Are you looking to lose some weight in the new year? Perhaps you are looking to eat a better diet?
What are you going to do to reach these goals?
These are really some of the most common goals people list as the new year begins. It is also one of the most difficult to accomplish because of all of the marketing tactics that stretch the truth. Let’s take a look at some of them that you should examine further when trying to improve your health.
1. _______ Less Sugar! This is one that is really common currently. Everyone knows that sugar is bad for you. It is arguably the most dangerous poison in America, due to the number of problems it leads to and its overabundance in the food supply. Almost everything we eat has sugar in it. What makes this dangerous is that those regular sugars, which are terrible for you, are often replaced with sugar alcohols that haven’t been studied nearly as long and are appearing to cause more problems that regular sugars. Instead of looking for reduced sugar, avoid these treats and replace them with low glycemic fruits (think Granny Smith apples and berries) or vegetables.
2. All Natural! This is showing up on more and more foods as people realize that processed foods are not even close to as good for you as organic, wild-caught, grass-fed, free-range and a variety of other more natural varieties of food. What you really want to watch here is the ingredient list. Crude oil, arsenic and a lot of other things are natural, but that doesn’t mean that they are good for you. Usually the foods that have to use “All Natural” on their labels are hiding something. Avoid them or look more closely at the ingredients before making your decision.
3. Reduced Fat! Reduced fat foods have been the craze for a long time. With the information that the government has been putting out since the 1960’s (incorrect information by the way) people thought that saturated fats were the enemy and avoided them like the plague. Unfortunately they also told us that trans fats were a better variety and pushed us toward other lower fat (higher sugar) foods. Most “reduced fat” foods rely on sugar to make up for the satisfying taste. Avoid these foods at all costs. Remember that fats in general are not the enemy. You still have to be diligent about making good choices within that category, but the body does need some fats to build it up.
4. Gluten Free! There are a lot of gluten free foods out there. Gluten free is something that I recommend to people, as many people do have a gluten intolerance and it is a neurological toxin. This means that when it does cause problems your nervous system is the target. That’s scary. I want you to remember that “gluten free” does not mean healthy. There are a lot of things that are gluten-free that are still terrible for you.
These are just a few of the ways that marketers try to trick us in the grocery store, but there are many more. If you are truly committed to improving your health, commit to learning more about reading nutritional labels, ingredient lists are how your body reacts to substances. If you can understand the basics, you are in a much stronger position to safe-guard your health.