Skip to main content

Miraculous Misconceptions: You say “Natural” or “Organic”, I say yeah right…..


 
As a dietitian, I have to say I become acutely aware of my surroundings when it comes to food.  I hear the discussions dictating what you should or shouldn’t eat.  I hear opinions about what a good or bad food is.  I see the mother tell their child they can’t eat that “bad” food and then watch that particular child inhale their Halloween candy or that piece of cake like it is their last meal.   I also see Pre Diabetes, high cholesterol, Cancer, and obesity with many clients who are eating what they “should” as well as clients with eating disorders who can recall issues with food as early as eight years old.

There are many reasons why Americans particularly have issues understanding foods predominant role of nourishment. When you combine any of these issues with the confusion of food labeling chaos sets in.  Our food labels are a complete mess and create confusion on many levels.

In an article in the NY Times this weekend, organic and natural hot dogs as well as additional processed meats were discussed.  Have you seen the “natural” or “organic” hot dogs?   Notice the label as it states “uncured” or “no nitrates or nitrites added.”   One would think this was a healthier option, no?  Apparently not, as rules dictate that if preservatives come from natural sources you can label as if no nitrates or nitrites are in the product.  Interestingly enough, the “natural” or “organic” hot dog can have one half or up to ten times the nitrite as compared to the regular hot dog. 

The USDA does require that the organic or natural hot dog versions state that it may contain a naturally occurring nitrate or nitrite but when this small print is combined with the label "no nitrates or nitrites” this becomes quite confusing.

The American Cancer Society recommends reducing processed meats secondary to many studies linking increased consumption to colon cancer.  In addition, it is thought that high consumption in processed meats promotes Diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  Recent research suggests nitrates and nitrites provide some benefits to immune function and cardiovascular health.

Because the labeling is so confusing, manufacturers are asking to allow for more truthful labels for hot dogs and other processed meats.  The USDA states they are aware of the problems and may take a fresh look.  Until then, my best suggestion as a dietitian is to completely ignore any claims on any food.  If you want to understand what is truly in what you are eating, take the time to pull the product and read the ingredients.  The more ingredients it has, the less “natural”, “organic”, and “healthy” the food is.  Have any questions? Reach out to a dietitian.  We can decipher the confusion and give our expert opinions.  Good luck and be well.

Nitrates and Nitrites provide the red coloring in your hot dogs in addition to preservation

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Make it Happen

Parents, I see you. I see you putting everyone else's needs in front of yours. I see your dark circles under your eyes, your gray hair, that your wasting away, or that you've collectively gained weight over the years. It's time to put yourselves first because if you don't take care of yourself you won't be around to keep taking care of everyone else. So often friends, acquaintances, or clients say to me, "I don't know how you find the time to exercise." "How can you take the time away from everything else and get away to exercise?" "I wish I could actually focus on myself and exercise." Exercise to me is self care. It produces endorphins faster than any other activity I engage in. It  reduces my stress, keeps me healthy, increases flexibility, and gives me more energy to be on point with my busy kids and my demanding job. My exercise isn't extravagant and it doesn't take too much time. Here's my secret. I always

Why this Dietitian Cares more about your PREbiotics than your PRObiotic Pill

Clients ask me all the time what I think of their brand of probiotic or which one they should start taking.  Studies have shown that probiotic supplements definitely have their place in certain circumstances (that’s a whole other blog for another time), but my bigger concern is... what are you feeding the ones you have already? “Probiotics” is just a fancy word for helpful bacteria.  Even if you don’t take a pill, you have these little guys in your digestive track.  The problem right now is that current probiotic supplements can only include the bacteria that scientists have been able to 1) identify and 2) put in a pill without them dying right away.   However, we (probiotic and non-probiotic users alike) have so many different strains of bacteria (somewhere in the neighborhood of billions) who do so much good for us such as make vitamins and help battle bad bacteria.  BUT - just like us - they need to eat!  A recent study showed that a diet high in protein is not in their

To The Bones- A review from a dietitian

Friday July 14th, Netflix premiered the movie To The Bone.  Prior to the premier many had opinions of the movie. Some were fearful that it would glorify an Eating Disorder, some felt the movie would put too much focus on extremely thin patients with Eating Disorders neglecting those that are within normal weight but still extremely sick, and many had a lot of opinions about the lead actress who lost a significant amount of weight for the role disclosing she is in recovery for an Eating Disorder. My colleagues and I discussed the pretense of the movie, I communicated to families that the movie was coming out in case their daughters and sons watched the movie, and Friday I went home from work and viewed the movie. Although Hollywood has a way of sensationalizing everything there was a lot that the movie got right. The opening scene where Ellen counts the calories as soon as she sees the food is a good depiction of how someone with an Eating Disorder thinks. Food is not sensual it i