Health Food ... or Health Fraud?
The product: Quaker Instant Oatmeal Maple & Brown Sugar
The claim: An American Heart Association logo displayed on the product’s box, with fine print below the logo that reads that the food meets the AHA’s “food criteria for saturated fat and cholesterol.”
What you should know: It contains more sugar than a bowl of Froot Loops. Fact is, it could contain a pound of sugar and still meet the AHA’s qualifications. But guess what? Froot Loops meets the AHA’s criteria, too, only no logo is displayed. That’s because companies must pay to be an American Heart Association–certified food. That’s why the AHA checkmark might appear on one product but not on another, even when both meet the guidelines.
The product: Nabisco Honey Teddy Grahams
The claim: “A good source of: calcium, iron, zinc”
What you should know: For a food to be considered a good source of a specific vitamin or mineral, a serving must contain 10 percent of the recommended daily value for that nutrient. In this case, you’d have to eat 10 servings of Teddy Grahams—more than the entire box—to hit the amount of calcium you need for the day. Now think about it: Is that really a good source?
The product: SnackWell's Devil's Food Cookie Cakes
The claim: "Sensible snacking: fat-free, no cholesterol, low sodium"
What you should know: The first four ingredients are sugar, enriched flour, high-fructose corn syrup and corn syrup. Is that really sensible snacking? Of course not. Follow these seven snack-smart strategies instead.
The product: Kellogg’s Corn Flakes
The claim: There’s a “Diabetes Friendly” logo on the box’s side panel.
What you need to know: Australian researchers have shown that corn flakes raise blood glucose faster and to a greater extent than straight table sugar. (High blood glucose is the primary indicator of diabetes.) Below the logo, the cereal maker does provide a link to its Web site, where general nutrition recommendations are provided for people with diabetes. But these recommendations are authored by Kellogg’s nutritionists—and simply “based on” the guidelines of the American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association.
The product: Kellogg’s Smart Start Strong Heart Toasted Oat
The claim: That its content of whole grain oats, antioxidants and potassium, along with the fact that it’s low in sodium, can help lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.
What you need to know: Yes, this cereal has plenty of healthful ingredients. However, one serving contains more sugar—17 grams—than a serving of Froot Loops (12 grams). Hey, Froot Loops is an easy target! So before you think you've found the ultimate cereal—"It's healthy and it tastes like candy!"—consider all the nutrition facts, not just the ones they tout on the front of the box.
Bonus tip: See the full list of the 24 Best and Worst Cereals here.
More on MSN Health & Fitness:
Provided by Men's Health
I remember two classes in high school, sociology and marketing, in which they discussed practices related to bait-and-switch and subliminal advertising. The current health food craze has put us in a frenzy to buy what is labeled as good for us, but we fail to read the actual ingredients. After reading the Eat This, Not That Supermarket Guide I was a bit shocked by how many advertisers are putting misleading information on products, with a healthy twist.
I recommend purchasing any one of the books titled Eat This, Not That. The Supermarket Guide edition was great, and the other one I looked over helped make healthy decisions when going out to eat.
on the topic of cow flatulence, i have been around cows for at least 35 years of my life , and very seldom do you hear them pop one off.. if flatulence is a problem i would say that 1 million people living in a city probably let off more gas that all the cows in the usa do , and there arent many trees in the city to help filter out the end result of flatulence. so yes city people need to hold it in or blow it in a jug so it cn be recycled and used to fuel enviornmental freindly products that burn methane..
I don't know who you are, but the F word or the N word has no place on my computer where my grandchildren can read it. Knock it off!!
My favorite - Kashi's "Heart to Heart". The second item listed is "evaporated cane juice
syrup". Sounds like S U G A R. Hmmmmm. I can visualize a marketing round table coming up with that. High fives all around. Kashi also carries the American Heart Assn seal.
How much does a company pay for that?? jfp
If I eat twizzlers, it is not because they are fat free. It is because I want some candy.
I will eat what I want. Period.
I have lived this long. If I die sooner, at least I die happy.
@ "No.1 PITA"
5:46 PM CST
...stay away from MY chocolate if ya wanna stay healthy...!!
in the Attic
It is most important to be a student of the body. Even though we are all blessed with one...we couldn't be more wrong on how it works...(generally speaking).
Joseph A. Polidori
Health Advisor
againstthegrain@live.com
We used to complain that preparing food the old fashioned way took too long.
Well now you have to spend even more time than that reading every single label of prepackaged foods and balancing it in some kind of daily flow chart of carbs, fats, and calories. It is really too much of a PITA to do that and our expanding waist lines are a testament to that.
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MSN Health & Fitness does not provide medical or any other health care advice, diagnosis or treatment.
