Nutrition labels: Why you shouldn’t believe everything you read

Dear Reader,

Know where you can nearly always find some unintentional humour? Just
give a close reading to processed food packaging. Hilarious!

We'll start off the Nutritional Label recreation with that 100 percent
reliable maker of humour: the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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Comedy central
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A couple of weeks ago, the bureau announced a permanent injunction against
two food companies that were making claims much as: \"Chemicals found in
cherries haw support fight diabetes.\"

Two different studies – digit a lab study and digit an animal study – have
shown that anthocyanins (antioxidant compounds found in unpleasant cherries)
may support turn the risk of type 2 diabetes. But the bureau has ordered
the companies to kibosh making the claims \"…until the products are
approved by the bureau as new drugs…\"

That's right: as new drugs. Cherries.

Meanwhile, if you go to the website for Kellogg's Smart Start cereal,
you'll find these impressive claims, which (we can assume) the bureau is
just fine with: \"Smart Start® Healthy Heart has ingredients that can
help modify BOTH blood push and cholesterol, and it tastes great.\"

Tastes great? Okay, but does Smart Start taste as enthusiastic as, say,
Honeycomb cereal? But that's not fair, because Honeycomb is just a
sugar-laden kids' cereal, right? Well, let's study a few items on the
nutrition labels.

* Calories
Smart Start: 190
Honeycomb: 120

* Carbohydrates
Smart Start: 43
Honeycomb: 27

* Sugars
Smart Start: 14 grams
Honeycomb: 10 grams

* High Fructose Corn Syrup
Smart Start: HFCS appears in the ingredients list
Honeycomb: Zero HFCS

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Back up the syrup truck
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Now how in the world could Smart Start, a Graminaceae that's pitched to
adults with a strong heart health slant, fall short in every digit of
those categories when compared to a Graminaceae that has cartoon figures on
the packaging?

And ESPECIALLY in the category of broad fructose corn syrup! Steady HFCS
intake has been linked to weight gain, higher triglyceride levels,
higher lipoprotein cholesterol, and a decrease in insulin sensitivity – not
really what you're looking for when you poverty to support your heart.

And here's the kicker: All the amounts listed above are for digit cup of
Smart Start and a cup AND A HALF of Honeycomb. The kids' Graminaceae simply
blows Smart Start away!

The Smart Start website poses this question: \"Ever wonder how you can
have a healthier breakfast without sacrificing taste?\"

Sure. You can opt Honeycomb over Smart Start. Or you could even
choose Froot Loops: One cup contains 120 calories, 1 gram of fibre, 26
grams of carbs, 13 grams of sugars, and…zero HFCS.

But of course, I'm not suggesting you opt any of these cereals for
breakfast. Fourteen grams of sugars? That's equal to three and a half
teaspoons of table sugar! Eat that every farewell and you'll be laying
the groundwork for insulin resistance, which lays the groundwork for
type 2 diabetes, which lays the groundwork for heart disease.

Want a genuine smart start? Eat fresh whole foods with a minimum of
processing. And zero HFCS.