These days you can't go two feet in the grocery store without seeing some terms that you might not be so familiar with. Raw this, roasted that, natural, organic and all of the above!
But what do they mean? Are they accurate? Or are they misleading?
I must admit that as much as eating healthy should be simple, food companies use a lot of terms that make it a little more complicated. Some companies use terms that make their product seem natural while they are far from anything natural. I think it can get confusing to see all these terms and not really know what they mean. That is why, I , today have chosen to clear it up! For you and I of course. I still have a hard time figuring out all the definitions. Especially when a company can put an organic label on and not be entirely organic. :P Here are a couple terms to start us off.
Raw- This term is used to describe something that has been unprocessed, or manufactured using very simple methods. This is the most natural you can buy most products such as nuts, honey, etc.
Organic- Farming the way our grandparents did it!
•No spraying of crops with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or rodenticides (The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now considers 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides and 30% of all insecticides to be carcinogenic).
•Strict controls are placed on crop rotation and manure composting to protect the soil and water from harmful bacteria.
•No chemical preservatives, waxes or irradiation are allowed to kill bacteria.
•No chemicals (growth hormones, lactation promoters or antibiotics) are used with animals.
•No genetic modification of crops or animals.
•No articial fertilizer, human or industrial waste permitted.
•Animals supplemented with organic feed only which cannot contain animal byproducts.
•Animals are free ranged and raised ethically.
Unless it states that 100% is organic, you may be purchasing something that is 95% organic.
Organic ingredients- This means that only 70% of the ingredients used are organic.
Roasted- This one can mean a couple things. We all know about roasted turkey and other meats, but there are also roasted nuts. Roasting happens with the application of heat. Nuts are roasted in many different ways, some are with oil and some are dry roasted. It depends on how the company chooses to roast them. It is possible to roast nuts yourself though. HERE Not necessarily a bad term or good. I usually try to stick with dry roasted. Along with roasted there can be added oils that are not necessary.
Natural- This one is tricky. I think it may be the most misleading claim out there. Unfortunately. People are much more likely to buy a product with this label because frankly-- it sounds good. And I have fallen for it many times. Then I learned my lesson! There are no laws or rules that companies need to abide by to put this on their food. So I would say it is a lot of marketing. Although I read that the FDA allows meat produce to put 'natural' on meat that is minimally processed. And that is good.
Unless your are getting your fruits and veggies straight from the farm, you aren't really getting much "natural" at all. Most of the fruits and veggies in the grocery store are scientifically 'enhanced'. Ripening does not happen without the aid of some scientific help. When food is not local it needs to travel a loooonnnng way. How long do fruits and veggies usually last? Think of this. Food is harvested, food is sorted, food is shipped, food sits on shelves, you buy food. Thats a long process that food couldn't endure without the help of a lab. Buying local sounds good now doesn't it? :) *usually a marketing ploy
Sugar free- This one is my pet peeve and also another tricky one. This can mean many different things. Sometimes it refers to no sugar being added, which usually occurs with honey and berries. Sometimes it can refer to there being no "sugar". Sounds pretty self explanatory ? Well its not sugar free, it is replaced with another sweetener, usually ending in "ose". Or they add aspartame instead of sugar. Bottom line - Processed sugar of any kind should be avoided. Don't be fooled by this label. It is a marketing tactic. Gum is one of the worst culprits. If it says sugar free expect a sweetener with less calories, but, more processing and more toxic. *usually a marketing ploy
Fat free- Fat free goes right along with the rest of them. Another marketing ploy to get you to think it is the healthier choice. It really isn't any healthier than the full fat version. Most of the time it may be that there is less fat BUT even more of the bad salt, and other processed ingredients. "Light" also fits into this category. Light can even be referring to the colour of a product. That is false advertising if I have ever heard it! Here is how it works. The label "fat" free is referring to fat relative to servings. usually 1/2 a gram. Remember, it is only PER SERVING. Its not referring to the product as a whole. There is plenty of fat in it. And probably the kind you want to avoid. Such as canola oil, plam kernal oil, hydrogenated oil etc etc. *usually a marketing ploy
Light - A product has been changed to have half the fat or one-third fewer calories than the regular product; or the sodium in a low calorie, low fat food has been cut by 50 percent; or a meal or main dish is low fat or low calorie. Like I stated in the fat free section "light" has even been known to be "lighter" in "colour". *usually a marketing ploy
Lean - usually referring to meat. Lean is referring to the fat content of the meat. Lean and extra lean are among the lowest in fat. Remember when buying meat, try to buy LOCAL! The surest way to know you are getting quality meat. Good term, used to tell fat quantity.
I know this whole good food thing might seem even more complicated now. But my advice is: always read the labels. Like I said in my healthy choices article, if you do your research and start to learn about all this stuff it becomes a lot easier. What makes eating healthy easier? Getting back to fruits, veggies, raw nuts and whole grains. Most of those things don't even come in a box. When you are buying fresh local or organic produce you can rest easy and know that your food is grown from the ground and not a test lab ;) Today I bought corn from down the road. It was SO GOOOD! I refused to buy corn unless it was local.
There is nothing wrong with critical eyes in the grocery store. Don't take the packages' word for it, you don't need to buy low fat natural chips. Maybe you need to switch to a pint of berries instead. And hey.. the berries are natural... naturally ;)
Have fun!
Here are some good resources that I read from.....
www.hallelujah.ca
findarticles.com
Think organic is pricey? So do I... check this out
Organic Foods for Less (lifescript.com)
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