Nutritional labels reveal more than expected
Breakfast: The Most Important Lie of the Day
Know where you can almost always find some unintentional humor? Just give a close reading to processed food packaging. Hilarious!
We’ll start off the Nutritional Label fun with that 100 percent reliable source of humor: the FDA.
Comedy central
A couple of weeks ago, the FDA announced a permanent injunction against two food companies that were making claims such as: “Chemicals found in cherries may help fight diabetes.”
Two different studies – one a lab study and one an animal study – have shown that anthocyanins (antioxidant compounds found in tart cherries) may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. But the FDA has ordered the companies to stop making the claims “until the products are approved by the FDA as new drugs”
That’s right: as new drugs. Cherries.
Meanwhile, if you go to the web site for Kellogg’s Smart Start cereal, you’ll find these impressive claims, which (we can assume) the FDA is just fine with: ” Smart Start Healthy Heart has ingredients that can help lower BOTH blood pressure and cholesterol, and it tastes great.”
Tastes great? Okay, but does Smart Start taste as great as, say, Honeycomb cereal? But that’s not fair, because Honeycomb is just a sugar-laden kids’ cereal, right? Well, let’s compare a few items on the nutrition labels.
Calories
Smart Start: 190
Honeycomb: 120
Carbohydrates
Smart Start: 43
Honeycomb: 27
Sugars
Smart Start: 14 grams
Honeycomb: 10 grams
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Smart Start: HFCS appears in the ingredients list
Honeycomb: Zero HFCS
Back up the syrup truck
Now how in the world could Smart Start, a cereal that’s pitched to adults with a strong heart health slant, fall short in every one of those categories when compared to a cereal that has cartoon figures on the packaging?
And ESPECIALLY in the category of high fructose corn syrup! Steady HFCS intake has been linked to weight gain, higher triglyceride levels, higher LDL cholesterol, and a decrease in insulin sensitivity – not really what you’re looking for when you want to help your heart.
And here’s the kicker: All the amounts listed above are for one cup of Smart Start and a cup AND A HALF of Honeycomb. The kids’ cereal simply blows Smart Start away!
The Smart Start web site poses this question: “Ever wonder how you can have a healthier breakfast without sacrificing taste?”
Sure. You can choose Honeycomb over Smart Start. Or you could even choose Froot Loops: One cup contains 120 calories, 1 gram of fiber, 26 grams of carbs, 13 grams of sugars, andzero HFCS.
But of course, I’m not suggesting you choose any of these cereals for breakfast. Fourteen grams of sugars? That’s equal to three and a half teaspoons of table sugar! Eat that every morning and you’ll be laying the foundation for insulin resistance, which lays the foundation for type 2 diabetes, which lays the foundation for heart disease.
Want a genuine smart start? Eat fresh whole foods with a minimum of processing. And zero HFCS.
Source:
“FDA Announces Permanent Injunction Against Food Companies, Executives” FDA News, 2/22/08, fda.gov
