Deceptive Food Ads

[Indy107]

I was thumbing through one of my wife's womens magazines, and saw the most disturbing ad. It was a comparison between Kellogg's Pop Tarts and Pilsbury's Toaster Strudels. The tag line said, Make The Right Choice - always baked, never fried. They even listed 'some' of the nutrition claims. Like Kellogg's only had 5g of fat compared to Pilsbury's 8g. And they said they had 0g of trans fat compared to Pilsbury's 1g.

I did a little digging and found the 'actual' ingredients. Ingredients like flour, corn syrup (sugar), high fructose corn syrup (more sugar), dextrose (also a sugar), vegetable oil, soybean oil (GMO), Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil (with TBHQ and Citric Acid for Freshness - Less than 0.5 g Trans Fat per Serving), and of course....more sugar.

Even though they actually had hydrogenated oils (trans fat) - because it was less than .5g trans fat per serving they are allowed to list 0g on the label.

This magazine boasts 22 million readers, mostly young women and mothers, it's freaky to think they are influencing these young women to buy this crap for their children. Neither one of these products is healthy!

The magazine was full of junk food ads and pharmaceuticals.

One drug ad, for migraines, listed the following side effect: may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, serious stomach and intestinal problems such as bleeding and ulcers, and serious rash that may be FATAL and OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING.

Hold on - if I understand that warning correctly, by taking this drug, I may die?!? And without warning?!?

No wonder we are getting sicker - and fatter.

I decided to make this the subject of my blog - you can read it here if you are interested.
Making The Right Choice

[The Big D]

There's no question in my mind that we are now dealing with drugs for minor problems that have side effects worse than the problem they're supposed to fix. The solution obviously is to avoid them.

As far as the pop tarts, while they're not terribly healthy as long as you aren't diabetic or overweight they really won't hurt you.

[Gabo]

Companies can list things as being fat-free, sugar-free, transfat-free, etc. when they aren't ONLY because the federal government has legislated those terms to mean things other than their common sense definitions. Without protection by legislation, calling something with .5g of trans fat "trans fat free" would be fraud, and punishable by law. It's quite funny how the government constantly makes claims about protecting us by requiring honesty and clarity from advertising, while it specifically permits companies to lie.

[Indy107]

Originally Posted by The Big D

As far as the pop tarts, while they're not terribly healthy as long as you aren't diabetic or overweight they really won't hurt you.

Problem is, many more of us ARE diabetic or overweight, especially our kids. And unknowing moms still buy this crap for them.

Here's another deceptive ad I found.

Cool Whip vs Reddi Wip. The ad states Cool Whip uses hydrogenated oil. But Reddi Wip always uses real dairy cream. Which is true. The tag line is Nothing's more real than Reddi-wip.

What they don't tell you is the ingredients for Reddi-wip. Cream, Nonfat Milk, Corn Syrup, Sugar, Mono and Diglycerides........what are Mono and Diglycerides? Hydrogenated fats. Or trans fats. Gee - Reddi-wip uses them too, along with it's 'real' cream.

[Angela Leeds]

My fave is how Fruit Loops are currently being labeled as immune system boosters. Cracks me up. But hey, the FDA allows it so... it must be true!

Froot Loops, Cocoa Puffs are 'Smart Choices'? FDA warns food producers about inaccurate claims | StarTribune.com

[The Big D]

Originally Posted by Indy107

Problem is, many more of us ARE diabetic or overweight, especially our kids.

Type 2 diabetes in childhood is pretty rare.

As far as overweight kids, I don't think pop tarts are to blame. I think the QUANTITY of pop tarts compared to the calories being burned is to blame. That is, a diet with a certain amount of junk in it that none the less is right calorie-wise isn't the end of the world. But even the healthiest foods, if consumed in excessive quantities, are a problem. Two pop tarts, at 200 calories each, isn't that much. It's not going to blow any kid's calorie budget. But 6 pop tarts, now that's a problem.

[Indy107]

Originally Posted by The Big D

Type 2 diabetes in childhood is pretty rare.

I'm sorry. I beg to differ.

"The Growing Epidemic

One significant study of adolescents in a large Midwestern city found that the rate of type 2 diabetes increased 10-fold from 1982 to 1994, representing 33% of all adolescent cases of diabetes. Nationally, it is estimated that 29% of adolescent patients with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, resulting in an estimated 2.8 million adolescents in the U.S. with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.

Given the rise of childhood obesity, it is estimated that more than one third of all children who were born in 2000 will eventually develop diabetes, either during childhood or after adolescence."

Diabetes and Kids - Type 2 Diabetes in Kids

[DerekMB]

I agree. In a lot of ways it seems like these people are out to kill, disease, maim, deceive or injure you in some way so long as they can get a measly 4 dollars from your pocket. Educate yourselves to stop them.

[IFeelGood]

True that quantity matters but even moreso, it is quality that counts. A child would thrive much better on overeating fruits and vegetables, for example. When I think about a pop tart as a raw material for building a childs body, it sickens me .

Many people are uneducated and totally ignorant about nutrition and blindly feed this crap to their kids for breakfast. Mostly, because their information about these foods comes from magazines as OP mentions or ads on tv. Why give a child a pop tart when an apple or a pomegranate would serve their needs much better?

[Gene]

Originally Posted by DerekMB

I agree. In a lot of ways it seems like these people are out to kill, disease, maim, deceive or injure you in some way so long as they can get a measly 4 dollars from your pocket. Educate yourselves to stop them.

Yes, it seems as if every thing in love and commerce and for the large company's commerce is war.

[The Big D]

Originally Posted by Indy107

I'm sorry. I beg to differ.

"The Growing Epidemic

One significant study of adolescents in a large Midwestern city found that the rate of type 2 diabetes increased 10-fold from 1982 to 1994, representing 33% of all adolescent cases of diabetes. Nationally, it is estimated that 29% of adolescent patients with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, resulting in an estimated 2.8 million adolescents in the U.S. with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.

Given the rise of childhood obesity, it is estimated that more than one third of all children who were born in 2000 will eventually develop diabetes, either during childhood or after adolescence."

Diabetes and Kids - Type 2 Diabetes in Kids

That's interesting in that those are worse than the numbers I remember.

I do think those numbers are being presented in a way intended for scare value, particularly lumping "prediabetes" in with actual diabetes.

What most people should be able to agree on is that the fundamental issue behind all of this is weight. America needs to hit the gym.

[Indy107]

Originally Posted by IFeelGood

Many people are uneducated and totally ignorant about nutrition and blindly feed this crap to their kids for breakfast. Mostly, because their information about these foods comes from magazines as OP mentions or ads on tv. Why give a child a pop tart when an apple or a pomegranate would serve their needs much better?

Thank You! Couldn't have said it better myself.

[The Big D]

Originally Posted by IFeelGood

True that quantity matters but even moreso, it is quality that counts. A child would thrive much better on overeating fruits and vegetables, for example. When I think about a pop tart as a raw material for building a childs body, it sickens me .

While I understand this sentiment, it's at odds with biology. You can't build a child's body out of either fruits and vegetables OR pop tarts. Both are basically piles of sugars and longer carbs. Neither has enough fats, calcium, or protein to serve as the core of a successful diet (especially for a child), although perversely the poptart might actually do a little better by virtue of having some fats.

[joelr]

Oh the scams are unbelievable. There are so many.
The ads even go as far to target dieters and manage to convince them that some items like yogurt with too much sugar are diet foods.

Or the protein and energy bars aimed at athletes and dieters that are pretty much candy bars with added vitamins.

High Fructose corn syrup is added to everything to make it addictive. Does anyone actually put sugar in a balsamic vinegar and olive oil salad dressing?
No way, but items like that at the supermarket usually contain fructose syrup.

Why doesn't the Government force ads to say "Only .5 grams of hydrogenated oil per serving!"
With heart disease as high as it is and trans fat being proven so toxic why is lying allowed. It's a lie about the #1 killer in the USA.

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by The Big D

While I understand this sentiment, it's at odds with biology. You can't build a child's body out of either fruits and vegetables OR pop tarts. Both are basically piles of sugars and longer carbs. Neither has enough fats, calcium, or protein to serve as the core of a successful diet (especially for a child), although perversely the poptart might actually do a little better by virtue of having some fats.

Avocados and olives have lots of fat. So do nuts and seeds (hard fruits). Beans, nuts and seeds are high in protein and there is plenty of calcium in these foods. The American Dietetic Association says that vegans get twice the protein that they need. Americans get way too much protein causing lots of problems.

A diet too high in protein causes the body to be acid and calcium is taken out of the bones to neutralize it and the calcium is urinated out. So meat-eaters have lots of calcium in their urine. No it will not help for them to drink their urine.

[Indy107]

Originally Posted by The Big D

While I understand this sentiment, it's at odds with biology. You can't build a child's body out of either fruits and vegetables OR pop tarts. Both are basically piles of sugars and longer carbs. Neither has enough fats, calcium, or protein to serve as the core of a successful diet (especially for a child), although perversely the poptart might actually do a little better by virtue of having some fats.

Again, I must disagree.

Fats - Avacados, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, olive oil
Calcium - Spinach, kale, carrots, dates, raisins, cabbage
Protein - Broccoli, Cauliflower, legumes, lentils, peas

You can build a child's body out of fruits and vegetables. I think Erin did it. They're called vegans.

[stanmrak]

If it's advertised in a magazine or on TV, you can bet that it's not healthy. I will assert, without even knowing the name of the magazine, that every ad in there is for foods that aren't healthy, just profitable. But they all claim to be healthy. It's all about what your standard for healthy is. Mine happens to be very high.

[joylangtry]

As I read through this thread, I'm also listening to a recorded interview with Howard Lyman, interviewed by Kevin Gianni of renegadehealth.com. He spent several years as a lobbyist in DC, and he is stating that essentially anyone throwing enough money at a position will get lobbyists promoting it.

It all comes down to greed. The primary reason that anything in the US economy is promoted by large corporations is that it makes them profits.

Getting back to the topic, my favorite deceptive practice is putting "No Cholesterol!!" on potato chips and snack foods that are essentially vegetable- or wheat-based. How many people don't realize that only animal products contain cholesterol?

[The Big D]

Originally Posted by Indy107

Again, I must disagree.

Fats - Avacados, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, olive oil
Calcium - Spinach, kale, carrots, dates, raisins, cabbage
Protein - Broccoli, Cauliflower, legumes, lentils, peas

You can build a child's body out of fruits and vegetables. I think Erin did it. They're called vegans.

Many of the foods listed are neither fruits nor vegetables, so you're moving the goal posts. And vegan children aren't a good idea - but as is typically the case with diet, ideology trumps science for a lot of people

[CoolBee]

Strawberry pop tarts make great blow torches:

Strawberry Pop-Tart Blow-Torches

(Don't try this at home kids!)

[Indy107]

Originally Posted by The Big D

Many of the foods listed are neither fruits nor vegetables, so you're moving the goal posts. And vegan children aren't a good idea - but as is typically the case with diet, ideology trumps science for a lot of people

Many of the foods? With the exception of peanut butter and olive oil, (which are still both plant based), they all look like fruits and veggies to me.

And I'm curious, why vegan children are not a good idea?

Although I have no first hand experience raising vegan children, it does seem like a healthier alternative than today's typical SAD diet children who are increasingly becoming heavier and sicker?

[The Big D]

Originally Posted by Indy107

Many of the foods? With the exception of peanut butter and olive oil, (which are still both plant based), they all look like fruits and veggies to me.

Of those listed, the following are not fruits or vegetables: nuts, seeds, peanut butter, olive oil, legumes, and lentils.

And I'm curious, why vegan children are not a good idea?

Although I have no first hand experience raising vegan children, it does seem like a healthier alternative than today's typical SAD diet children who are increasingly becoming heavier and sicker?

The issue is one of nutrients - just as an example, take calcium. Is there calcium in raw spinach? Sure. It's one of the better things on that list of foods for calcium. But to get the adult RDA of calcium, you would have to eat roughly a KILOGRAM of raw spinach, 33 servings by the FDA's admittedly wussy count. IIRC, kids may need slightly more calcium than adults due to bone growth, but I don't have the numbers in front of me and it's close so we can ignore that for the time being.

Now, how are you going to get over two pounds of spinach down the mouth of a small child? I don't care what you do to dress that leafy morass up, that just isn't going to fly. With a non-vegan child, 3 cups of milk (one per meal) will achieve the same 100% RDA with no pain and no fuss.

Analogous arguments could be made for other nutrients that vegan foods are short of, protein being the most obvious.

Now I'm certainly not vegan, but I think what happens to most vegan children is that their parents just sort of pay lip service to the nutrient issue, and they never get enough of several key nutrients. The result is small, weak, low bone density children that will pay for all those things later in life.

The problem with heavy children is mostly quantity of food, not food type. While changing to a vegan diet may inadvertently decrease quantity (since very few people could stomach that much spinach ), you can achieve the same effect in other ways (say, by teaching your kids what constitutes a healthy quantity of food and paying attention to their weight) without depriving kids of essential nutrients.

[Andrew Gubb]

Sometimes they even have different ingredients to those they list. The government can't keep a tab on them all the time!

Some Quinoa I had a while back tasted slightly of washing up liquid and made me violently sick (sensitive stomach).

You can't trust big companies... of course they're not gonna pay fair if they can get away with it.

[Indy107]

Originally Posted by The Big D

Of those listed, the following are not fruits or vegetables: nuts, seeds, peanut butter, olive oil, legumes, and lentils.

The issue is one of nutrients - just as an example, take calcium. Is there calcium in raw spinach? Sure. It's one of the better things on that list of foods for calcium. But to get the adult RDA of calcium, you would have to eat roughly a KILOGRAM of raw spinach, 33 servings by the FDA's admittedly wussy count. IIRC, kids may need slightly more calcium than adults due to bone growth, but I don't have the numbers in front of me and it's close so we can ignore that for the time being.

Now, how are you going to get over two pounds of spinach down the mouth of a small child? I don't care what you do to dress that leafy morass up, that just isn't going to fly. With a non-vegan child, 3 cups of milk (one per meal) will achieve the same 100% RDA with no pain and no fuss.

Analogous arguments could be made for other nutrients that vegan foods are short of, protein being the most obvious.

Now I'm certainly not vegan, but I think what happens to most vegan children is that their parents just sort of pay lip service to the nutrient issue, and they never get enough of several key nutrients. The result is small, weak, low bone density children that will pay for all those things later in life.

The problem with heavy children is mostly quantity of food, not food type. While changing to a vegan diet may inadvertently decrease quantity (since very few people could stomach that much spinach ), you can achieve the same effect in other ways (say, by teaching your kids what constitutes a healthy quantity of food and paying attention to their weight) without depriving kids of essential nutrients.

People are going to believe - whatever they were brought up to believe - no matter what I or anyone else on this forum says. And when that belief gets reinforced by the billions of dollars spent on advertising each year, it's practically impossible to get them to see any other option.

So if you want to believe that Vegan children are unhealthy, and that they need milk to get their calcium, and that the reason kids are overweight is because they are simply eating too much - then that is your belief.

I believe otherwise.

[The Big D]

Originally Posted by Indy107

People are going to believe - whatever they were brought up to believe - no matter what I or anyone else on this forum says. And when that belief gets reinforced by the billions of dollars spent on advertising each year, it's practically impossible to get them to see any other option.

So if you want to believe that Vegan children are unhealthy, and that they need milk to get their calcium, and that the reason kids are overweight is because they are simply eating too much - then that is your belief.

I believe otherwise.

The difference is that my beliefs are backed up by sound scientific reasoning.

[aelle]

Originally Posted by The Big D

The difference is that my beliefs are backed up by sound scientific reasoning.

It's not. Vegan kids are not "small, weak, [with] low bone density". The real ones I mean, not the ones in your imagination. Nor are the 15% of the population with lactose intolerance.

I say this as a healthy, fit adult with no tooth or bone problem whatsoever, who's never had a glass of cow milk in her life.

[DaveM]

Originally Posted by Indy107

People are going to believe - whatever they were brought up to believe - no matter what I or anyone else on this forum says. And when that belief gets reinforced by the billions of dollars spent on advertising each year, it's practically impossible to get them to see any other option.

When I grew up the idea that grain or dairy could have a negative effect on me I would have seen it as ludicrous. Most people still do believe what they did when they were going up, but a minority don't.

Im sure Im not alone and others on this forum have changed their beliefs.

[James Reno]

Just amazing how many chemicals, preservatives etc. are in mass produced/processed food, especially high fructose corn syrup. Try to drink mostly water and eat from the produce section. For now, that is a pretty healthy way to go. Of course I am sure there are issues with non-organic produce and the quality of tap water, but still think it is a MASSIVE improvement over processed food.

[stanmrak]

Originally Posted by joylangtry

Getting back to the topic, my favorite deceptive practice is putting "No Cholesterol!!" on potato chips and snack foods that are essentially vegetable- or wheat-based. How many people don't realize that only animal products contain cholesterol?

I've seen a label like this on a bag of apples:

"No cholesterol, No fat, No sodium"

[LVGeneration]

They have Splenda commercials where they show how healthy it is for little kids, and now they came up with Splenda with fiber, to make it look even healthier.