What Is The Labelling Game ? | December 2021 Newsletter – By Dr. Jerry J. Masarira, Naturopath D. CBIS.
Labeling foods is a good thing BUT, it's not a safety net.
The question you should be asking yourself is “Is the label correct and honest?” as well as, “Is the manufacturer trustworthy?”
Manufacturers will always try to add more harmful ingredients into their products under new and ambiguous names which ordinary people will never understand. In other words, they take advantage of your ignorance on scientific words.
What is important is that foods in our supermarket do not need labels. Labeling means, “Food is being explained to you”.
The point is that if food is food, why bother explaining it? This says a lot about the risks inherent in the foods we now eat. It also explains why our general health is a lot worse at present as compared to previous generations. Competition in the food manufacturing industry is about being more creative, to appear better than similar products on the market. The buyer is put at risk because of additives used to enhance food taste and color.
There is a gentleman by the name Michael Pollan who in 2008 said, “Do not purchase food products that include no more than five ingredients with names that cannot be pronounced”
There is also a mantra that says, “If you cannot pronounce it, do not eat it” Eat food that is from a plant, NOT made in a PLANT.
The first step is to understand the labeling of products. A person might think he or she has eliminated sugar from the diet, only to find that trusted brands have added a more harmful version of sugar all along. Always remember if it ends in “-ose” it’s a sugar.
Reading the front of the label will not give you the information you need. Usually the information on the front contradicts the information on the back of the product.
I need you to take note of the following six mistakes we make when reading food labels:
1. Never assume that the nutritional label is giving you the information for the entire container.
For example, if the label gives the nutritional contents as 5 grams of sugar, BUT, on the label it ALSO says, 4 servings. Consuming the whole container in one siting means you consume 5 grams, x4 servings, making 20 grams of sugar, NOT 5 grams of sugar you were excited about.
2.Remember the percentage daily values (DV) on nutrition labels are based on a 2000 -calories -per-day diet for healthy adults. BUT, for children, pregnant or breast feeding women or anyone on a special diet, the number is not necessarily accurate.
3.The goal of the listed daily value (DV) is a different indicator for you, depending on what the ingredient it is listed next to. For example, if it is labeling saturated fat, which is an ingredient to avoid, you will want this number, as you add up all consumed foods throughout the entire day, to stay as close to “0”as possible because it is not a healthy ingredient. For healthy ingredient such as vitamin C, you would want the total number to eventually equal 100.
4.The Food and Drug Authority allows food companies a wide latitude in the accuracy of calories listed on the package labels – 20 percent in either direction. That means if the label says 200 calories per serving, it could be 240 calories or 160 calories or anything in between. The FDA does not do any systematic policing of labels to ensure that calorie counts meet even the lax degree of accuracy. The responsibility for label accuracy remains with the food companies.
5. Watch for ingredients that hide in plain sight. When the nutritional facts label says of food contains “0” of trans fat, but include ‘partially hydrogenated oil’ in the ingredient list, it means that food contains trans fat, BUT less than 0.5g of trans fat per serving. They are not required by law to disclose that 0.5 g of trans fat as it's too small.
6. Any time you notice a new ingredient, investigate it. It could be a dangerous one that you have already weeded out of your diet but now rebranded under a new name.
PLEASE READ LABELS.
We have a website for you to communicate for consultations, and also in training you to become a medical missionary. We also have other services you may find useful. On our website, we have recorded over 100 audio weekly lessons and old monthly news-letters you might have missed from the past. Feel free to read and listen. Pass the website link to as many people as you want across the globe.
If you have any questions, please contact me at:
Dr. Jerry J. Masarira, Naturopath D. CBIS.
Enpro Consultant and Certified Brain Injury Specialist.
Enpro Health Center Institute.
Behans Farm – Mountain Valley.
Midlands.
Alt. drmasarirajj@aol.com
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