Trick or Treat?

Do you feel tricked?

Have you been told most of your life that you need to avoid fat and you tried to find replacements like margarine? Have you purchased foods advertised as “low fat” thinking they were healthy only to read the label and find out that the fat had simply been replaced with sugar?

This low fat yogurt has 17 grams of sugar in a 4 oz serving!

Or what about gluten? Avoiding gluten is fine if you want to, but just because you buy a “gluten-free” product doesn’t mean you are eating something healthy. There are numerous sugary and fatty candies that are all gluten free but they sure aren’t good for you.

This gluten free mallow cup packet has 24 grams of sugar!

Have you bought something for your kids because it was labeled as “made with real fruit”? Unfortunately, that does not mean too much. It only has to have a small fraction to slap that label on the container. Besides, usually when you are eating something made with fruit, instead of just eating the fruit, you’ve lost out on fiber and micronutrients.

It’s a blitz on your pancreas all right with 21 grams of sugar in a small pouch

Have you been told to eat whole grains? Look, a moderate amount of whole grains is acceptible for health active people, but there are plenty of foods that contain whole grains that do not exactly have a great nutritional profile. And, often, people use the “whole grains” as an excuse to eat more bread products than they should.

12 grams of sugar and a whopping 46 grams of carbs to start your day!

What about “all natural”? Surely that’s OK right? No!

The Food and Drug Administration doesn’t define it, the basic guidelines are no added colors, artificial flavors, or “synthetic substances.” But you can still add preservatives and extra sugar!

12 oz of this will give you 30 grams of natural sugar! Ahhh, drink to your health

Unfortunately, you’ve been tricked! And their trick, has been your treat. Most of these tricky foods have loads of sugar. What a fantastic way to trick your brain. You eat a food that you believe may be healthy based on the label. And the sugar is activating your brain’s reward system reinforcing your desire for this food!

Food marketers know that America has become more health conscious. Thus, they know all the buttons to push to make you pick up their foods from the grocery store shelf.

But now you know, and if you were around in the 80s, you know what’s coming next…

Ignore the front of the box with the half truths. Review the nutrition facts and ingredients to make a more informed decision.

And have a Happy Halloween!