Nutrition: Facts or Fiction?

Exactly Brian! Kinda misleading hey?

2012-02-08T22:43:14.146-07:00

Exactly Brian! Kinda misleading hey?

Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal that doesn't have...

2012-02-08T11:11:58.837-07:00

Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal that doesn't have blueberries or pomegranates as ingredients. Isn't that like chicken noodle soup that doesn't contain chicken or noodles?

When I was a teen I really am weight conscious. I ...

2012-01-31T07:18:16.962-07:00

When I was a teen I really am weight conscious. I always ask myself if I am eating too much, if the food I eat are healthy and many more crazy questions I could think about back then. In high school my parents enrolled me in a boarding school because they said I can learn things there and people can watch me more than they can. Now that I am a parent I realized that my parents did a good job raising me and I intend to do the same for my kids.

Thanks for your comment. The incomplete protein i...

2012-01-04T12:25:15.701-07:00

Thanks for your comment. The incomplete protein is not a myth, but fortunately, a person with a vegan diet of wide variety can pull from amino acid pools, and therefore need not be concerned.

I think whether or not it is difficult is a personal opinion. Personally, I find it takes quite a bit of effort. That's great if you find it not to be a challenge.

As we both mentioned, vegan athletes are doing some incredible physical feats, and a vegan diet certainly isn't a barrier to that!

It is not a challenge. We're natural vegans a...

2012-01-03T22:16:29.895-07:00

It is not a challenge. We're natural vegans and natural athletes.

Incomplete protein is a myth.

See athletes on the 80/10/10 diet (high-fruit-raw-vegan) - - "superman pushups" running 50++ miles a week!! etc

Thanks for your comment Christy. You're right,...

2011-12-28T16:44:28.204-07:00

Thanks for your comment Christy. You're right, natural peanut butter can easily be made less healthy with a little jam or jelly, as can any food if we add unhealthy ingredients to healthy ones.

The message here is not "don't eat Nutella ever", it's fine to enjoy most things you like from time to time. My issue is about Nestle's spinning the product to look like part of an everyday balanced breakfast. Which it certainly is not.

And as for fruit, sure, it has sugar. But good food is made of more than just sugar. Fruit also has fiber, vitamins, minerals phytonutrients and far fewer Calories. There is no comparison in my mind.

I don't consider peanut butter to be THAT much...

2011-12-28T16:31:15.421-07:00

I don't consider peanut butter to be THAT much more healthier than Nutella. It can have less sugar but what about when people add the jelly or preserves - where's the difference then? The best bet would be to make your own nutella/peanut butter or find the product with the least sugar and other not so good for you items - or just eat the darn nutella and be sure the remainder of the diet is balanced.

Not sure if this has been mentioned but 23 grams of sugar could be easily consumed by eating a serving of certain fruits like grapes and oranges.

Everything we eat needs to be done in moderation and balance.

By the way, 2 tablespoons of Nutella goes a long way

Yum! Sounds like someone is hoping Santa brings th...

2011-12-19T14:12:30.346-07:00

Yum! Sounds like someone is hoping Santa brings them a hand blender ;)

My stomach actually growled while reading this pos...

2011-12-07T11:41:26.225-07:00

My stomach actually growled while reading this post. I *love* pulled pork!

Tiffany
http://LifeFoodStore.com

Great post, Janine! Like we'd already discusse...

2011-10-09T12:27:15.713-06:00

Great post, Janine! Like we'd already discussed in person, I am always a little bit leery when it comes to alternative therapies and MDs talking nutrition, but it's nice to hear that Dr. Weil himself does seem to consider the evidence when making his recommendations.

Yes, because the foster care system takes care of ...

2011-07-26T00:14:32.372-06:00

Yes, because the foster care system takes care of the children very well today, right? And it can bring more children given to foster parents who are not educated on health? Hmmm .... We ask those who have gone through the foster care system, if they think it's a good idea. You know, those who have real experience of what it means to be there when you are vulnerable and marginalized of society. Great idea.

Avoid Smoking Cigarettes

I think the vision and the campaign of any organiz...

2011-06-10T09:45:01.442-06:00

I think the vision and the campaign of any organization should always be in connection. I hope this campaign be though off properly.

OH! MY! GOSH! I am looking into contacting KFC. If...

2011-06-03T05:40:54.024-06:00

OH! MY! GOSH! I am looking into contacting KFC. If anyone can help me find as high as possible, I would appreciate that.I looked on their website, not high enough. I want to make a point!

Thanks Koelner! I can make that happen! :)

2011-05-20T13:58:36.693-06:00

Thanks Koelner! I can make that happen! :)

It would be great if one could compare Nutella vs....

2011-05-20T13:37:02.478-06:00

It would be great if one could compare Nutella vs. Peanut Butter - I have heard so many discussions about it.

Thanks for the comment Curtis!

2011-05-06T19:10:12.248-06:00

Thanks for the comment Curtis!

I agree with you completely about Dr. Weil. I find...

2011-05-06T07:56:46.580-06:00

I agree with you completely about Dr. Weil. I find him to be a voice of wisdom and knowledge that stands out from all the noise about diet and such. I'm drinking some green tea as I write this in honor of his good advice:)
Curtis at Healthy Heart Meditation

Thank you so much for this post. I once looked at...

2011-02-28T21:21:13.632-07:00

Thank you so much for this post. I once looked at the ingredient list before purchasing the item and after seeing the ingredients coupled with the calories and fats, I changed my mind in purchasing it. My son however kept bugging me to purchase it...he said it was healthy, and that it was probably better than peanut butter...I'm upset that the advertisement confuses my son as to what a healthy product really is!...I say shame on them!!!

Hey Janine, Great blog post.. I just wanted to po...

2011-02-08T23:32:20.437-07:00

Hey Janine,
Great blog post..

I just wanted to point out a similar video that goes even further to point out how far this 'blueberry deception' has gone..

http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=7EC06D27B1A945BE85E7DA8483025962

Keep up the great work, I look forward to your next post... now, its time for a late night snack of 'crunchlets' filled with artificial blueberry flavour bits... Mmmmm...

Cheers,

Dave, thanks for your comment. However, I am not...

2011-02-08T18:14:41.082-07:00

Dave, thanks for your comment.

However, I am not a proponent of juice either, and certainly wouldn't encourage people to drink juice for exactly the reason you stated. And no, it would not be better if it were evaporated cane juice. Sugar is sugar.

I agree with you that the vitamin/mineral content of foods is as important as fats/carbs/sugar, etc. However, the vitamin and mineral content of Nutella is minimal, and a little bit of calcium or vitamin E does not a health food make.

I do disagree with you regarding using Nutella to get kids to eat whole grains on a regular basis. Loading them up with sugar and fat likely negates the healthfulness of the whole grains. As I mentioned, it's similar to a chocolate bar in nutritional value, and I'm not going to put that on a piece of whole grain bread and call it a healthy breakfast.

I certainly don't think my post is "fearmongering" and I want to be clear - I'm not against having these types of foods on occasion. The issue here is less about the product, and more about the marketing.

If you were to create orange juice "from scra...

2011-02-08T17:20:36.286-07:00

If you were to create orange juice "from scratch" the first ingredient (besides water) would be sugar.

Your nutritional breakdown would be more meaningful if you included vitamin and mineral content as well as glycemic index. Nobody should base nutritional content solely on calories/fat/protein/carbs, and your article does nothing but perpetuate this common oversimplification.

If it gets kids eating whole grain foods, I'm all for it.

As for the sugar... would it be better if it was evaporated cane juice? Not really, but it would sure sound better. And the vanillin could have come from actual beans (would that make it natural, the extraction with ethanol?). It's probably synthesized, but you don't really know that for certain.

I see the point that you're making, and I really do agree with most of it, I just disagree with doing it via fearmongering.

Case in point: I bought a bottle of tea tree oil the other day. It says on the label, "no chemicals inside". I should sue, chemicals are exactly what I just shelled out $10 for.

Ellens11, Thank you for your comment! Palm oil is...

2011-02-07T09:58:15.940-07:00

Ellens11,

Thank you for your comment! Palm oil is derived from plants, but is higher in saturated fat than most plant oils. There is some evidence that says palm oil may have similar effects to trans fat - increasing "bad" cholesterol and lowering "good" cholesterol, and increasing the risk for heart disease.

I think the amount of palm oil in a teaspoon of Nutella would be very small, say, compared to what would be on movie popcorn, but the less we consume of these unhealthy fats, the better. All the more reason to have it only as an occasional treat, or not at all!

Thank you so much for calling them out on that rid...

2011-01-31T14:55:39.942-07:00

Thank you so much for calling them out on that ridiculously deceptive breakfast ad. I always enjoyed Nutella as a once-in-a-while yummy treat. A little Nutella on some whole wheat bread and I had my version of a chocolate croissant. When I was younger and running around a lot, I could afford the extra calories! Kind of like having an occasional chocolate bar as you so aptly said! For the company to imply that Nutella is part of a nutritious breakfast for kids is grossly irresponsible. It's like cocoa puffs or twinkies. I never sent my kids off to school without making sure they had some protein (eggs, or peanut butter, milk...etc), fiber and Vitamin C. I wouldn't have even thought of breaking out the Nutella.

But here's my even bigger big beef with the product: Isn't Palm Oil a REALLY bad player? Isn't it the stuff they used to use to douse movie theater popcorn? Wasn't it outlawed in movie theaters in some states? Last year I saw that on the label and have been leery of eating any Nutella at all. Thanks in advance for your response! (P.S. My kids are now young adults, healthy, fit....& don't eat Nutella at all...LOL!)

Tim - you're right, 2 tsp isn't much. Howe...

2010-11-23T20:06:01.066-07:00

Tim - you're right, 2 tsp isn't much. However, tablespoons or teaspoons, the ingredients are the same. A little Nutella once in a while won't hurt anyone, but it's certainly not part of a balanced breakfast! ;)

Wendy - good for you!

Ya know...I love Nutella; however, I have NEVER EV...

2010-11-23T20:00:54.873-07:00

Ya know...I love Nutella; however, I have NEVER EVER thought for even a MOMENT it was even remotely healthy! I was definitely surprised by the commercial, but dismissed it the way I do the "HFCS is good for you" commercials!