Truth in food labeling

[coquina]

I was looking at a jar of hazelnut flavored Coffeemate in the grocery that said "Sugar Free". However, it had 30 calories per tablespoon, (5 gms) - 2.5 of fat, and 2.0 carbohydrate, and 0 grams of sugars.

 

However, when you read the list of ingredients, the 2nd item on the list, after palm kernal oil, is "corn syrup solids". How come "corn syrup solids" don't have to be classified as sugar?

 

My assistant's father is diabetic, and he was sent to special nutritional counciling to teach him how to read the labels to detect hidden sugar. What about the diabetics that didn't get that counciling?

 

I know that some things have natural sugar, so I can buy labeling it as "no sugar added", but I don't agree with the legality of stating "sugar free" when there is sugar of one form or another present.

[Phi for All]

This thread could almost be in Politics, because it's pressure from marketing lobbyists that get the FDA to allow them to lie like this. They are skirting the ethical issue by labeling sucrose as sugar while fructose is not. To a diabetic, there is no difference, it's still sugar.

 

I had a friend who couldn't seem to lose weight on the Protein Power low-carb diet. I had great success and my overall health (blood pressure, cholesterol ratios, triglycerides) were much improved as well. When I questioned what he was eating, it finally came out that he still drank a 12-16 ozs of orange juice every morning. When I told him OJ was almost pure sugars, he vehemently disagreed. He still insists on drinking his juice every morning, though I cautioned him to lay off the Protein Power diet if he was going to continue drinking fructose products. The marketing for frozen concentrated OJ (and other sugary foods) is very strong in the US.

[Coral Rhedd]

My mad conspiracy theory:

 

Grocery stores and food manufacturers know very well that sugars stimulate the appetite. Think where they would be if all of the overweight people finally understood this and got their eating under control. The food industry would lose billions.

 

Therefore, they are perfectly content to trick us into eating sugar.

 

BTW, I think high fructose corn syrup is utter evil and should be banned.

[coquina]

My mad conspiracy theory:

 

Grocery stores and food manufacturers know very well that sugars stimulate the appetite. Think where they would be if all of the overweight people finally understood this and got their eating under control. The food industry would lose billions.

 

Therefore' date=' they are perfectly content to trick us into eating sugar.

 

BTW, I think high fructose corn syrup is utter evil and should be banned.[/quote']

 

I agree - what is really bad right now, is that you can get truly sugar free products that have been sweetened with Splenda. I do not have diabetes, but I do know that if I eat sugar, it is similar to an alcoholic craving alchohol. I have lost over 100# since my husband died, and sure don't want to gain it back. I found out that I have "reactive hypoglcyemia" when I eat sugar, my body calls for more insulin than necessary to burn what I ingested. It lowers my blood sugar and causes me to crave something sweet. I have to avoid sugar just as rigorously as an alcoholic has to avoid alcohol.

 

I do enjoy different flavors - ie hazelnut. I don't particularly care whether it is associated with sweetness, and I can always add splenda to my taste.

 

BTW - is anyone interested in a "recipe" thread? I have several that are low calorie and healthy, and would like to gather more.

[Phi for All]

I found out that I have "reactive hypoglcyemia" when I eat sugar, my body calls for more insulin than necessary to burn what I ingested. It lowers my blood sugar and causes me to crave something sweet.

I think I read where most of us tend to burn out our insulin receptors as we age, requiring more insulin to lower blood sugar. Did you know insulin also causes every cell to manufacture it's own cholesterol instead of getting it from the bloodstream? It also heightens blood pressure and causes us to retain salt (and thus water).

BTW - is anyone interested in a "recipe" thread? I have several that are low calorie and healthy, and would like to gather more.

Great idea. Perhaps in General Medicine?

[Coral Rhedd]

I agree - what is really bad right now' date=' is that you can get truly sugar free products that have been sweetened with Splenda. I do not have diabetes, but I do know that if I eat sugar, it is similar to an alcoholic craving alchohol. I have lost over 100# since my husband died, and sure don't want to gain it back. I found out that I have "reactive hypoglcyemia" when I eat sugar, my body calls for more insulin than necessary to burn what I ingested. It lowers my blood sugar and causes me to crave something sweet. I have to avoid sugar just as rigorously as an alcoholic has to avoid alcohol.

 

I do enjoy different flavors - ie hazelnut. I don't particularly care whether it is associated with sweetness, and I can always add splenda to my taste.

 

BTW - is anyone interested in a "recipe" thread? I have several that are low calorie and healthy, and would like to gather more.[/quote']

 

I like that idea. With the practical knowledge that we have here, we should be able to provide a sound approach. By that I mean not faddish or obsessive.

[swansont]

I had a friend who couldn't seem to lose weight on the Protein Power low-carb diet. I had great success and my overall health (blood pressure, cholesterol ratios, triglycerides) were much improved as well. When I questioned what he was eating, it finally came out that he still drank a 12-16 ozs of orange juice every morning. When I told him OJ was almost pure sugars, he vehemently disagreed. He still insists on drinking his juice every morning, though I cautioned him to lay off the Protein Power diet if he was going to continue drinking fructose products. The marketing for frozen concentrated OJ (and other sugary foods) is very strong in the US.

 

I'm a diabetic (type II). For the longest time my mom would get on my case when I told her I don't drink juice - she'd insist it was good for me and I should, and I would tell her that juice is something to drink if my blood-sugar is low, for the very reason that it was sugar and would quicly get into my system. Otherwise it's just a sugar spike waiting to happen.

 

Fructose has a problem in that it doesn't trigger the fullness response the same as sucrose, so it leaves you hungry, as well as all sugared up. Article

[Phi for All]

For the longest time my mom would get on my case when I told her I don't drink juice - she'd insist it was good for me and I should

Maybe a little off-topic, but did you ever see Mother with Albert Brooks and Debbie Reynolds? There is one flawless scene where Brooks has gone back to live with his mother (Reynolds) and they're in her kitchen. The dialogue is something like:

Reynolds : "Let me fix you something to eat."

 

Brooks : "I'm not hungry, Mom."

 

Reynolds : "I'll just heat up some meat loaf."

 

Brooks : "Mom, you know I'm a vegetarian."

 

Reynolds : "So I'll cut the top half off."

 

Brooks : "What will that do?"

 

Reynolds : "There'll be less meat."

 

 

When it comes to food, we have some very funny notions. What is good for selling food is not always what's good for those eating the food. I'm with Coral Rhedd, it's a conspiracy to hide the fact that sugars make us eat beyond the point of being full.

 

Soda pop is another substance many people who count calories overlook. I know lots of people who are careful with their diets but drink 4-5 cans of pop. Subconsciously, they don't think things you drink count as calories.

 

To get back to the OP, watch out for products containing glucose, since that is the actual chemical sugar structure of blood sugar. All carbs eventually end up as glucose so their is no quicker way of getting it into your bloodstream.

[Aardvark]

I know that some things have natural sugar' date=' so I can buy labeling it as "no sugar added", but I don't agree with the legality of stating "sugar free" when there is sugar of one form or another present.[/quote']

 

I think that lies within the law.

 

In both senses of the word.

 

It scares me to think of what is put in our food these days.

 

I was reading about Greek burial customs recently. In Greece many burials are disinterned after 3 years and 1 day, the bones being placed in a jar, in order to make room for the next burial.

 

Only, recently, bodies are so filled with food preservatives that they won't decompse in the graves.

 

Nice to know we have a long shelf life.

[jdurg]

I'm a Type I diabetic myself, so I'm very used to looking at the amount of sugars in food. I was always taught to not really look so much into the amount of sugar that's listed, but in the amount of carbohydrates, since as was pointed out earlier carbohydrates generally wind up turning into sugars. As I've gotten older (Dear god puberty was hell with diabetes) I've had a much easier time controlling my blood sugar. I am now very comfortable with the amount of insulin I need in order to cover the amount of food I'm going to eat. As a result, I'm able to take in things with mild amounts of sugars in them as long as I compensate properly. I still avoid things like fruit juices, non-diet sodas, and any fruit-based product as they are completely loaded with sugar. But every now and then I'll eat some cookies or have some pizza even though I know there is a good deal of sugars in them. It's a big matter of moderation. One thing I do have to be happy about, however, is the craze associated with this Atkins(sp?) Diet thing. Now there are tons of low-carb, and hence low sugar, foods out there which I can eat and not have to compensate all too much in terms of my insulin. I wish they had this stuff when I was growing up with diabetes. Now I see ice-cream that is either completely free of sugar, or so low in sugar that it doesn't even affect me; cereal's that used to be loaded in sugar when I was growing up are now 1/3rd or less of the sugar, etc. etc.

 

The big thing I've always taught myself is that you can really eat anything you want, as long as you know when to stop. Food is a lot like alcohol. In small doses, it does no harm to you. In large doses and in excess consumption, it can kill you.

[Hailstorm]

Something else, a drink manufacturer "Fuze" (I believe) in the US has HFCS with the red "no" sign through (like on a traffic sign), but one of the main ingredients is "crystalline fructose." Go figure.

 

Link: http://www.fuzebev.com/refresh.asp

 

 

also:

 

http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/fuze/facts.asp

[Aardvark]

BTW - is anyone interested in a "recipe" thread? I have several that are low calorie and healthy' date=' and would like to gather more.[/quote']

 

Here's another vote for a look at some of your recipes.

[Phi for All]

I was reading about Greek burial customs recently. In Greece many burials are disinterned after 3 years and 1 day' date=' the bones being placed in a jar, in order to make room for the next burial.

 

Only, recently, bodies are so filled with food preservatives that they won't decompse in the graves.[/quote']This just absolutely blew me away.

 

"Shorten our lives so we can spend the extra time rotting in the ground, please."

[Aardvark]

This just absolutely blew me away.

 

"Shorten our lives so we can spend the extra time rotting in the ground' date=' please."[/quote']

 

It startled me for sure.

 

I suppose it might save some money on the embalming at funerals.

[Kleptin]

I always figured the low carb craze to be more harm than help. Atkins made a really big difference, Its good to hear that low carb is helping people other than crazy anorexics

[Auburngirl05]

Its good to hear that low carb is helping people other than crazy anorexics

Anorexia nervosa is a serious disorder, it is truly a disease and it has the highest death rate of any pscyhological condition. Be careful about ridiculing problems that you obviously have little knowledge about.

[Kleptin]

Some weirdos choose to be anorexic. They have disgusting p2p websites for such a purpose. I'm not lashing out at those who woke up with this disorder. They don't go on low carb diets. I'm lashing out at those who have willingly decided to ruin their lives for "beauty". And in my mind, those people should (and eventually will) suffer a punishment far worse than ridicule.

 

If you happen to be one of those people, I'm sorry. Not because I offended you, but because of the grief you cause yourself and others.

 

If you are anorexic and do not wish to live that lifestyle but feel compelled to do it because of a mental illness, I am deeply sorry for my post, know that it was not directed at you.

 

If you are neither, I hope this serves as a clarification and that I would appreciate if such "corrections" would be inserted in a PM.

[Auburngirl05]

Some weirdos choose to be anorexic. They have disgusting p2p websites for such a purpose. I'm not lashing out at those who woke up with this disorder. They don't go on low carb diets. I'm lashing out at those who have willingly decided to ruin their lives for "beauty". And in my mind' date=' those people should (and eventually will) suffer a punishment far worse than ridicule.

 

If you happen to be one of those people, I'm sorry. Not because I offended you, but because of the grief you cause yourself and others.

 

If you are anorexic and do not wish to live that lifestyle but feel compelled to do it because of a mental illness, I am deeply sorry for my post, know that it was not directed at you.

 

If you are neither, I hope this serves as a clarification and that I would appreciate if such "corrections" would be inserted in a PM.[/quote']

 

 

I felt the need to make the 'correction' just as much for other readers as for you, and I didn't mean it too personally because I know there are many common misconceptions about eating disorders and some people may truly believe all anorexics are just crazy, attention seeking, shallow people.

 

You're right, there are 'pro-ana' sites out there and they absolutely disgust me. There is no excuse for promoting that lifestyle. As someone who has struggled with anorexia for almost six years and has lost two family members to the disease, I can't tell you how loathsome it is to see people actually encouraging others to engage in the behaviors. But some people are legitmately caught up in a disease, and it's hard when they get lumped in with the 'other' people, which is why your comment touched a nerve with me.

 

No hard feelings, just felt the need to make a comment on it because there are so many misconceptions about EDs.

[Kleptin]

::shudders:: oh god the horrible memories... I saw a documentary on self-inflicted anorexia and those images on the websites never left my brain...

[Auburngirl05]

I saw a documentary on self-inflicted anorexia and those images on the websites never left my brain...

 

Pretty much all anorexia is self-inflicted, it's just that some people embrace the lifestyle and some truly feel they can't escape from it, it's a psychological disorder extremely similar to OCD.

 

But you're right, the images on 'pro-ana' sites are really disturbing. There have been several petitioning campaigns to webservers to have them banned, but none have been successful, obviously.