How Foods Labeled "Healthy" Can Still Make You Fat

Introduction

Food labels are often very resourceful when it comes to the health of the consumers, but a shocking revelation points the finger at these labels as the source of unhealthy living, food-wise. Many food products that come with labels that claim their healthiness often contain tones of added sugar. These sugars often cause an individual to get hungry frequently and therefore get to eat more. Research by Naomi Mendel proves that the knowledge about the quality of food taken aids in shaping the eating and healthy habits of an individual (Thompson). Foods labeled healthy yet are not healthy have adverse effects on the consumer, as opposed to those labeled indulgent, as the consumer can take restrictive measures on the amounts of food they take.

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It is disturbing to learn that the "healthy" foods in the stores and malls are a formula for fattening, rather than the low calories, low sugar implications attached to them. It is however undeniably true that taking unhealthy meals with the consent offers a better defense for a consumer, rather than chucking up tones of foods disguised as healthy, yet expose one's self to frequent successive eating due to the sugar effect of this food. The human body tends to react to food, in a similar as is does to allergies, and once an individual is aware of the vector, they are capable of developing a defense or regulatory mechanism to counter them.

"To burn off calories in this soda, walk 5 miles."

Many food items are considered healthy or unhealthy depending on the number of calories they contain. Therefore, giving the information on these calories helps many individuals in watching their health. There is, however, a better way to communicate this information mainly to the young generation; a way that is more palatable and relatable. Equating the number of calories with the amount of exercise required to burn down these calories helps in driving the message home, rather than merely attaching numbers to the fats, oils, and minerals. Research to prove the effectiveness of the adjustment of the focus from calories to the physical exercise required to reverse the effects of the calorie intake showed a tremendous decline in the purchase of sugary drinks from 98% to 89% and a decrease in calorie purchase from 209 calories to 179 calories (Preidt). Those who refrained from buying this drinks rose from 27 % to 33% while the purchase of water as a substitute for the sugary drinks rose from 1% to 4%.

Typical teenagers often never get it when all the nutrient information are equated to percentages, and numbers, and therefore, most of them take these foods unaware of the effects a 210-calorie diet has on their health. Consequently, it feels real when such an outcome is linked with the pain an individual has to put up with after intake, and as the above numbers stand, it is effective too.

"Is fast food really cheaper than healthy eating?"

The economic status of many Americans often gets them to review their budgets and cut down on any extravagant spending. This strategy includes the preference of fast foods, as opposed to healthy ones, and eating in. However, studies show that consistent intake of fast foods might have future expenses that surpass the savings that these individuals save in the current states. Fast foods are often high in fats, sugars, and salt, and are therefore vectors to obesity, heart complications, hypertension among other chronic diseases. The expenses of taking the supposed cheap fast foods extend to a cost of 190 billion dollars on the health care systems, and 126 billion dollars on the loss of productivity in working populations (Sodoma). However, this fallacy can be met with an undeniable reality that healthy eating does not necessarily have to be expensive. Supplementing processed foods with partially processed ones, supplementing meat proteins with plant proteins and taking whole grains for breakfast as opposed to fully processed cereals can cut down on the cost while promoting the health of an individual.

Cheap is expensive, so the cliche goes, and the issue of fast foods proves this. It is no secret that many Americans, especially the young working generation who do not have the time to make a meal, often resort to fast foods, since they are affordable, time-saving and convenient especially with home deliveries. It is also the same generation that has the highest number of obesity issues, a cost they have to pay for narrowing their scope and perspective to the economic bit of eating. It would not hurt for an individual to take whole milk for breakfast and vegetable salad and forego pizza and pancakes. It is worth it.

Works Cited

Preidt Robert. To burn off calories in this soda, walk 5 miles. WebMD. Oct. 16, 2014. https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20141016/to-burn-off-calories-in-this-soda-walk-5-miles#1

Sodoma Brian. Is fast food cheaper than healthy eating? Capital One Brand voice. Aug. 20, 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/capitalone/2018/08/20/is-fast-food-really-cheaper-than-healthy-eating/#71ebd958410a

Thompson Dennis. How foods labeled, "healthy" can still make you fat. Health day. Oct. 17, 2017. https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/dieting-to-reduce-sugar-health-news-198/how-foods-labeled-healthy-can-still-make-you-fat-727510.html