Labeled “Healthy” Foods That Aren’t
Well it’s been awhile and we’re back with some real “low down dirty tricks” that companies play with labels! Ladies, gentlemen, boys, and girls from today on we have to, we mean NEED to be on the look out for what we call, “wait for it, wait for it, got em” words on food labels. Words such as “reduced-fat” products, such as yogurts, usually have less fat and “all-natural” foods like certain crackers often do come from ingredients actually found in nature. What we today want you to be aware of is that not all health-related words on food packaging are defined by the FDA and it can, we mean it does get really tricky! What ends up happening is it leaves these manufacturers plenty of room or gray areas, like we say, to exploit. While those phrases would seem to indicate that the products inside the packages are somehow “healthy”, unfortunately that’s when reality checks-in, and often something different. In the case of “reduced fat” it’s an indicator that means “increased sugar”. And let’s not forget about products that are “all naturals”, aren’t earthquakes and hurricanes?
The grand-daddy, 10.0 on the richter scale, leader of all leaders, of all low down and dirty trick word that companies use that is most deceptive……. yes you guessed it…”healthy.” Because they know that there is no way to really define the word “healthy”, the FDA has no way to regulate it. Want more? Well just about anything… yes ANYTHING out there can be healthy or unhealthy in the right amounts. We will give a couple of examples and expose the real truth behind some of the food industry’s most specious health claims.
1. Canned Fruits-If there’s one thing we love about fruit, it’s that nature prepackages it with the perfect amount of sugar. So just leave it alone!! Why must fruit be packed in syrup?!?! They add all this extra sugar, which lowers the value of nature’s wonderful work. Stick to fresh fruits by Be Organic. We use nothing but the best and make sure that all of our fruits are organic and ONLY use 100% juice.
2. Burger King’s The Big Fish sandwich- Ok now seriously, when BK first released this sandwich, it was under the name of the Whaler. Even though their changed the name of it for marketing reasons, it still outpaces every other fish sandwich around by a few hundred calories. Part of that is due to its substantial size, the rest due to the thick application of calorie-dense tartar sauce. If you have a soft spot for fried fish sandwiches, you can’t do much better than the Filet-O-Fish. Be Organic would gladly save you 340 calories with our baked talapia stuffed with artichokes and peppers. Stick with the King…. the Be Organic Kings, of course!
3. Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Muffin- Despite the healthy-sounding names they tag like—banana-walnut, blueberry, cran-orange—muffins are little more than glorified cake. Case in point: This one has more sugar than 3 ice cream sandwiches. But with nearly half the calories and total fat and more than double the protein, the Famous Strawberry-Mango Oatmeal parfait emerges as the surprising and undisputed victor.
4. Worst “Market Fresh” Sandwich- Our dare friends…please don’t be fooled by vague, healthy-sounding monikers like “market fresh.” More often than not, words like “fresh” and “all natural” are marketing smoke screens. But don’t worry we will be the light to guide you right through those smoke screens. Surprisingly enough, Be Organic’s Caribbean Chicken Sandwich will be among the safest bets on the menu.
5. Worst “Veggie” Pizza- Gardens aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be. Just because it’s topped with veggies doesn’t make it healthy. The real problem here isn’t the toppings, if they organic it helps the cause a bit though; it’s the excessively thick, greasy pan crust that sinks this veggie-strewn ship like the Titanic deep into the ocean blue. Two slices of this garden-fresh pie will set you back the caloric equivalent of more than 8 Rice Krispies Treats. When it comes to having your pizza and eating it too, the first and most important consideration is calling on Be Organic to save the day. With our Famous Vegetarian Brickhouse you’ll forget that a veggie pizza even existed. Layers of portobello mushrooms, eggplant, tomatos, and onions we’ll send you to veggie heaven.
These are just a few tips when looking out for those criminals we call “Stringers”. Please contact us or email us for any inquires.
1 year ago