In every wellness or nutrition class I teach, there is always a section about how to interpret and assess health information. This is all about learning how to decide intelligently what you should believe and what you shouldn’t. We delve into why popular media may not be the best foundation for your lifestyle choices, and also look at the ways in which the media skews messages about health and products (and why anyone would do such a thing!).
Today, we watched this video in class. I would have embedded it here, but ABC News disabled that feature.
I’d be interested to hear what you think if you watch it (if you click on the link, it will open in a new window). Is it ok to promote things like Froot Loops as a healthy food choice or is it misleading? The “expert” makes an ok point—that if people are eating crap, adding vitamins, minerals, and fiber to junky foods is better than the junky foods without these fortifications. But if people think Froot Loops are actually healthy? I have an issue with that. They are 41% sugar.
Check out all the Daily Eats links at Peas and Crayons!
My Contribution:
Maybe this is a lot of food for one day, I’m not sure. I don’t ever count calories or anything like that. If I do that, I go insane and start eating too much when I don’t want it (just because I’m worried that I’ll have to regulate myself??). I don’t weigh myself either—I feel like (for me) if I look at my weight, it’s like focusing on a grade I want on a test instead of studying. So I just focus on getting quality nutrition in my day as much as possible, and eating for the right reasons, and stopping when I’m full. Not that I’m always good at that—but I try.
Do you count calories?
Do you focus on nutrients?
I’m still stuck on the video about food labels being misleading. I see the benefit in promoting baby steps (that’s my approach with clients)…but is it misleading to say that peanut butter with hydrogenated oil and sugary cereals are smart choices?
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I counted calories the first two weeks of the raw eating to make sure I was eating enough and then stopped when I found that I was eating MORE than enough! 🙂
Definitely more interested in the nutrients than the calories. If my jeans start not fitting (as in too small) I'll lay off the cashew hummus and peanut butter. Hah!
I think everything you made looks amazing! Feel free to send me that granola too! LOL. 🙂
Oh my goodness.. I'll be right over, but you have to make me the hot chocolate tea and the turmeric/nooch broccoli!!! Deliciousssssssssss!
This all looks amazing!!!! and no, your soup looks hearty not ugly!!! =) I would never call a good nutritious food names… it just seems mean. Wouldn't want to hurt its feelings 😉 haha!
Thanks for linking up to my first party!!! You rock! =)
those pretzels are making me want to drive to the hippie area of NC (aka like three hours away!) to search for them!!! which is my favorite… b/c I heart “hippe foods” and really want these now – what store did you find them at?
I guesstimate calories out of curiostiy and read labels like a fiend. I also try to eat as many whole foods as possible… especially fruits and veggies.
xoxo
Jenn
Thanks for the link to that food label fight…it mystifies me what my parents and in-laws see as “healthy” just because they're told it is, without ever looking at the label…
that brocolli looks super…I love lovelove turmeric, maybe a bit too much…
I don't count calories, but I'm definitely mindful of then. I agree with you that promoting baby steps are really important, but you're right, making blatantly misleading claims is horrible!
I don't count calories. I am trying to lose weight, and I DO watch what I eat, but I also want to enjoy my life. Counting calories always ends up making me feel guilty and promotes negative feelings. Losing weight and eating healthy and exercise are supposed to make you feel the OPPOSITE of that.
Plus, all my food is made for me, so it's more difficult when you are dependent on a galley… Lol. I look at it this way…. if I choose to put broccoli on my plate and choose not to go to the ice cream bar… I've made a good decision. I'm not a nutritional expert, but I do know the basics of what are healthier choices versus unhealthier choices.
And I think that it IS very misleading to throw those types of labels on unhealthy foods. I think we should spend more time on promoting healthy foods than selling unhealthy ones. But that's not the “easy, convienant, and profitable” way. It's too bad.
And this is coming from someone who LOVES sugar!!
wow, sprouted pretzels?! Love that. I don't count calories. I hope to go by what my body tells me, and sometimes it SCREAMS as me. hehe!
LC
I only count calories right now because I need to get enough to gain weight.
I count calories most days. I stopped for a while but I don't think I was ready- I need to practice intuitive eating. I am not obsessed with it anymore though. I was for a year and it was horrible!
I'm not a calorie counting kind of girl, but I do read labels like its my job. Every time I see an ad that promotes unhealthy things as “smart choices” and don't even get me started on HFC
oh, i love this debate! one of my pet peeves is a nutella ad on tv that totally promotes this product as healthy, good for kids etc. um, how about all-natural pb instead?!!
i'm a big fan of going for food that tastes good, is healthy….who really cares how it looks?! my tummy doesn't!
Ok, on my netbook at home, watching the video would be painful, but I do write articles for our internal and external magazines at work and have done some on supplements and such. I think people think they can rely on supplements and having foods fortified with vitamins/minerals and that's healthy. Somehow it's ok to eat Total cereal because it's 100% of your total whatever, but it's still not clean eating and really all you need to do is eat balanced meals. But I could get on a soap box of course. Maybe I just have issues with Total pretending to be better than something like Kashi…..
Ugh…I cant stand that labeling thing. I think that it is so misleading and big companies just pay to have those labels on them right? I am against it for sure.
I dont think you ate a lot! I eat so much everyday though, I always feel weird looking at what other bloggers have eaten in a day bc I feel like I eat so much compared to everyone else! I dont count calories…I dont have the patience for that! And I am a huge snacker so it would be hard to count the calories in all the random little bites I have throughout the day.
That granola looks absolutely delicious!!! I have just recently started focusing less on calories and more on intuitive eating. It still feels a little strange not to count everything I eat, but it feels pretty liberating at the same time! I still try and watch my potion sizes and eat healthy whole foods, but I don't obsess about the number of calories in every bite.
Im way more into the nutrient content of food than the calories. So when I read labels, i focus on the nutrient breakdown/protein/how much added sugar their is/fiber, etc. I never really took note of calorie counts until I started “training” for half marathons. I noticed my clothes were fitting loser (which is NOT a good thing on my already tiny frame…) so i had to figure out how to make sure I was fueling properly. Now that I’m marathon training, I’m going to make sure that, yet again, I’m taking in enough calories. I’ve always had a skyrocket high metabolism, and being a runner…there’s a great need to make sure i’m fueling properly for my runs.
I found the pretzels in the health food section of a grocery store here
(Wegmans). I've never seen them anywhere else, but they must be out there!
They're pretty awesome—but not totally sure if they're worth a 3 hour
drive 🙂
That's a great way to put it—I think I'm mindful of calories even though I
don't really count them!
I love sugar too 🙂
It all seems to come down to balance…and you're right, we all have an idea
at the end of the day if we made good choices or not-so-good choices. The
misleading labels bug me because it is potentially causing people to think
they made good choices when they really didn't!
My body definitely screams at me at times too 🙂
I tend to learn my lessons about what foods work for me (and what foods
don't work so well) over and over and over!
People are always asking me about things like protein bars and boxed
snacks….and I ask them, “What about eating an apple or a banana? …You
could even put peanut butter on it!” The thought never occurs to many
people, even though it would also save money…
I agree completely—it is an ongoing effort of mine to help people realize
they are better off eating real food, and that in order to know what that is
they need to read some labels and learn a little about things like HFCS and
hydrogenated oils. Some people are receptive…it blows me away how many
people don't want to know and don't want to try to make better choices when
they do know. “If it's in the store, then it must be ok to eat.”
I'm a huge snacker too 🙂
Sometimes I think I eat all day long…and people never believe me when I
tell them how much I eat. It's a great hobby!!
I can't watch this video at work…I'll have to come back later but I do have to say I love your perspective on NOT counting calories and NOT weighing yourself!! Just what I needed to read this morning!
I am interested in the nutrients I'm getting but I don't count calories. Food is to be enjoyed and calorie counting can lead to a poor relationship with it I think! I do weigh myself now and then – just to make sure I haven't had any significant losses or gains. I'm pretty happy where I am!
– Beth @ http://www.DiningAndDishing.com
That video is scary. But what's even scarier is that there are people who'll take it seriously.
Looks like such a delicious day of eats–especially the granola and the broccoli! I've never counted calories and rarely weigh myself. I just try to eat whole, healthy foods most of the time, and balance them with my daily indulgences (I don't think I could go a day without a taste of something sweet!)
Hope you're having a good day 🙂
I think the choice is smart relative to the position. Someone quitting smoking who reduces from 20 packs a day to only one pack a day is getting better and making a smart decision by smoking less. just as long as they know smoking overall is bad and the goal is to move away from it completely
i keep seeing that peas & crayons badge everywhere…i need to get on board!
and that granola…mmm, good!
no, i dont count. I have sorta an idea of things but i dont track, count, measure, etc…not my style 🙂
i just found your blog and having a great time scrolling through your posts! that's crazy about the fruit loops being 41% sugar (although i can see it) no wonder i used to LOVE that stuff as a child….
about calories, well, i don't really count them although i do know the caloric content of (almost) everything i eat. it's good to me aware, i like to make informed choices.
I believe in calories BUT I believe in proper portions per meal, proper meal timing and proper food combinations more! 🙂
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