We are constantly bombarded with advertisements throughout our whole day. We see things as we drive, on our computers, on TV in the paper and everywhere else.
We see things so much that it is hard to differentiate between the truths and lies. One of the biggest places we see all of these marketing lies may be the grocery store. To be even more specific it is in the processed food section of the grocery store.
You don’t see many advertisements for real or fresh foods. You know what you are getting when you buy it.
Now we know that for the most part you should try to consume, real, fresh and unprocessed foods. If you can make your diet consist of 90% real food you are going to do great.
If you are going to eat processed foods I want to understand what you are actually eating and not fall for some of the biggest marketing lies we see.
Yogurt:
Now yogurt can be a great source of protein, however, not all yogurts are the same. If you are going to eat yogurt try to stick with low fat Greek yogurt, as it is higher in protein. Along with that watch out for any of the flavored yogurts, stick to the plain unflavored.
Certain Protein Bars/Products:
How many products do you see in the grocery stores that claim to be “A great source of protein”. You see it with cereal, you see it with granola bars, and of course the proclaimed “protein bars” and other products. Now while you may see in big letters on the front of the box how many grams of protein is in one serving they neglect to tell you how many grams of carbohydrates and fat is in one serving.
Make sure to check the back of the label, some so called “protein bars” have 2 times even 3 times the amount of carbohydrates. If that is the case I would not consider it a great source of protein.
Peanut Butter:
When picking a peanut butter it is always best to go with an all-natural peanut butter where the ingredient is only peanuts. You may see certain brands say “made with real peanuts” on the front. While they may not be lying, they are not telling the whole truth. Yes it is made with real peanuts but it is also made with 20 other ingredients some of which you probably cannot pronounce.
Juices:
Orange juice may be the biggest culprit for this one. You’ll see on different containers “made with real oranges”. Just like the peanut butter they are not telling you the whole truth. It may be made with some real oranges but they forgot to tell you all about the sugar, other syrups and processed stuff in there.
Along with juices are those smoothies you can buy in the bottle. Again most of them contain added sugar and juices. Even if it is made with only real fruit you have to look how much fruit is in one bottle.
For example one bottle 15oz bottle I found claims to contain 3 ½ apples, ½ banana, 4 strawberries, 5 blackberries, and 4 raspberries. Again even if this is all that is in the bottle that is a lot of fruit that will still add up to extra calories. No one sits down and eats that much fruit at once, but they easily can drink it in one serving while having a full meal with it.
All natural/organic:
Now this may be the biggest marketing gimmick of all time! There is a whole isle created for all of this.
JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS ALL NATURAL/ORGANIC it DOES NOT MEAN IT IS HEALTHY!!!!!
If you eat all natural or organic because of chemicals, pesticides or whatever your reason may be cool go for it. If you are eating it because it is “healthy” and won’t hinder your weight lose goals you may want to rethink.
Do not think that that organic chocolate is healthier than regular chocolate or that ice cream is fine because it is all-natural. Often times the macronutrient break down of all natural/organic food compared to non-organic is the same.
I’m sure there are more out there; these are just the major ones that come to mind.
Be aware of what you are consuming, and don’t just believe what is says on the front of packages. Check the nutrition label when I doubt and see what you are really eating.
-Coach Pat
