Sunday, 26 October 2014

Food labels- sly, sneaky and confusing the world!

Hello friendly ladies and jellybeans! Today I'm in the mood to rant a little. So bear with me.
Food labels.
One of the most confusing pieces of writing on the planet.
Move over Shakespeare and physics text books, food labels are confusing everybody. E.V.E.R.Y.B.O.D.Y
I pride myself in being somewhat competent in reading food labels but I still find it extremely difficult to compare/ contrast/ make sense of two products when I'm trying to find the better choice.
Now we all know that producers do have rules they have to follow when creating their food labels. They have to list every ingredient used in the product. They have to list the amount of each ingredient in descending order and include a table of the amount of protein/ fiber/ sugar/ sodium etc. in that product.
Well you see, just like a cheeky school kid trying to get around the teachers no talking rule by humming, food producers do this by changing serving sizes and using alternate names for unattractive ingredients.
For example a product that contains a high amount of sugar, probably won't go calling it sugar, instead using fancy-pants words like sucrose, fructose, glucose solids, barley malt, dehydrated cane juice (seriously?), maltodextrin, dextrose.. and the list goes on!

You could also look at a food label and see low amounts of fat/ sugar/ sodium and think 'Hey that's pretty good!' little did you know that the serving size is about a quarter of what any human would deem acceptable

If you thought it stopped there, think again! The FDA defines sugar as sucrose... therefore if the product is sweetened by any other sweetener it can legally be labelled 'sugar free.'
Also, have you ever noticed packages with a big 'All Natural!' heading splashed across the front? Well sugar is natural my friends, so is salt and so is high-fructose corn-syrup (a corn-derived artificial sweetener) this would be pretty funny, if it weren't true. Like labeling a packet of potatoes as gluten free. Um, I'm pretty sure every potato is gluten free :)
Why food industry? Why!?!

Why can't you just create products that contain actual whole, natural ingredients. Why do you have to be so sneaky and trick everyone into thinking your product is amazing? What did the world ever do to you?

So many questions and really only one answer.

If your product tastes good (thank you sugar, salt and whatever type of chemical thrown in there) and appears to be relatively healthy on that teeny food label printed on the back, then chances are people are going to buy it. Insanity, I know!

So what's the solution?
Luckily an apple doesn't come with a food label. Do you know why? Because the ingredients include: apple. A pumpkin also doesn't have a food label, with one ingredient there probably isn't a point ;) And get this... a tomato.... doesn't have a food label either!

Ok, I think you get the picture. Buying fresh, unprocessed foods ensure you know exactly what's in them, even without the use of a food label. So it's indisputable that we should stock up on these instead of those 'All Natural!' 'Fat Free!' juices etc.

However, I know that now-a-days it's pretty impossible to live of only natural wholefoods., especially if you're a mother with picky kids, or you're throwing a party, or you're having friends round, or you simply want a cracker! So here's some extra tips when trying to decipher the bewildering food labels.

  • Check out the serving size relative to the amount in the packet. If it is ridiculously tiny, multiply the amounts on the food label by however many you are actually going to eat- then make your judgement as to whether or not it's still 'healthy'.
  • Take the phrases 'All natural' 'Sugar free' 'Gluten free' 'Fat free' and many other claims with a grain of salt (well maybe not salt- there's probably enough in the product already!) and make sure you figure out what's subbed into the item to make it still taste good (sugar/ salt/ fat)
  • Lastly, if you don't know what that ingredient is (looking at you Thymine Hydrochloride) then chances are your body won't either so step away from the product

That's it from me today, but I hope I've helped some of you out with the dreaded food label.

Before I go- today's budget meal of the day:
 Wholemeal pita pockets, spread with hommus, stuffed with a veggie patty, sliced tomatoes, grilled capsicums + mushrooms + eggplant + zucchini and spinach with a side of roasted brussels sprouts and brocoli. (Steam brussels and broccoli for 5 mins then place in oven- 180 degrees celsius- for 15 mins)
 Budget meal because: All the ingredients are easy to find, pita pockets are cheap and healthy (especially wholemeal varieties) and can be stuffed with pretty much anything. Grilled veggies taste great- so you can use the same as I did or grill up your own! and veggie patties are super delicious and healthy too (watch out for salt though!)
 The best part about this budget meal is how filling it is! Pita-pockets can hold quite a bit!

Any comments/ questions/ queries are always welcome!

Do you understand food labels?
Have you ever got sucked into false claims?
Do you think tomatoes should come with a food label?

See ya later! :D

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