This was my gripe with Weight Watchers--they were wack when it came to nutrition and most of the food they put their seal of approval on is complete garbage. A cup of greek yogurt or an avocado had a lot of points, a skinny cow ice cream sandwich filled with artificial preservatives and sweeteners only had one. They should scrap this and quantify WHY this is nutritionally viable, maybe using a point basis, docking points for things that come from a test tube and have a shelf life of years rather than weeks. Things can be fortified but they're definitely not created equally.
My favorite so far is Total Cereal. They have 100% of your iron but fail to mention that it is the wrong form of iron. Your body does not absorb rust and thats basically what the cereal iron was. #foodpolitics
@rowkitty's kitty: My 5th grade science teacher pointed this our brilliantly when she put some Total in a blender and then used a magnet to pick up the iron filings. Food should not be magnetic. #foodpolitics
You know, I don't even pay attention to the "smart choices" labels on food. I barely even look at the nutrition facts, which I probably should. For me, it's pretty much common sense that Kraft isn't all that good for you and that I should probably eat something like Kashi over Chewy bars.
Also, does anyone else think that the girl in the Reese's video is Vanessa Hudgens pre-HSM? #foodpolitics
My neighbor switched to buying the smaller size Haagen Dazs bars for her boys. Now, instead of eating one at time, they eat two. Legislate all you want, but it's really hard to change behavior. #foodpolitics
@SisterCarrie: Yeah but shouldn't we be promoting more access to information about food nutrition, rather than allowing misleading "smart choices" labels? #foodpolitics
So "Smart Choices" is something emblazoned on packaging for foods that are actually bad for you? Maybe they should rename them Irony Puffs or Irony-Grams. #foodpolitics
Part of the problem is that the average American is not trusted to understand the concept of "moderation". Rather than GOOD!!!! or BAD!!!!, where is the "okay once in a while" label? This is just like the absolute, total, unconditional ban on having a drink while you are pregnant. Are American consumers really this stupid? #foodpolitics
@FatLynn: And/or are American consumers really this litigious.
Then again, American advertising is pretty adept at the hard sell, and Americans are conditioned to expect it. I don't know if any of us would know what to do if we were confronted with an ad or a sign saying "While we agree that Cocoa Puffs are pretty darn tasty, it's a really good idea not to eat a whole lot, because they're not very good for you." #foodpolitics
@wtfox?!: Doesn't cookie monster admit that cookies are a "sometimes food" these days?
In all seriousness, I wouldn't expect advertisers to do that. What I might expect would be for them to leave nutrition out of the argument and/or label the box with realistic serving sizes. #foodpolitics
@wtfox?!: Doesn't cookie monster admit that cookies are a "sometimes food" these days?
In all seriousness, I wouldn't expect advertisers to do that. What I might expect would be for them to leave nutrition out of the argument and/or label the box with realistic serving sizes. #foodpolitics
Um, the worst part? The "Smart Choices" program was created and funded by the processed food corporations whose products bear the designation "Smart Choices Program."
@Kitten is an 80s rocker: or c.) they are using it as a gimmick to trick you into buying it. For example, the fruit juices that are fortified with 150% more Vitamin C! I mean why do I need 50% more of the recommended amount of Vitamin C? #foodpolitics
I realized that the "Smart Choices" label was pointless when I realized that some of the drinks had HFCS in them. Some people will swear that HFCS isn't as bad as people think it is but I can only go from my experience with it. It leaves a film in my mouth, can make me feel like crap, and I have lost 15+ lbs since I stopped drinking liquids that have it in there.
Cereal, on the other hand, is still my weakness. #foodpolitics
@shorty63136: It took me like fifteen minutes to find a kind of caramel for a sundae at my local grocery store that didn't have it in it... wtf? Even the HFCS' own COMMERCIALS say "in moderation" so how come I can't find it "in moderation"? #foodpolitics
@shorty63136: I used to freak out during those commercials. Like start yelling at my TV "IT'S FINE IN MODERATION?? BUT IT'S IN EVERYTHING!!!" #foodpolitics
@shorty63136: You may want to get tested for a corn allergy. I think hfcs is awful. But the film in your mouth could be a slight allergic reaction. #foodpolitics
@shorty63136: I only noticed a real difference once I stopped drinking and consuming most things containing HFCS. Before I couldn't tell much difference in flavor at all(with the exception of vending machin Dr. Pepper vs. Dublin Dr. Pepper, aka "the crack-like-soda that tastes like my childhood"). Now, I'm just astounded at the number of things I have to avoid at the grocery store because of that junk. #foodpolitics
@shorty63136: The argument isn't that HFCS isn't bad, it's that it is effectively no worse than sugar. Whether that's true or not, obviously you would lose weight when you cut out soda and sugary juice drinks. #foodpolitics
@redqueenmeg: It's freaking everywhere. It's in bread. I cannot find bread without HFCS in my local grocery store. Why do we need it in bread? Or canned chili? #foodpolitics
@Lymed: Don't say that! I friggin love corn. Creamed, on the cob, fried...I could go on.
Anyway, I only get that film if it's a drink that has HFCS in it. It's like a sludge-y feeling left on my tongue...like it was coated or something #foodpolitics
@wednesdayam: Yeah, I can definitely tell a difference in drinks now. Tropicana makes some drinks that have HFCS in them (and a "healthy choice" check mark if I'm not misaken). I seriously pour about a third of it out and fill it back to the top with water if I find that it's the only thing available to drink that has flavor (like when I go to my aunt's house).
I feel like cutting out the soda and sugary drinks "cleaned" my palate and I can actually taste flavors that I couldn't taste before. #foodpolitics
@wednesdayam: Kosher for Passover sodas have sugar instead of HFCS because corn isn't kosher for Passover. If you miss sodas, head to a Jewish grocery around Passover. At least Coke is available. You can also sometimes find sodas with real sugar in bodegas that import the soda. #foodpolitics
@Lymed: Luckily, I live in the southern half of Texas, so almost every other corner store has imported Mexican Coke which (usually) has only sugar in it, and certain grocery stores carry the imports year-rounds too. In "Medio Litro" size as well, which my BF loves. Not to mention the other delicious Mexican sodas made with real sugar. Mmm... I love you, Sidral Mundet... ;)
Urgh, this reminds me of an article that was recently in the Atlantic about Coke partnering with the American Academy of Family Physicians to, apparently, help people realize that Coke isn't actually all that bad for you ([food.theatlantic.com]).
Having said this, I should also say that you'll have to pry my Cinnamon Toast Crunch from my cold, dead, sugar-coated hands. Still, the mania for trying to legitimize things that are really not good for you drives me crazy. Just admit it's junk food, I don't care if it has vitamins in it. #foodpolitics
@wtfox?!: Now, I drink Diet Coke like it was liquid heroin, and have enjoyed many a jack n' coke slurpee (you're welcome) but I am under no illusion that it is in any way good for me.
Coke cleans pennies. CLEANS. My stomach is probably see through. #foodpolitics
@DinosaurDanceParty: Exactly what it sounds like. Cheap, portable, more sugar so you can make it more potent and most bars/clubs/libraries do not mess with the sanctity of Slurpee.
@TransFat: I am intrigued and impressed! You just put the Jack in the Coke slurpee? A new present for myself this weekend!
And thank you, if I were ever a DJ this would be my DJ name. Just the thought of a group of dinosaurs dancing with their little arms is enough to make me smile on a bad day! #foodpolitics
@TransFat: I am a librarian. We will embarass you by asking you to leave your slurpee by the sink in the children's department while you are in the library, and call the police if you vomit on the periodicals. Can I help you find anything? #foodpolitics
@BytheSea: Yes, I'd like to find the comedy section, because I would like to show you the section on the "rule of three". It may help the next time someone else uses "library" as an off the cuff destination that would be funny to secretly drink a Jack n' Slurp in after two clearly more legitimate places.
Man, I'd hate to play a game of Mad Libs with you, sheesh.
@TransFat: Oh, see, I missed that "rule of three" usage there because the fourth rule is that it's got to be funny.
Just saying, if you bring a Jack n Slurp to my work, you'd better be sharing. The babies are screaming and the old people are debating nukewler weapons ... #foodpolitics
@BytheSea: Now that is a plan I can get into! You know, for a second I thought you were going to shank me right in the dewey decimals...wait...we are DRINKING in that parking lot, right? (gulp) #foodpolitics
Wasn't there recently a situation where a "health expert" stated that Frosted Flakes was a healthy option and then defended it by stating that "compared to a donut", yes, Frosted Flakes is a healthy food. #foodpolitics
@Island of Misfit Toys: I would like to challenge this with my pumpkin doughnuts, because I'm pretty damn sure they're healthier than Frosted Flakes (yay, whole wheat pastry flour). #foodpolitics
I just nabbed the most recent copy of the "Eat This, Not That" series of books, and the Reese's Puffs were actually one of the worse cereals they pinpointed in it. Made my boyfriend sad, since that book is helping him with his lunchtime fast food decisions and he loved those puffs...
But really? We're considering 480mg of sodium per serving healthy? Especially when most servings are made pretty small so people have 2 or 3 per sitting? Ugh... I've drastically cut my salt intake, and I'm starting to really enjoy the actual taste of foods again. #foodpolitics
@wednesdayam: I really like the Jamie Oliver philosophy of scratch cooking. He makes food with things like bacon (traditionally thought unhealthy), but points out how drastically you will cut sodium and sugar just by making and eating fresh foods. #foodpolitics
@FatLynn: Yup, I've been taking to visiting the Farmer's Market one to two times weekly and have started learning to cook on my own. Not going too bad for now, just have to figure out how to tweak some recipes that have been passed down in the family to work with more fresh ingredients. And I'm going to try and make my own pumpkin pie this weekend. From a real pumpkin. I'm anxious, but excited to see how it turns out, since I've only had that canned paste stuff most of my life. #foodpolitics
@FatLynn: I found that when I was on Atkins and basically eating all whole foods (I completely eschewed the bars and shakes and supplements). Fat and fiber in fresh foods are filling and difficult to digest; they require more metabolism and you eat less to be satisfied. Stuff like fat-free yogurt is full of HFCS and/or aspartame, and once you're over the sugar rush, you feel like you ate nothing. And don't even get me started on people who think they're being virtuous by leaving salt out of recipes--especially baking, where it's there to be a part of a chemical reaction--and then putting on half a shaker of it at the table. Who are you trying to fool? #foodpolitics
@wednesdayam: I enjoy that book except for all the fake sugar recommended things. Yes, thay are technically less calories, but we still don't entirely know their long term effects on the body. Just the fact that it gives me migraines freaks me out. Like, a teaspoon of this powder is effecting blood vessels in my brain? I can't even fathom it. #foodpolitics
@TheFormerJuneBronson: I wish there was low *calorie* yogurt. I'm with you that dairy fats are good, but the crap that flavor yogurt with is just candy. I'm not asking for fresh fruit, but does *every single* yogurt on the market have to be full of HFCS and red dye? #foodpolitics
And how many people buy food that says "0 grams trans fat" thinking they are buying a non-fat food? And buy "all natural" corn syrup and oil filled snacks thinking they are good for them? #foodpolitics
@Lymed: Not only that...0 grams transfat doesn't actually mean zero grams. It means under a certain amount. And food companies have seriously changed the serving sizes of products in order to make it under that amount in their products. So, we've permitted companies to lie to us. But, yeah, people aren't always the smartest and then you have companies not really helping that. #foodpolitics
@banana_grabber: specifically, it means less than .5 grams per serving, which is why CRISCO can put the label on their can. Any amount of trans fats is unsafe. #foodpolitics
Well, to be fair, the Reese's Puffs ad didn't call it a "complete" breakfast, they called it a "good" breakfast. Good can mean full of healthy goodness, or it can mean good for when you stumble home drunk at three in the morning and eat it out of the box while sitting in the dark on your kitchen floor. Not that I've, um, done that or anything. #foodpolitics
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Also, does anyone else think that the girl in the Reese's video is Vanessa Hudgens pre-HSM? #foodpolitics
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Then again, American advertising is pretty adept at the hard sell, and Americans are conditioned to expect it. I don't know if any of us would know what to do if we were confronted with an ad or a sign saying "While we agree that Cocoa Puffs are pretty darn tasty, it's a really good idea not to eat a whole lot, because they're not very good for you." #foodpolitics
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In all seriousness, I wouldn't expect advertisers to do that. What I might expect would be for them to leave nutrition out of the argument and/or label the box with realistic serving sizes. #foodpolitics
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In all seriousness, I wouldn't expect advertisers to do that. What I might expect would be for them to leave nutrition out of the argument and/or label the box with realistic serving sizes. #foodpolitics
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a) they took healthy stuff out to make it white and sugary or
b) it was so bad for you in the first place that they couldn't get away with calling it anything other than candy #foodpolitics
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Cereal, on the other hand, is still my weakness. #foodpolitics
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Anyway, I only get that film if it's a drink that has HFCS in it. It's like a sludge-y feeling left on my tongue...like it was coated or something #foodpolitics
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I feel like cutting out the soda and sugary drinks "cleaned" my palate and I can actually taste flavors that I couldn't taste before. #foodpolitics
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Having said this, I should also say that you'll have to pry my Cinnamon Toast Crunch from my cold, dead, sugar-coated hands. Still, the mania for trying to legitimize things that are really not good for you drives me crazy. Just admit it's junk food, I don't care if it has vitamins in it. #foodpolitics
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Coke cleans pennies. CLEANS. My stomach is probably see through. #foodpolitics
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I am the lush of the 21st Century.
Also, I adore your name. #foodpolitics
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And thank you, if I were ever a DJ this would be my DJ name. Just the thought of a group of dinosaurs dancing with their little arms is enough to make me smile on a bad day! #foodpolitics
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Man, I'd hate to play a game of Mad Libs with you, sheesh.
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Just saying, if you bring a Jack n Slurp to my work, you'd better be sharing. The babies are screaming and the old people are debating nukewler weapons ... #foodpolitics
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Can't please everyone I suppose, I salute you and your kind none the less. My mom walks among you :) #foodpolitics
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[www.nytimes.com] #foodpolitics
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But really? We're considering 480mg of sodium per serving healthy? Especially when most servings are made pretty small so people have 2 or 3 per sitting? Ugh... I've drastically cut my salt intake, and I'm starting to really enjoy the actual taste of foods again. #foodpolitics
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