Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Labels Exposed!
LABELS EXPOSED
When it comes to food labels, it's never as simple as "what you read is what you get." More often than not, what you think you're reading means something else or is telling you nothing at all. Take a look at the sneaky words used on the stuff we eat.
1. "Pure" or "natural." These words sound great – but they’re all for show. If you look closely, products with these words on their labels also have a list of ingredients that include artificial flavors and colors.
2. “Made from real fruit” or “made with real fruit.” Keep in mind that the law does not require the label to say how much real fruit (or any other type of food) is in the product. It also doesn’t require the label to explain how exactly the packaged food was processed. In most cases, a snack claims to be “made with real strawberries” only contains one strawberry – and the rest of it is sugar and other substances.
3. “Organically grown,” “organic,” “pesticide-free,” and “no artificial ingredients.” Manufacturers hoping to cash in on the organic food bandwagon use these lip service words. Unless the label says “certified organically grown,” you don’t know for sure if what you’re getting is really organic.
4. “No cholesterol.” This tag commits a sin of omission, as it doesn’t include the cholesterol-raising or hydrogenated fats in the food. Hydrogenated fats can be more hazardous to your health than saturated fat or cholesterol. Look at the fine print in the ingredients list and ditch the product when you see terms like “partially hydrogenated soybean oil” or any of its variations.
5. “Low-fat.” This one’s a misnomer, as the manufacturer often compensates for the fat by adding more sugar.
6. “Calorie-free.” This actually means that the food contains less than five calories per serving.
7. “Fat-free.” This really means that the food contains less than 0.5 grams fat per serving.
8. “Reduced fat.” This indicates that the food contains at least 25 percent less fat than regular versions of the food. However, “reduced fat” mayonnaise or potato chips will still contain plenty of fat.
**Source: Belle de Jour 2010 Power Planner
Finally found the time to blog again! :)) Advance Happy New Year folks! :)
--chips♥♥
Labels: BDJ, randomness
8:38 PM
