I hate to be the one to tell you this, but for as long as you have been a consumer, you have most likely been lied to. If you have ever purchased any type of processed food, it is almost a guarantee you have been told a fabrication, or a white lie, as some would call it. Those lies may or may not be the reason you are not seeing the results you had hoped for once you started watching what you ate. As the food industry has evolved, they have rapidly developed an advanced form of advertising. By targeting helpless individuals of our society to purchase their goods, they have made more money now than ever. The industry uses claims like “made with whole grains”, “low-fat” or “fat-free”, even “natural” on their packaging to catch the eye of their consumers. Whether its because consumers trust the industry and believe they are being told the truth or, they just lack the nutritional knowledge to know the information is false, individuals are consuming foods filled with unfamiliar ingredients that negatively contribute to their health.
“Healthy foods that ruin your diet” is what this nutrition education example is titled. Although the phrase of the title does not seem like it should be accurate, the material provided in Julie’s article supports the statement accurately. The article shows labels and packaging of food products that are commonly found in grocery carts of consumers. By providing familiar examples of food that are improperly labeled not only informs the readers of which products to stay away from, but also gives them trends to identify and be aware of when purchasing items on their own. Throughout the text, Julie supplies the reader with helpful ratios and nutrient benefits to consider when looking at the labels on food. The most important material this nutrition education example provides is telling the readers the reasoning behind why we as consumers shouldn’t trust the packaging and labeling on packaged food available for us.
“All Natural” is a claim that very few consumers would look past. Regardless of a nutrition background or not, I believe most people would say an “all natural” food is healthy whereas a candy option like a Jolly Rancher is unhealthy. Heck, I’m studying to become a nutritionist and even I think that. The most surprising material in this article is that even though a packaging might say “all natural”, it may still contain ingredients like corn syrup and gmos. Therefore, depending on the “all natural” food, it might be as nutritious as a Jolly Rancher hard candy. The most interesting material found in this article is that the food industry uses false claims to mask the presence of ingredients in their products. For example, in Snackwell Cookie Cakes, the box states “FAT FREE” in bold letters, which catches the eyes of people who are monitoring their fat intake. Sure, this cookie-cake is fat free, but it is also packed with an absurd amount of added sugars. A common result of focusing on one benefit of a product masks the other unhealthy risks it offers.
As a nutrition educator, I eat this type of material up. Not only am I being informed of things to look out for when making healthy food purchases, but I am also learning new ways to provide healthy advice to my audience. The advice and nutrient ratios Julie provides in her nutrition example are short, simple, and sweet. Giving my target audience easy ways to effectively change their behaviors and diet is a much more plausible solution than overloading them with demanding guidelines. For instance, tell them helpful ratios like: pick a whole grain that for every 10 grams of carbohydrates, it has 1 gram of fiber. I believe that is an easy and understandable rule to follow. The material given in this article was based off of the “most commonly confused terms used on food labels”. By using material that is familiar and relevant to the lives of the individuals I am educating, I will more likely be successful in promoting change.
I know, I know, in the beginning of the article I said, “I hate to be the one to tell you this”, but in reality I am happy to tell you about the lies you have been told. As consumers we deserve to be respected and deserve to be given accurate information about the food we consume. So next time you are in the grocery store reading a claim on a packaging, be smart and check the label.
http://www.appforhealth.com/2015/03/healthy-foods-may-ruin-diet/