The Peanut Butter Example
People have asked me many times, why I eat the way I eat. First, Droany and I have different takes on food. I have a mostly plant-based diet. I don't eat a lot of meat but will have it occasionally. I tend to avoid milk but dairy does sneak into my diet here and there.
One of the biggest reasons that I am plant-based is because I don't like not knowing what is in my food. Furthermore, I don't like the consumerism that has plagued the food industry. How can we make it last longer? How can we make it cheaper?
I don't want to fill my tank with used fuel.
Plus, I don't want to buy into the sh*t that kills us.
Sometimes I look around and it's no wonder why our population is so overweight and with high risk of heart disease - which is why it's so important to be an informed consumer.
Being an informed consumer takes some work, though. The marketing tactics that producers use to get more consumers is out of control.
As we know, Healthy is a word that is widely used but has no strong standard of uniformity. Is it actually healthy? Or is it just healthier than the next choice? Or is it just healthier than the guy next to you on the train?
Let's look at Peanut Butter.
Jiffy has a Reduced Fat Peanut Butter, a Natural Peanut Butter and it has a Creamy Peanut Butter. All with distinctly different color schemes. They put certain facts on the front label to highlight what they want you to look at to feel good about buying it.
It's insane!!
Facts: All JIFFY brand
Reduced Fat Peanut Butter
Calories 190 cal
Fat 12g
Protein 7g
Carbohydrates 15g
Sugar 7g
Ingredients 14
Natural Peanut Butter
Calories 190 cal
Fat 16g
Protein 7 g
Carbohydrates 8g
Sugar 3g
Ingredients 5
Original Peanut Butter
https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/0051500255162/creamy-peanut-butter-jif
Calories 190 cal
Fat 16 g
Protein 7g
Carbohydrates 8g
Sugar 3g
Ingredients 6
All contain 0mg Cholesterol.
Are these really that different??
No.
The way you go the healthier options with this one is go with the one that has better quality ingredients... no molasses or high fructose corn syrup. But the idea that they are selling something different is just simply not true. Of course, unless you have an allergy to something in the ingredients or if you need different Vitamin content.
Not to say that peanut butter is bad for you because it's not. But it's a great example how as consumers we need to do our research about what we are putting into our body and what we are feeding to our children.
Take note of the ingredients in a particular dish. Take note of how you feel after you eat something. The more you pay attention, the more you will learn your body and improve how you listen to your body.
Have a great rest of the week!