Health Food Claims and Lies

[Racoon]

I am starting this thread because there are So Many unscrupulous manufactureres and Advertisers, IT'S REALLY SCARY!

I won't Go into Organics yet...
I gotta' save some material.

BUT, as a Trainer and very Knowledgable about health and nutrition, this can be a forum for me to push my biases.
Just Kidding, but not really

This is going to be for Creating Consumer SAVY and INFORMED purchases at the grocery store and health food store.

RULE #1: Low Fat, Or NO FAT usually means - Loaded with Sugar!!!
which will convert the same into BodyFat as the regular Fat, and actually make you feel less Full!

Fat-Free usually means sugar and cheap Carb loaded...!
Marketing and packaging makes me Sick.

ALWAYS READ THE INGREDIENT LIST!!
PERIOD!

I tell this Stuff to client's all the time, so I'll do it here for you guys too if you give a rip...
I can field questions and make recommendations...(if any)

I put this in 'Medical Science' but I suppose it could be under Biology or Chemistry or Social Science?

[Racoon]

NEW!!! Reduced Calorie -

means reduced portion size! in many cases...

[Racoon]

Here is another Question I ponder regularly...

It seems the LESS they process food, the MORE expensive it is!

WHY???

Everything that is highly processed, and w/ Junk added, is so much cheaper than the stuff like whole unrefined grains, and things with very little additives.
You would think the opposite should be true.

Part of a Larger HMO conspiracy??

[Celeste]

Great thread idea.

I follow the glycemic index. While I agree that low/no fat usually means high carbs, I think it's the kind of carb that's important.

No/low fat but good carbs = Yogurt, Oatmeal, Pumpernickel bread etc.
No/low fat but bad carbs = Fat free Ice cream, Instant rice, Cheerios etc.

[Racoon]

Originally Posted by Celeste

I follow the glycemic index. While I agree that low/no fat usually means high carbs, I think it's the kind of carb that's important.

Yup!

For those who don't already know (or care), the Glycemic index ranks Carbohydrates on a scale of 1 - 100 that measures How quickly they become converted to Glucose...and enter the bloodstream

100 being Glucose
Glucose then stimulates your Insulin response.

The lower the Glycemic Index of the Food, the more stable your blood sugar will be, for longer periods.
So thats good!

There are some High Glycemic fruits and vegetables that are good for you like
Carrots-(90) that are great, but need to be eaten w/ other low glycemic foods!

Heres a small list and their Glycemic Index ranking:
Honey 87
Cornflakes 85
Apples 36
Oranges 40
Bananas 65
Lentils 25
Mashed potatoes 80
whole wheat bread 64

The Lower the Number, the Better!

[Biochemist]

Originally Posted by Racoon

Here is another Question I ponder regularly...

It seems the LESS they process food, the MORE expensive it is!

Shelf life. Shelf life. Foods that lasts longer is easier (less expensive) to ship and less loss is incurred.

Part of a Larger HMO conspiracy??

HMOs have nothing to do with health food distribution and/or sales.

Paranoia perhaps?

[Biochemist]

Further, generally "health food" means food with higher margin. It has nearly nothing to do with health.

1) "Organic" foods have never been shown to be more healthy than traditional foods.

2) Vitamin supplements have not been shown to aid health, except in rare instances. They have been shown to cause damage, however.

3) Trends in "health" foods or "natural" foods go through fad cycles like any other consumer product, and rarely have any relationship to a fact basis. (Remember the rage for "antioxidants"? BHA and BHT were sold in health food stores as antioxidants in bulk powder form. These were the very same chemicals that were removed from foods to make them "health" foods. In the very same stores. They removed them as "preservatives" and brought them back at several orders of magnitude times the dosage as "antioxidants".)

[Biochemist]

In contrast, trackng glycemic index has a lot of good science behind it.
This has nothing to do with "health food" but is a good basis for a balanced diet.

Barry Sear's book "Enter the Zone" has a lot of good science behind it, and the listing at the back of the book about fat, protein and carb content (including low glycemic index carbs) is pretty useful.

[Racoon]

Originally Posted by Biochemist

Barry Sear's book "Enter the Zone" has a lot of good science behind it, and the listing at the back of the book about fat, protein and carb content (including low glycemic index carbs) is pretty useful.

YES!
theres also a second Zone book w/ lots of easy to follow recipes.
You can find these books at Goodwill, Flea Markets for much less than the cover price!

If you want to feel great, follow a Zone Diet!
Its a lot of measuring, but very, very good!
Excellent point Biochemist

[Racoon]

Originally Posted by Biochemist

Further, generally "health food" means food with higher margin. It has nearly nothing to do with health.

1) "Organic" foods have never been shown to be more healthy than traditional foods.

3) Trends in "health" foods or "natural" foods go through fad cycles like any other consumer product, and rarely have any relationship to a fact basis.

1) True; However, I find that despite the higher price, Organic Fruits and Vegetables seem/tend to taste better!

3) another truth...

There are some benefits of eating 'certain' Organic fruits and vegetables, due to the High concentrations of pesticides and contaminants found on many products...
I will elaborate later, from an article by "Consumer Reports"

again, thanks for the good info Bio!