Misleading Food Labels
Do you read food labels?
Whether I’m on a diet or not, I read labels. I learned to read them at a young age and it’s become an ingrained habit for me.
It’s amazing how many products are out there today with misleading food labels. They try to fool the consumer/dieter into thinking their product is lower in fat and calories. We’re urged to by candy that is “better” for us, as in less fat, but it really isn’t.
Or they want me to believe that cheese is better because now they’re slicing so thin I can read the newspaper through it.
Take Sargento Swiss cheese.
| Product Serving | Size | Calories | Fat Calories |
| Sargento Ultrathin Swiss | 3 slices – 32 grams | 120 | 80 |
| Sargento Swiss | 1 slice – 28 grams | 110 | 70 |
| Sargento Reduced Fat Swiss | 1 slice – 21 grams | 60 | 35 |
There is not much of a difference here. I can have 2 slices of Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese and it will be the same in calories and fat calories. I could have 3 slices of Ultrathin and it would be more. To me, this is a misleading food label.
It is important to note that all 3 products are over half fat. No matter what you call them, or how you slice them. Half of their calories are fat.
They are also close in calories.
Why get our hopes up at all? I love cheese but when dieting, I pretty much stay away from the stuff. Because, you know; cheese.
Cut out the candy, honey
Candy is another one of my pet peeves. You’re not doing yourself any favors. It’s as bad as regular candy, when you look at labels and compare them. It’s not “skinny.” For example:
Peanut Butter Creme has 130 calories and 6 grams of fat, which is 70 calories of fat. Over half fat.
2 Reeses peanut butter cups have 210 calories, 13 grams of fat which equal 110 fat calories. If you have one Peanut butter cup, then that’s 105 calories and 55 fat calories, still over half fat.
Skinny Cow
What’s the difference here? If you’re going to eat candy on the diet, may as well enjoy it and go for the hardcore; you’re simply not doing yourself any favors by eating the “skinny” stuff.
Or, you can learn to eat dark chocolate, when you MUST have candy.
Another product that’s hyped: packages of “only 100 calories.” These are a diet cheat waiting to happen, because one package will not fill you up and you’ll look for more to eat, and lets not forget the lack of nutrients, they can still be loaded with fat.
A package of peanuts, while high in fat, it is good fat, full of protein and will fill you up as well. Note here I did not say a can of peanuts, lol. I am a firm believer in buying peanuts by individual packages, even if it is more expensive. It’s too easy to eat half a can or more of the darned things.
