Frankly, your food labels are a big fat lie.

I'm always a bit amazed, and slightly miffed at what the food manufacturers declare on our food labels. It's a bit of wizardry and trickery, so sit comfortably while I tell you a few things that perhaps you did not know. Here is food for thought:

Marketing is so powerful. Product marketing is a huge piece of the equation in the misunderstood food industry. Or trickery, as I call it.

Now, for example, when a juice drink advertises that it has "real fruit juice" in the product, it must be good and healthy, right? Real fruit juice? As opposed to what? Pretend fruit juice? But wait.. shouldn't a juice already have "real" fruit juice in it? Isn't that the point of drinking juice? (The real part, I mean.) Seems much nicer than stating, "Only 9% of our product is actually real." When did juice become non-juice? Besides the point in time where they pasteurized it and killed all the effective enzymes. Seems we have a problem in the labeling and advertising our of products. So listen, when you purchase orange juice (Minute Maid, Tropicana, etc..) be aware that they pasteurize it. Yes, like milk. The juice is now a processed food. REAL orange juice is when you take the real oranges and squeeze the juice in a juicer and make your own. It's a big difference.

Have you seen the fruit snacks and fruit roll-ups they advertise for kids? (Please parents, if you read anything, read this.)



They advertise with pictures of fruit all over the package. Lots of grapes, strawberries, cherries, oranges and raspberries. They state they're made with real fruit, but the only thing approximating fruit is "fruit concentrate" with Red Dye No. 40 for the "strawberry" color. The fruit concentrate? That is just another form of sugar. And well, there is corn syrup as well - yes, also sugar. A double whammy. Sadly, there isn't any fruit in the fruit snacks. If 7 Steps to Health you want real fruit, buy real fruit. If you want candy, buy these.

What if a cereal tells you it is "heart healthy" or will "lower your cholesterol", because, KABOOM - it is a whole grain? Whole grain doesn't exist unless you are chewing a stalk of wheat, or an ear of corn right from the field. Seriously, this myth must be debunked. Do you think the grain is, um, healthy? The "experts" (I still don't know who 7 Steps to Health they are - someone please tell me..) inform us that 50% of the grains we eat should be "whole".

Here is what they aren't telling you:



In most of the cereals, crackers, cookies, breads, etc.., unbleached white flour is the main ingredient. Whole wheat (or oat, corn, rye, etc... pick a grain) is third on the list. What does this mean? It indicates the product contains relatively little of a "whole grain". Most cereals - over 90%, have more sugar than "whole" anything. Breads? You'll have to scroll down to find the "whole part". At that point, so many ingredients have entered the picture, this whole grain product has become a seriously unhealthy processed food. Cracker companies use caramel color to mimic the "whole grain" effect. Cookie manufacturers spread out the ingredient list, and hide the fact there are five different types of sugar in them, but call the processed cookies healthy because they're "low-fat". There isn't anything (repeat after me.. anything) healthy about "low-fat". It's a code word for "highly processed". And those healthy whole grains? You'd be better off eating fruits and vegetables and nuts. It's safer. So much for heart healthy whole grains.

And does milk really "do a body good"? Not unless you're drinking organic. The milk you purchased (because it may be cheaper) is filled with unnatural hormones and antibiotics. It's so ultra-pasteurized that any nutrient you do need, requires it to be "enriched" into the milk. If we all stand together and do not buy polluted milk, the organic milk will find a way to dominate the mainstream market. (Fingers crossed.)

All I ask is that you pay attention to your food labels. Look out and beware of products that have a "health claim". Know the true names for sugar. Understand what a true grain really is. Food is not medicine. Food is food. Or it used to be, until the GMO's and marketing companies took over. Buy real food. Drink real juices, real milk. Eat wholesome snacks. If it is in a box, it isn't food. If it's in a bag, it came down a conveyer belt, in a factory. It's manufactured and marketed to convince you, it's what your body needs.

Your body actually needs proteins and an abundance of fruits and vegetables, and lots of purified water. Thrive on real food. Shop smart. Food for thought.

In good health, my friends.

www.wholefoodsmarket.com