9 Shocking Facts About The Food Industry

Written by Ravi Teja Tadimalla, BSc, Professional Certificate in Food, Nutrition and Health  • 

If there is anybody in the world you would be better off by not believing, it is a person from the food industry.
Yes. I am serious.

Most of what the food industry has claimed is nothing but plain lies. Here, we have compiled nine of the most shocking lies ever told by the food industry.

There you go.

1. Label Says No Trans Fat? Beware!

I see my friend hogging on foods that are labeled ‘no trans fat’. And I feel really sorry for him. Because he doesn’t seem to get the point.
Legally speaking, manufacturers can round down anything less than 0.5 grams of trans fat to zero. Which means, if you consume several servings of the so-called ‘no trans fat’ foods, you will end up accumulating measurable amounts of trans fat. And we don’t have to tell you why trans fats are bad, do we?
So, to be on the safe side, steer clear of any food that contains partially hydrogenated oils.

2. Decaffeinated Doesn’t Mean Caffeine-Free

Now this is a real shocker! If decaffeinated coffee doesn’t mean caffeine-free coffee, then what on earth does it mean? We need to understand that most decaf coffee contains some amount of caffeine. For example, a decaf espresso can have as much as 16 mg of caffeine. And a decaf latte, which contains two shots of espresso, contains about the same amount of caffeine found in a can of coke.

3. Think Soda Has Too Many Calories? Fruit Juice Can Have More

I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if you are wondering what you just read.
But yes, whatever you read is true. Fruit juice can contain more calories than soda.
Fruit juice has been so widely propagated as one of the healthiest meal replacements. While I don’t disregard that statement, I’d like to tell you that we all have missed one very important point – the sugar in the juice is natural, but hey, it’s still sugar.

An 8-oz. glass of grape juice contains about 115 calories, while Coke contains about 95 calories. A cup of grape juice has 36 grams of sugar, which is about 9 grams more than that of Pepsi.

4. Canned White Tuna? Say No Right Away!

In case you didn’t know, canned white tuna has thrice the amount of mercury found in chunk light tuna. This is because albacore, which is used for canned white tuna, is larger in size and accumulates more mercury than skipjack, which is used for chunk light tuna.
The best thing you can do is going for canned salmon, which has less amount of mercury than both the types of tuna.

5. Imported Produce Can Be More Nutritious Than Local Produce

I know how counterintuitive this seems – but it’s true.

Storage and transportation can cause some produce to lose their nutritional values, but according to studies, the concentration of antioxidants might increase in other cases. This is because the nutritional content of any produce is determined by a number of factors like light, temperature, and soil.
This means that blueberries that are shipped from long distances can actually be more nutritious than those picked from local farms.

6. Fat-Free And Low-Fat Can Be Less Healthy

Enough has been advertised about foods that contain no or low fat, and most individuals have taken to such foods assuming they are doing something good to themselves.

But, in reality, they are not. And, here’s why – when food companies claim a food product to be fat-free, chances are they have added extra sugar or sodium to satisfy your taste buds. So, the next time you are up for grabbing a low-fat food item from the market, ensure you check the label thoroughly.

Also, we must understand that not all fats are bad. There are healthy fats too, which can keep us from feeling hungry, keep heart disease at bay, and keep the body’s sugar levels in control.

7. ‘Multigrain’ Doesn’t Have To Mean ‘Whole Grain’

Wow – how wonderfully the food industry has succeeded in fooling us! We see some food product with the term ‘multigrain’ on it, we instantly grab it as if its one of the healthiest foods on the planet.

But hey, just wait. ‘Multigrain’ simply means the food is made from several grains – nothing more, nothing less. And these grains might be whole or refined – a fact the food industry has very cleverly hidden from us.

To stay away from this trap, all you must do is check the ingredients before buying. The first ingredient must contain the word ‘whole’.

8. Not All Fiber Is The Same

You need to first understand that not all fiber is the same. There is the naturally occurring fiber available in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains – which is extremely healthy. In fact, fiber is available in a number of foods. And then we have added fiber, whose primary motive is to count towards a food item’s fiber total. Otherwise, these haven’t been proved to provide the same health benefits as natural fiber.

9. Want To Make Your Salad More Healthful? Add Fat To It

Before I continue, let me tell you again – fats can be good for you too.

Including fat in your salad can help your body absorb the nutrients better. If you are eating a salad containing carrots and tomatoes, adding some fat would be very beneficial – this is because carrots and tomatoes are abundant in fat-soluble carotenoids, and hence the salad can be more nutritious.

So, the next time you get to hear something from the food industry, you are going to double check, aren’t you? Let us know how this post has helped you. Share your views by commenting in the box below.

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