Unfortunately there are many articles in the media that add to our confusion and don’t make it easy for us to choose a healthy food plan that is nutrient rich. When you read these articles pay close attention to the author. There is often a bias and the research is carefully manipulated to influence the public into buying certain products.
Food companies are interested in making big profit and when a new health idea trends they are the first to take action. Unfortunately their actions are not usually about real health improvements, but about clever labelling and half truths. Look closely at labels and you will notice that when the product proudly announces low fat to add back the flavour there are copious amounts of sugar therefore counteracting the advertised benefits! Have you ever wondered what ‘natural’ means when quoted on a food packet? It is one of the most misleading words used to describe a food product as the definition is not clear and there don’t seem to be any real guidelines as to what needs to be included to be considered natural and we mistakenly believe this product is nutritious and beneficial to our health. What do you think no added sugar means, that is got to be good, right! On close inspection of the ingredients you will uncover a diverse range of artificial sweeteners. Most of us have heard of aspartame and saccharin and since probably the early seventies we are accustom to them being added to our food. Whilst sugar has no nutritional value and is essentially empty calories that can effect your health by contributing to diabetes, heart disease, stroke and even cancer, artificial sweeteners are not the answer.
Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are marketed to diabetics and those trying to lose weight. Despite the fact that artificial sweeteners have consistently been proven to give the opposite effects:
- Research has found that aspartame increases insulin sensitivity even more than sugar
- Artificial sweeteners also contribute to promote weight gain, in more ways than one
Since the use of artificial sweeteners they have also found their way into food products that are not directly marketed to diabetics or dieters.
Not only are artificial sweeteners now detected in about 6,000 separate drinks, snacks and food products, which requires constant and careful label-reading, but even more of a concern, food industry groups are even attempting to conceal the existence of artificial sweeteners in some foods.
When you eat something sweet, it signals to your brain to release dopamine, which starts up your brain’s reward centre. The hormone leptin is also released, which tells your brain you are “full” when you have ingested enough calories. Therefore, when you eat a food that tastes sweet but contains very little calories, your brain’s reward centre still reacts to the sweet taste, but as there is no calorific value it remains activated and you consequently remain hungry. The result of your body being tricked by the artificial sweetener is that you end up craving carbs and eating high calorie food products.
Artificial sweeteners can also contribute to cardiovascular disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.
The food industry has lost the public’s trust since the horse meat scandal and you would think they would be cleaning up their act! However it seems there are still practices that appear to be less than open and honest. Next time you buy a packet of ham ponder for a moment to question the ingredients. You might think it is pretty safe to guess it would be pork, but did you know a good percentage of meat sold as ham is made up of meat emulsion – a mixture in which meat is finely ground along with additives in order that fat can be dispersed through it. Ham has also been found to be constructed of mechanically separated meat, a slurry made by taking scraps of meat from bones, which acts as a cheap filler although its use is not permitted in ham.
Please follow the link below to read an article from the Guardian newspaper highlighting the food industries attempts to hide ingredients and questionable processes that we all should be aware of.
The following link is a great resource from John & Ocean Robbins who have championed healthy food production for many years in America, much of which applies to us in the UK and should stand as a warning regarding wide use of GMO produce.
The simplest most helpful advice I have been given is that if the food you are eating looks like it did when it came from the ground or resembles the animal it originally was without being processed and enhanced it is probably pretty healthy! Stick to whole foods, cook from scratch and use as much organic produce as possible. Of course if growing your own is an option that is the best choice.
We have for so long allowed the food industry to take responsibility for our health believing their marketing and advertising and many of us are paying dearly for that mistake. It is time we all took control of what we eat, and we can individually put pressure on the food industry to offer more healthy and honest supplies by changing our shopping habits. The food industry will only produce what sells. Hit them in the pocket and be food savvy, check labels and abandon the fake & junk foods that threaten not only our health, but also the next generation of consumers. When we are all better informed and invest in our future health and change our shopping habits accordingly they will have to follow the demand and supply the nutritious food we need to turn the tide of food related health issues that have become epidemic.
Karen Oliver – E-Motional Solutions
01932 403780/07782 381855
