Not to be eliminated or squeezed out of the market by health advocates who make every effort to help people avoid "junk" foods, the makers of such items are changing their marketing 'schemes' to make their 'junk' appear....well, less 'junky'. These foods not only have no vitamins or nutritional value that would sustain life beyond a few days, but also are the cause of many health problems common to many Americans.
This is the battle that we (those who try to promote healthy eating, and a healthy lifestyle) are constantly dealing with - fighting with the millions of marketing dollars that help convince you and every other American that there's no problem eating "junk". Here's more from SFgate.com --
Where is the Food and Drug Administration in all this? Busy elsewhere. You might wonder what happens if independent experts establish the criteria. This experiment was performed by Hannaford, a supermarket chain in the Northeast. It developed a Guiding Stars program that awards one, two or three stars to qualifying foods. It applied independently determined standards to 27,000 products in its stores.
Oops. Only 23 percent qualified for even one star. Worse, 80 percent of that 23 percent were fresh fruits and vegetables in the produce section. By independent nutritional standards, everything else is a junk food.
Wooing experts -- The best way to sell junk foods is to make them appear healthier. The best way to do that is to entice nutrition experts to create easier standards. Enter Smart Choices.
This program is the result of years of food industry consultation with nutrition professionals. It replaces the individual programs of participating companies so you have a "single, trusted and easily recognizable dietary symbol" to help you make "smarter choices within product categories," based on "consensus science." Sounds good, no?
But is a "better-for-you" junk food really a good choice? Of course not. Smart Choices is about marketing, not health.
Its "consensus science" nutritional criteria allow rather generous amounts of sugars and salt so many processed foods can qualify. They reduce the value of food to a few nutrients. The standards do not deal with how foods are produced, how processed they are or how they are used in daily diets. (Full Story)
Comments: If there a person whom I respect on their knowledge and opinion when it comes to nutrition and a healthy diet, it is Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat. We cannot continue to be persuaded by these marketing tactics, and give in to these 'junk' food temptations.
A healthy diet does not include junk foods, and must include plenty of fruits and vegetables. Sugary foods and drinks are the #1 source of calories that contribute to extra weight, not to mention stress on the blood sugar (pancreas), and effects the energy levels.
So choose a diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and avoid 'junk' foods all together. They won't provide any help to your health, only hurt.
Dr. J. Patrick Havey
The Health & Wellness Institute, PC
Official Juice Plus+® Distributor
Diet and exercise can help reduce the risk of degenerative diseases like heart disease and stroke, diabetes and cancer. Learn why eating fruits and vegetables is especially important, and how you can benefit from adding Juice Plus+® to your diet.
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