The Great Oxymoron: "Healthy" Processed Foods

If you watch TV (or internet ads, for that matter), you know that there are a ton of products being advertised that claim to be healthy. They are all "naturally flavored" and "contain real fruit" and "are now made with antioxidants" and "are a good source of fiber"... but do those claims make the products healthy?

The answer, of course, is NO. In the words of a recent article from the Journal of the World Public Health Nutrition Association, "There is no such thing as healthy ultra-processed foods. By their very nature they are unhealthy... [and] may well accelerate the deterioration of public goods and public health." Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Dilemma, suggested in this New York Times Magazine article to "avoid even those food products that come bearing health claims... [and] especially avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar, b) unpronounceable, c) more than five in number-- or that contain high-fructose corn syrup."

Let's look at some of these "healthy" products now.

Kellogg's Smorz cereal claims to be a "good source of Vitamin D." Unless you're eating this product in the sun, I don't know how they can possibly advertise this. Here's the ingredient list:

CORN FLOUR, MARSHMALLOW BITS (SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, DEXTROSE, GELATIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE, RED #40, YELLOW,#5, YELLOW #6, BLUE #1), SUGAR, CHOCOLATEY COATING (SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, NONFAT MILK, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), WHOLE OAT FLOUR, FRUCTOSE, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WHEAT FLOUR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, PALM OIL, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, COLOR ADDED, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, NIACINAMIDE, REDUCED IRON, ZINC OXIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), BHT (PRESERVATIVE), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), VITAMIN A PALMITATE, FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN D, VITAMIN B12.

How that is healthy is beyond me (more than five ingredients, contains HFCS, has ingredients I've never heard of and can't pronounce)... yet I'm sure parents will buy it for their kids because of the huge claim on the top of the box.

Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars (Cherry) claims that it's "a good source of fiber," has "more of the whole grains your body needs," and is "made with real fruit." Huh. First of all, your body doesn't need whole grains; if it did, I would've been dead a year and a half ago. In the words of Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint, "there is absolutely no reason to eat grains." (Click here for the article.) Second of all, I didn't know "real fruit" is made with a million ingredients. Check it out:

WHOLE GRAIN OATS, ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SOYBEAN OIL (WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID FOR FRESHNESS), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SOLUBLE CORN FIBER, SUGAR, CALCIUM CARBONATE, WHEY, WHEAT BRAN, SALT, CELLULOSE, POTASSIUM BICARBONATE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, WHEAT GLUTEN, CORNSTARCH, NIACINAMIDE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, CARRAGEENAN, ZINC OXIDE, REDUCED IRON, GUAR GUM, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID. FILLING: HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, CHERRY PUREE CONCENTRATE, GLYCERIN, SUGAR, WATER, SODIUM ALGINATE, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, MALIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, METHYLCELLULOSE, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, CARAMEL COLOR, RED #40.

Oh yes, this product is soooooo healthy. I didn't know "real fruit" had high-fructose corn syrup. I guess I learn something new every day! (Kellogg's FiberPlus Antioxidant Bars have similar ingredient lists-- but OMG, they have antioxidants! Must be healthy!)

Speaking of cherry-flavored things and antioxidants, the most ridiculous "healthy" product is Diet Cherry 7Up Antioxidant which is "a delicious way to cherry pick your antioxidant" "without the calories of the original." There are so many things wrong with this-- just because something is diet, 0 carb, 0 calorie, and has "antioxidants" does not make it okay to drink. Ever.

Filtered carbonated water and contains 2% or less of each of the following: citric acid, natural flavors, potassium benzoate (protects flavor), aspartame, potassium citrate, acesulfame potassium, vitamin E acetate, Red 40.

In fact, studies have shown that aspartame (Nutrasweet) and acesulfame-K (Sunnette), the artificial sweeteners used in diet soda, contain many toxins and cause many health problems including cancer, seizures, tumors, and neuropsychotic disorders (source). According to Primal Body, Primal Mind, they "can increase insulin and leptin levels in people who consume them and thus contribute to obesity." In fact, another popular artificial sweetener used in "diet" products, sucralose (Splenda), "originally started out in an attempt to create an insecticide." Why put that in your body!? No matter what supposed antioxidants a product has, read the ingredients and run far, far away if it has any of these artificial sweeteners... or if it's a soda in general. Check out this awesome infographic on the harmful effects of soda: Harmful Soft Drinks.

My favorite claim is "naturally flavored." General Mills's Oats & Chocolate Chewy Fiber Bar, for example, has this one (along with the "35% daily value of fiber" one too). I guess only in the modern, ultra-processed foods world does this ingredients list mean "naturally flavored":

Chicory Root Extract, Semisweet Chocolate Chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural flavor), Whole Grain Oats, High Maltose Corn Syrup, Rice Flour, Barley Flakes, Sugar, Canola Oil, Glycerin, Maltodextrin, Honey, Tricalcium Phosphate, Palm Kernal Oil, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Nonfat Milk, Fructose, Malt Extract, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Baking Soda, Caramel Color, Natural Flavor. Mixed Tocopherols Added to Retain Freshness.

Don't you just love chemicals as part of a balanced meal?

I know a lot of us count carbs, but be wary of low-carb bars, shakes, and food products. They may be low in carbs, sure, but that doesn't make them healthy-- the same way slapping any of the aforementioned health claims make those products healthy. Let's take Atkins Advantage bars, for example-- they're only 2 or 3 net carbs and claim to be "great" or "smart" nutrition... but they contain a million and a half ingredients and artificial sweeteners. I used to live on them in my Atkins days, but I feel so much better now that I avoid that fake stuff.

What I'm trying to get across here is eat real food. Have you ever looked at an ingredient list on a head of lettuce, an apple, or a piece of chicken? No? Well, I haven't either, and you know why? Because real foods don't have ingredient lists.... and they certainly don't make health claims either. While I understand the convenience of these ultra-processed "foods," take the extra few minutes and make your own crunch bars or breakfast bars.

Your health will thank you.

Quote of the Day:

"Eat food. Though in our current state of confusion, this is much easier said than done. So try this: Don't eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food." -Michael Pollan

Processed Foods and Words of Wisdom from 'Primal Body, Primal Mind'

My summer job is as a camp counselor; I work with first- and second-grade girls outdoors all day, doing things like swimming, playing sports, looking at nature, and just hanging out in the sun. I'd say it's one of the most Paleo-friendly jobs out there: playing, soaking up Vitamin D, socializing, staying active.

It saddens me so much, however, when it comes time for lunch and these girls' parents send them with complete and total crap. Their lunches are all loaded with white bread, sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), processed snack foods, bagels, juice boxes, Lunchables, soda... The list goes on. I just finished reading Primal Body, Primal Mind by Nora T. Gedgaudas*, and there's an entire chapter devoted to HFCS alone: it has been linked to "diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity, gout, weakened immune system, cirrhosis of the liver, osteoporosis, elevated cholesterol levels, anemia, mineral deficiency." It's no wonder that little kids are sick all the time--ingesting chemicals like this one (which is in pretty much every processed food) will make you sick. As Gedgaudas recommends, "Avoid high fructose corn syrup like the plague that it is, and beware of cheap processed, foods" because "it is among the most dangerous and damaging food additives ever created."

Further, "the consumption of high-glycemic foods, which cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, can trigger many behavioral, learning, and mood problems," with gluten being one of the biggest culprits. My girls are generally pretty good, but I notice that some kids in other groups act up a lot, and I can't help but wonder if their behaviors would change if their parents stopped sending them to camp with PB&J on white bread, a CapriSun, and a bag of chips** (plus money to buy candy or slushies at the camp's snack bar... UGH).

(So funny story: I take fish oil pills at lunch, and the girls ask me every day what they are. Yesterday, one of my campers asked, "Are those jelly beans?" and I just laughed. They're pretty much the farthest things from jelly beans out there!)

*Note: Buy this book. It was absolutely fascinating and provided so much interesting (and sometimes scary) information that everyone should know about-- it'll be one of the best $11.46 you've ever spent.

**Note 2: A study recently said that potato chips are the worst culprit for weight gain. Don't eat them... and don't let your kids eat them either!

Speaking of HFCS and disgusting processed foods, check out Slate's Ingredients Quiz, in which you match the ingredient list given with the processed food. I only got TWO out of eleven correct-- the lists were so long and contained so many things/chemicals I'd never heard of that it was nearly impossible to guess correctly! I was actually horrified after taking this quiz, and I can't believe that I used to eat some of these foods-- disgusting! Don't put that harmful stuff in your body!

Here's another (frightening) tidbit from Gedgaudas's book on this subject: "The researchers who developed sucralose, also known as Splenda, originally started out in an attempt to create an insecticide." Moral of the story: read all of your labels carefully, be wary of artificial sweeteners and ALL chemicals (especially HFCS), and "Remember: If it comes out of a test tube, it's not food." And in the words of health/fitness guru Jack LaLanne, "If man made it, hate it."

In more disgusting food news, the fast food chains Sonic and Burger King will now be offering beer and wine. Just great: so now customers can wash down crap with high-calorie beers (made from gluten-containing grains) and wine. How wonderful.

It's July 4th weekend, which means barbecues and parties for most people, so please try and make good food decisions-- eat your hamburger without the bun (nothing wrong with grabbing the lettuce and making yourself a nice hamburger salad!), avoid the chips and desserts, and drink lots of water! While temptation will most likely be lurking around every corner, don't put crap into your body! Your body deserves real food; your health relies on it!

Paleo at Penn now has a Facebook page! A big thank you to all of you who have "liked" it already-- you guys grok!

Happy Canada Day to my Canadian readers, happy 4th of July to all of you here in the U.S., and happy any other holiday/have a good weekend to everyone else! Grok on!

I love cavemen comics:

Quote of the Day:

"Taking control of your health is the single most foundational means of taking control of your own future. Without our health and clarity of mind, we have nothing." -Nora T. Gedgaudas, Primal Body, Primal Mind