I recently had a mother ask me what she should be looking for on the food label with regards to protein, fats, and carbs, when shopping for her daughter. I remember when I used to count carbs and fat and calories. Now I never do. Now I don’t even think about the numbers. The ONLY thing I think about is what’s IN the food. Isn’t that what’s important? What you are eating.
Are the ingredients REAL? or are they chemicals? Is there a TON of sugar?
I’d been patting myself on the back recently for buying locally made ice cream, only to finally read the label and see that even though it’s local, it’s made with high fructose corn syrup—which we know only makes you eat more and indirectly causes diabetes.
My family loves pork burritos with green chili salsa. What’s not to love? But most tortillas are made with ingredients I can’t pronounce or recognize. Most tortillas have added fats and hydrogenated oils to make them crisp up when you bake them and preservatives to keep them from spoiling, but those aren’t natural ingredients. And thus aren’t intended for consumption.
It doesn’t matter if you are smart or not, or whether you’ve completed high school or graduate school. We are all being fooled by sexy marketing, packaging and cath phrases suggesting health.
Just because Lucky Charms is “made with whole grains” DOES NOT SUDDENLY MAKE IT HEALTHY! It’s still highly processed and loaded with sugar. And if you are buying it, you are accelerating your family’s path to obesity and illness.
NutriGrain bars are neither nutritious or qualify as a whole grain. They are mostly sugar wearing a “whole grain” costume.
Fruity pebbles are not made of fruit
Ketch-up is not a vegetable.
And vitamins should not taste like candy.
Be a food detective. Know what you are eating. Know what your kids are eating. Pay less attention to the calorie, fat or carb count and focus on the ingredient list.
Dr. Maddy Day 