Added Sugar, Nutrition Labels and Food Industry Foolishness

"Always underestimate the intelligence of the American consumer" -- processed food industry

One of the first thing low carbers look for on any processed food label is how much sugar is in the product.

We really don't care if it's added sugar or not since we're hyper aware that all sugar should be avoided when possible.

Waiter, there's a sugar in my soup!

That's why low carbers will pay triple the price to buy Rao's tomato sauce, which contains 3 grams of sugar in a half cup serving vs. 6 grams in Ragu. The sugar in Rao's is derived from the tomatoes and vegetables while Ragu adds extra sugar to make its sauce more palatable to American taste buds.

Sadly, most people really don't care how much sugar is in their food as long as it tastes good. Just like for years they didn't care how much fat was in their food until some "experts" with MDs and PhDs after their names told them it was healthier to eat Snackwells than bacon, eggs or butter.

Fortunately, however, the medical industrial complex is being challenged by rogue nutritionists, doctors and even Michelle Obama to reveal how much sugar they are dumping in our food supply.

The FDA is currently considering mandating food manufacturers to not only list how much sugar is in their foods, but also how much added sugar.

Not surprisingly, the processed food industry is protesting this label transparency because they don't want people to know they are contributing to an epidemic of diabetes and other chronic health conditions with all the sugar they are adding to our foods.

Prepare to have your intelligence insulted as you read some of their lame reasons for why it would be wrong to included added sugar on nutrition labels:

How the processed food industry views the average American

“Sugar and added sugar from an analytical perspective are the same. If chemically you can’t separate added sugar and natural sugar, the body can’t separate them, either.”

-- Kevin Myers, vice president of research and development for Hormel Foods

“In the survey, up to half of the people didn’t understand the difference [between added and total sugar] and in many cases were adding the numbers together.”

-- Kathy Weimer, senior fellow at General Mills’ Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition

"Such information could confuse consumers by taking their focus off of calories."

-- anonymous director of regulatory affairs of The Campbell Soup Co.

Though I would love to rebut these arguments, clearly all the Mevacor and Glipizide I'm taking has turned my mind to maple & brown sugar oatmeal. It's a wonder I can even muster the brain power to tie my shoes.

For the record, however, most Americans are more than cool with knowing how much sugar is added to their food, based on a study conducted by the Center for Quantitative Obesity Research at Montclair State University published in Obesity.

The new study found most adults (63%) believe including added sugars labeling will be helpful and relatively few (18%) believe it will be confusing. People who believe it will be helpful give wanting to know, health, and concerns about sugars as their primary reasons.
Those who say it will be confusing give either not knowing or not caring about added sugars as their primary reasons.
- See more at: http://conscienhealth.org/2014/11/consumers-say-duh-added-sugars-labeling-will-be-helpful/#sthash.0id1sriu.dpuf

The new study found most adults (63%) believe including added sugars labeling will be helpful and relatively few (18%) believe it will be confusing. People who believe it will be helpful give wanting to know, health, and concerns about sugars as their primary reasons.
Those who say it will be confusing give either not knowing or not caring about added sugars as their primary reasons.
- See more at: http://conscienhealth.org/2014/11/consumers-say-duh-added-sugars-labeling-will-be-helpful/#sthash.0id1sriu.dpuf

The new study found most adults (63%) believe including added sugars labeling will be helpful and relatively few (18%) believe it will be confusing. People who believe it will be helpful give wanting to know, health, and concerns about sugars as their primary reasons.
Those who say it will be confusing give either not knowing or not caring about added sugars as their primary reasons.
- See more at: http://conscienhealth.org/2014/11/consumers-say-duh-added-sugars-labeling-will-be-helpful/#sthash.0id1sriu.dpuf

The new study found most adults (63%) believe including added sugars labeling will be helpful and relatively few (18%) believe it will be confusing. People who believe it will be helpful give wanting to know, health, and concerns about sugars as their primary reasons.

Those who say it will be confusing give either not knowing or not caring about added sugars as their primary reasons.

More from Diet Skeptic:

Why I'm Addicted to Chia Seeds

Why Fat Head Pizza Is the Holy Grail of Low Carb Pizzas 

The Shocking Truth About Imported Olive Oil 

Making Cauliflower Rice in the Vitamix 

Why WebMD Doesn't Want You to Get Well


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