We’re all trying our best to eat healthier. Everyday we read or hear about the latest “healthy” food.  We are promised that if we eat this food, all our health problems will go away.  We’ll lose weight; we’ll get back our energy; we’ll feel young again. 

When we go into a grocery store we are presented with many choices.  Yet, how do we know what is truly healthy?  I can tell you one thing for sure - there is a lot of hype.  You, the consumer, are being barraged with messages about which products to buy.  And quite honestly, many of these messages are misleading, and actually false.  Let me share a few things about which you should be aware.

Farm Raised Salmon is not a good source of Omega-3 EFAs

We’ve all been told to increase our consumption of Omega 3 essential fatty acids (found in fish oil).  These are EPA and DHA which are beneficial to the nervous system and the cardiovascular system.  They are important for normal growth of our blood vessels and nerves.  Omega 3’s have been found to decrease blood clotting, lower triglyceride levels, decrease blood pressure, and reduce inflammation in the body. 

Another important essential fatty acid is the Omega 6.  Most nutritionists believe we should consume these oils in approximately a 2:1 ratio of Omega 6’s to Omega 3’s.  However, the typical American consumes them in a ratio of anywhere from 20:1 to 50:1.  Clearly we are getting too many Omega 6’s. 

One of the best sources of Omega 3’s are fish from cold water, particularly salmon.  However, this salmon has to be wild, not farm raised.  When raised on a farm, the fish do not eat the same diet as in the wild.  While it will be stated that farm raised salmon is a good source of Omega 3’s, which is true, it is contains a significant amount of Omega 6’s.  Therefore, when we eat it, we are not doing anything to improve our Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio.  In addition, farm raised salmon is naturally grey in color.  How come it looks pink in the store?  It is injected with a pink food dye.

Products labeled “0 Trans-fats” may contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils

This is one of my personal favorites.  With the wide acceptance that trans-fats are not healthy and one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease, there has been great pressure placed on the food and restaurant industry to remove trans-fats from our food supply.

Hydrogenation is a process to preserve and prevent unsaturated (liquid) fats from spoiling so they can be used in processed foods to lengthen shelf life.  It is also a way to make liquid oils harder and spreadable.  During the process they are heated to high temperatures that destroy most of the oil’s beneficial qualities.  In addition, once in the body, they are no longer recognized as an unsaturated fat and treated more like a saturated fat.  Therefore, they get involved in bodily functions where they should not be, leading to a variety of health problems.

So how can this be?  How can a product labeled “0 Trans-fats” contain these oils?  Simple, the labeling refers to trans-fats per serving.  Per government labeling rules, as long as there is less than one-half gram of trans-fats per serving, it can be rounded down to zero!  So, depending upon what the product manufacturer determines a serving to be, this will translate into the labeling.

My advice to you – read your labels very carefully so you won’t be fooled by this misleading labeling claim.  Many products that are marketed to be healthy alternatives contain these oils.  If you still eat margarine, switch to organic non-salted butter.  It is the healthiest choice.

Whole wheat bread does not necessarily mean whole grain

This is another good one and another case where you really have to read your labels.  Whole grains are a healthy carbohydrate choice because they are a “complex” or slow releasing carbohydrate.  This means that they break down into sugar slower, therefore providing a constant stream of energy to the body.  Refined and processed grains are fast releasing carbohydrates.  They break down into sugar quickly, providing immediately available energy.  However, when that energy is not needed at that moment by the body, the sugar is stored as fat.

The classic marketing hype here is with breads.  Most breads are made from refined flour.  This is wheat that has had the nutritious germ and bran removed and then processed into flour.  Some synthetic B vitamins will be sprayed back in and it will be labeled “enriched” flour.  Only “whole wheat” still contains the germ and the bran.  When reading the labels look for “whole wheat” or “stone ground wheat”.  When it says “wheat flour”, “enriched”, “unbleached”, or “bleached” it is still processed, refined, non-nutritious white flour. 

There is another labeling trick here as well.  Products can claim to be “whole grain” or “whole wheat” if that is one of the ingredients.  So, you have to read the label carefully.  Ingredients are listed in the order of quantity in the product.  In most of these “whole grain” crackers or cereals the primary ingredient is still enriched flour.  The whole grain will be further down the ingredient list.

Just because it is labeled “Organic” does not mean it is healthy

We read and hear a lot today about buying organic foods.  They are supposed to be healthier for us.  In most cases this is quite true.  When we are buying fruits, vegetables, whole grains, eggs, meat, and dairy, organic is a very healthy choice.

However, to put it simply – a chip is still a chip.  An organic corn chip is still a corn chip.  It is still processed corn deep fried in an oil.  The corn is still processed and the oil is still damaged from high heat.  An organic canned vegetable is still a canned vegetable.  It has been packaged and processed with most of the nutrients being lost.  An organic cracker made from organic enriched flour is still made from enriched flour.