The Half Truth Health Claim

Trying to walk the aisles of a grocery store without seeing products covered with health claims is pretty much impossible anymore. From "low fat" to "source of fiber" to the heart healthy check. Marketing is good. Very good. Unfortunately, many of these claims are only half true. One of my biggest issues is the heart check symbol. A quick look at the Heart and Stroke website shows a HUGE list of foods that have received this health symbol. Checking their nutrient requirements in which to receive the symbol looks extensive but let's take a closer look.

The first food listed is fruit juice. The requirements: No added Sugar, a Source of Vitamin C (50%) OR Vitamin A (25%) OR folate (25%) OR fiber (2g).

Sounds good, right? But let's put this in perspective, a quick look at one of the products

that has received this symbol shows that in 1 cup of this juice, you are getting 160 calories, 39 grams of sugar (!!!!!), NO fiber, NO protein, NO fat. You are essentially drinking a glass of sugar. There is more sugar in this one glass of juice than in a Snickers candy bar! In comparison a medium apple has only 71 calories, 19 grams of carbs (including 3.3 grams of fiber), and a whole lot more nutrients. In general, I don't recommend drinking juice. At all. Eat fruit, drink water. This is a perfect example of a half truth. It's true that this product doesn't contain unhealthy fats. But does that make it a healthy choice? Absolutely not.

Another great example is the appearance of every product containing olive oil these days. Olive oil is high in Omega-9 fats and has been shown to benefit heart health. In fact, 2 tbsp/day of raw olive oil has shown benefit in cardiovascular health! Many products have now added olive oil and slap a health check on their products. The problem is, the amount of olive oil in a lot of these products is only a very small percentage. For example, popular margarines only contain 8%. Out of the entire product. The rest is canola oil which hasn't shown the same health benefits. Not to mention the artificial flavour and colours added. Again, yes this product has some heart healthy oil in it, but is it a healthy product overall, no.

Some easy health points to remember:

---

• Adding something healthy (like olive oil) to an unhealthy food,
  
• doesn't suddenly make it ahealthy choice.
• Avoid buying pre-made products, make your own so you can control what goes into it yourself. Instead of buying salad dressing, make one with olive oil, lemon juice and your favourite herbs.
• Remember to look at the nutrient information and the ingredients, decide if the products is healthy overall, not just in one claim.
• Try exchanging healthy fats for the unhealthy ones, for example, use avocados instead of mayonnaise.
• Limit your intake of red meats, which are high in saturated fats and linked to an increased risk of mortality. (Study by Harvard Nutrition).
• Remember, when high amounts of sugar are consumed (like in a glass of juice) your blood sugar spikes, insulin isreleased to decrease it and the extra sugar is stored as fat. This cycle can lead to type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.
• Try to shop the outer perimeter of the grocery stores (fresh foods) and avoid the inner aisles where all the less healthy processed foods reside.

Knowing what is a healthy option and what isn't, is not an easy task any more. But by avoiding the processed foods and eating fresh, real food is a very good start!

Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations. 

---