DEBORAH STERN'S POINT OF VIEW: THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT MISLEADING ARTICLES
One of the many reasons I started Food Print for Life is to help my clients get back to the truth about food. I wanted to teach my clients what I learned from years of trying to figure out what to eat in order to reach my health and fitness goals.
And what I learned was how POWERFUL marketing is in our society. Go and look at the front of a box, can, bag, magazine and you will see exactly what the company or magazine figured out would make them the most money and keep selling the products and magazines: TRICKING the masses into spending their hard earned money on products or magazines that have horrible ingredients or give false information.
When I read this article, I did not know whether to laugh or to cry. On one hand I thought, wow, this is AWESOME!!! I can eat "cranberry treats" to help feeling bloated AND I can eat "GINGERBREAD" men when my joints ache AND I can eat "DROP COOKIES" if I am edgy AND I can have "CHOCOLATE" when I am tired AND I can eat "PEPPERMINT BARK" when I need to focus!!! This is the best article...EVER!!!!!
AND then I wanted to cry. I think of all the people who get this magazine CLOSER. Now, I bought this on Christmas Eve at CVS when I wanted a gossip magazine to entertain myself. Now, do I know that this is not a quality health, fitness or nutrition magazine? Umm, yes!!! But do I also think that it is irresponsible of ANY magazine to publish an article that tells you to eat a chocolate log roll, oozing with frosting and full of butter, sugar, sugar and more sugar TO HELP your mood and "tiredness?"
That also made me chuckle, before I cried, because in my experience, eating a piece of chocolate log cake for SURE changed my mood and affected my "tiredness." My mood was delirious and comatose and I passed out on the couch for 5 hours!!!!!
Okay, back to my crying. I know that most of us know this article is giving us false information. But there are a lot of people out there that will read this and believe it.
They will continue harming their bodies with tons of sugar and other bad ingredients because they read this article. And I do not blame anyone who is believing these articles because if you have not been taught any other way or if you do not seek out researching and learning more about ingredients and nutrition, then this is all you know.
Many of my clients believe what they read in the basic "health" magazines. And why shouldn't they? I mean, the magazines tell you that they will help you lose weight and you see the pictures of the women that transformed themselves.
So, when they tell you to eat FlapJacked Protein Muffins (these are NOT a "Deb approved" INGREDIENT product) because according to the article in Self Magazine they are the "perfect portable snack" you figure they must be healthy and nutritious. They are not healthy and nutritious. And because this is recommended by a DIETITIAN, we have even more faith that it must be healthy and nutritious. They are not healthy and nutritious.
I have provided a picture of the "Protein Muffin" and the ingredient list. Now, if I saw this picture and I read that it was recommended by a dietitian and I did not understand how to read ingredients or how to eat correctly for my health and fitness goals, would I eat this? HELL YES!!! But PLEASE do not eat these "muffins."
A gooey, chocolate muffin that has the protein that everyone says I should eat and a dietitian said it was a great choice...HELL YES.
So, my friends, PLEASE keep doing your research, keep asking questions, try and read top quality articles. I will keep posting about this and share my opinions and views. Ask other trainer's and friends that you know and trust and who have done their research.
This is one of the most irresponsible industries because the amount of money people spend on trying to lose weight or look better is untouchable and too many companies prey on the innocent men and women who are just trying to feel and look better. Shame on them.
I WANT TO CRY A LOT!!!!
The following is from Abby Langer, R.D.:
"A Dietitian's Picks for the Top Food Trends of 2018
Food||'Here are my picks for new items in this category: Mighty Muffins are a high-protein muffin from Flapjacked. I expected it to be dry and flavorless, but it was delicious—and handy, since it comes in a single-serve cup that you pop into the microwave. With 20 grams of protein, they’re the perfect portable snack!'"
INGREDIENTS
Gluten-Free Oat Flour, (I would choose an item with a WHOLE GRAIN-this is just a white flour)Bittersweet Chocolate (Unsweetened Chocolate (processed with Potassium Carbonate, Sugar, Cocoa Butter(sugar as the second ingredient is a warning that this is just as bad as a candy bar) Soy Lecithin), Whey Protein Isolate (Whey Protein Isolate (MILK), Soy Lecithin), Pea Protein, Cocoa Powder, Buttermilk, Butter (Butter (Cream, Salt), Dry Buttermilk (High saturated fat) Baking Soda, Baking Powder (Monocalcium Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Non-GMO Corn Starch), Xanthan Gum, Sea Salt, Stevia Extract, Natural Flavor, Probiotic (Skim Milk Powder, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6086).