This Really Bugs Me...

[Lee]

I know we have had a few conversations on GWW before about the crap people eat and how most of the food the vast majority of people in the US eat is pure crap.

Has anyone else noticed how food manufacturers are now starting to 'add' shit to their foods to make them sound like they are actually healthier for people to eat, even though they arent?

It seems like if you add fiber, vitamin, or minerals and actively label the packaging with these additions as marketing tools most people beleive the foods are healthy.

I just saw a commercial for Splenda and Dayquil where fiber and vitamin c had been added making them 'good for you'.

Whats with these companies adding stuff to their food stuffs, isnt there any kind of regulation in the US when it comes to this?

It really does bother me, if you want fiber in your diet, eat whole wheat bread, if you want vitamin c, eat an orange, its pretty basis stuff, there really isnt any need for fiber or C to be added to foods imho.

We went grocery shopping yesterday and as im working on getting my cholesterol lowered a lot of the stuff on the supermarket shelves actually stood out because they used this marketing practice and it really did bother me.

Almost all of the breakfast cereals had 'fortified with vitamins and minerals' on the boxes, including some that really didnt need to be like Weetabix.

Regards,

Lee

[DonMike]

Even wheat bread can trick you. I've seen packages proudly proclaiming multi-grain, extra fiber and vitamins, heart healthy, etc. And when you read the ingredients it's the same as plain old white bread with a bunch of grains and stuff added.

[maxx68]

Americans are getting dumber and dumber thanks to our wonderful educational system. People believe this shit about these additives being ggod for you. It's just another way for food manufacturers to add to the price. Sad thing is soon all food will be this way and you'll have nothing to do about it but buy it.

It's all a crock-o-shit. Food for the most part is as unhealthy as it's ever been. I just read an article about how now fresh produce has barely any of the vitamins and minerals they should due to the farming process.

And produce tastes plain and sometimes even nasty now. I can remember how an apple or orange or watermelon tasted when I was a kid. The shit the sell at the supermarkets is gross.

The sad thing is that our water (rain) is polluted, and the soil is depleted. You can grow your own but your still gonna have all kinds of nasty chemicals in your food.

Sorry for the rambling, my omega-3 hasn't kicked in yet. Hee Hee

[cbl_chaz]

The "fortified with all these great nutrients" thing bothers me as well. But what bothers me more is the fact that eating a healthy, well balanced diet will cost you at least twice as much as McDonald's or the sodium loaded frozen prepared meals in your grocer's frozen section. It's a catch 22. Either you eat nutrional, fresh foods, remain healthy and avoid the hospital bills and health issues....or eat cheap junk food and end up with heart and health issues that cost you a fortune in medical bills. The other thing that you HAVE to watch is the nutrition information labels on these foods that market themselves as "Healthy". The no fat or less fat items many times contain massive amounts of sodium or carbs to increase the flavor of the food. I try to buy as much fresh produce and meats as my budget will allow and avoid the boxed and prepared frozen meals whenever possible. My father is a cardiologist and so I've never been a big fan of salty or fatty foods.

[HunkyLuke]

I saw a commercial on a US cable network the other day put out by the corn growers association telling everyone that high fructose corn syrup is actually good for you, despite all the scientific proof! Of course, it goes hand in hand with the drug companies telling me that I need to cure the non-existent 'restless leg syndrome'.

[chadknowslaw]

Sometimes it is a good thing -- like Vitamin D being added to milk. That has been done for decades and addressed a serious shortfall in diet. Breakfast cereals can easily have vitamins added which is usually a good thing -- unless kids take a multivitamin they are probably not getting everything they should have.
But I have to agree with you -- I have seen chocolates with the label "Fat Free" on them. Chocolate is _naturally_ fat free but the problem is that has a shitload of sugar! And then KFC that likes to say "No Trans Fat" but it is still swimming in grease~ it may not have trans fat but that sure as hell does not make it healthy!