that the company is legitimate healthy. Remember, most of the colored or large wording you see on the package label is copy (as in promotional wording) and has nothing to do with USDA or FDA-approved anything. The one thing you have going for you is the Nutrition Facts panel on the back as well as the list of ingredients. Read between the lines--the label tells you what is healthy and unhealthy.
Health Risks for Sale
For instance, one of the most notorious label lies is that of healthy trans-fat foods. There is nothing healthy about trans-fat, which is fat made from heating up regular vegetable oil using hydrogen gas. This unsaturated fat is made into a saturated fat through an unnatural process, which can cause a dramatic increase in cholesterol, and has been linked to various diseases, including heart disease, liver dysfunction and even cancer. It is commonly thought (though not proven) that the lipase enzyme (which aids in digestion) cannot metabolize a trans fat, meaning it stays in the bloodstream for a long period of time. Not only is it best to avoid products with trans-fat, but avoiding products with "partially hydrogenated oil" is also necessary, since this is the same thing as trans-fat, but at a very low amount, so as not to warrant a trans-fat percentage.
High-fructose corn syrup refers to an enzymatic process of converting glucose into fructose to create a certain level of sweetness. High-fructose corn syrup has been linked with obesity, as has all processed refined (or processed) sugar. Refined sugar involves extracting natural sweet liquid from cane or beets and then drying it so that it becomes crumble. It is then washed and dried to extract impurities as well as molasses and all vitamins and minerals.
Theoretically, high-fructose corn syrup's danger lies in the fact that there is no insulin response after eating high-fructose corn syrup, and thus there is no suppression of appetite. Of course, taking in a large amount of any type of sugar can be detrimental to your health. However, don't assume that just because something is sugar-free (or even fat-free for example) that you are getting off scot free. Calories still count and some sugar-free items actually have more overall calories than ordinary sugary items. Furthermore, even the sugar-free brands of food contain unsafe and lab-created ingredients like sucralose and aspartame, both of which have been linked to ill health effects.
Natural Products Sold Unnaturally
You have the right idea in looking for whole wheat or whole grain foods. However, don't believe any product label that says "made with wheat, rye, or multigrain." These products probably have very little whole wheat or grain, or else they would clearly say 100% whole.
Naturally, few things in life are natural. Do not believe any label lie that suggests a food with multiple processed ingredients are "natural" or "organic." The only FDA or USDA requirement is that some natural source is involved in production. Many companies sell fake organic products because no one ever bothers to check the label and see that it's missing "100% All Natural and "No Preservatives." Similarly, dairy and meat products may be contaminated with pesticide, artificial ingredients and harmful hormones. They usually are too, unless the label specifically reads "Certified Organically Grown."
Beware of fruit juices that contain anything less than "100% real fruit juice", as it's basically just a disguised soda pop. Lastly, beware of any product that has "added" content, "extra" content, "enriched" content, "fortified" content or "plus" anything. This only means that all of the minerals and fiber have been removed from the food, and it's no longer of any nutritional value.
Pay close attention to serving size and the total number of calories, PER SERVING SIZE. Getting into shape is all about portion control. You can also get a good idea of how much fat a product has by noticing the "Calories from Fat" figure, and the "Nutrients by Weight and Percentage of Daily Value (%DV)."
Don't believe the label lies...you can look past all of their tricks and learn how to spot an unhealthy product!
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