| The Buzz Words in Food Packaging Happy New Year! I hope your new year is off to a great start. One of my intentions is to help you make better health choices. Navigating through the grocery store can be confusing. There are hundreds of products fighting to get our attention if we don’t have a plan or discernment. Let’s look at some of the most common buzz words used in food packaging to catch our eyes today. “Natural” It implies not processed, occurring in nature. False – they can still be processed with preservatives and added sweeteners. “No Added Sugar” My favorite words, and they always catch my eyes. However, I always look for the sugar content. Naturally occurring sugars and sugar alternatives (e.g., stevia, monk fruit extract) can be used. Clean Packaging (technically not a buzz word) It suggests simple, recognizable ingredient. You should check the nutritional label now. These ones can be tricky. “Low Fat” or “Fat Free” They often compensate with added sugars. I think marketers want consumers to think this won’t lead to weight gain, which is all contextual. Let’s look at some examples here. Organic Young Thai Coconut Water Clean packaging with a label that says “pink is natural”. Let’s look at the label, the whole bottle has 26g of sugar. 26g of sugar is neither good or bad. The questions i would ask myself is for who, when, how much, and why. Bearded Brothers Cosmic Chocolate Fudge Food Bar Clean packaging with a label that says “Made from 5 organic ingredients” This small bar has 18g of sugar, mostly from the dates. I put this down after reading it, I think 18g of sugar is a lot for a small bar. Naked Protein Smoothie (This is a good one!) The label says “No sugar added, 20g protein, 340 calories, with 4 juices partially from concentrate” It would be tempting to pick a high protein and low calorie drink. If you read the label, it has 2g of fat, 57g of sugar, and 20g of protein. The calorie is low because the fat content is low. The sugar content is very high though. I hope this post will help you in the grocery store next time. What are your key takeaways? P.S. Here is a video I just made and I am excited to share more of my work with you. P.P.S. Here is my 30 Day holistic nutrition coaching program. You can walk out after the initial consultation (only pay for the session, not the program) if you think it is not for you. Schedule you appointment here. -Anthony Licensed Acupuncturist | Holistic Personal Trainer & Health Coach Here are 4 ways I can help you Newsletter / Blog here 15 minutes Complimentary Session here Online Coaching here One-On-One Session (NYC / Beacon) here LEGAL DISCLAIMERS: This is NOT medical advice, nor can I give you medical advice. I AM NOT YOUR DOCTOR. This article does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Anthony Wong and you. Everything here is for general informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing medical advice. Information in this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and it should not be used to self-diagnose nor should it substitute for a medical exam, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or other recommendations by a professional medical doctor. You should not make any changes in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician. Always seek the advice of physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice from health care professionals for any medical condition. |