For well over 20 years the eyes and ears of dieters, health enthusiasts and the general public have been continuously bombarded with confusing and oftentimes misleading packaging and labeling information courtesy of the food and beverage industry. Unfortunately, successful employment of such tactics and resultant changes in peoples’ everyday food intake patterns have paralleled the epidemics of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other diet-related health problems.
So the question is: Are deceptive food and beverage labeling ploys making people sick and fat? My answer is YES! In fact, here are seven of the most erroneous that have brought utter confusion, unnecessary weight gain and potential health problems to unsuspecting consumers.
1. "GLUTEN-FREE" Gluten-free eating is the latest craze among health enthusiasts and folks seeking to lose weight. In fact, these days you can find a "gluten-free" version of just about every product from bread to frozen pizza to cakes and cookies. Despite being perceived as healthier, most of these foods are overly processed and oftentimes substantially higher in calories and lower in nutrients when compared to their gluten-containing counterparts.
Worst of all they cost more! In the event that you have celiac disease or any other diagnosed medical condition that requires you to eliminating or reduce your intake of gluten-rich foods, it’s important to ensure that the gluten-free foods you choose are actually nutritious. There’s no sense in avoiding allergy-related complications of one disease while increasing your risk for another.
2. "MADE WITH REAL FRUIT" Of all the false claims commonly depicted on food and beverage packaging, "Made with Real Fruit" is by far one of the most overused and misleading. In general, fruit is at the top of the list when it comes to wholesome, healthy foods. However, simply noting that a product is made with or contains real fruit means absolutely nothing from the standpoint of nutrition ... Read the full article here: http://goo.gl/HsCw9X.
