by Dan-N on November 19, 2009
We sure like to put the word “super” in front of anything in this industry. Superfoods, SuperFruits, SuperSize …whoops - that one is for the fast food industry! Around this time of year you hear a lot of talk about what will be the top SuperFood of 2010. Of course, that question would be easier to answer if we could all agree on a definition for superfoods.
What is a SuperFood Anyway?
Here is how Wikipedia defines a SuperFood -
Superfood is a term sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that may confer health benefits as a result.
That clears it all up, right? No, such a broad definition of SuperFood would make almost any fruit, by definition a SuperFood. When every fruit can fall into a definition, that definition loses any significance. If every fruit is a superfood or superfruit, what makes one fruit more super than the next???
How Does the FDA Define SuperFoods and SuperFruits
They don’t! It is important to understand that there is no legal definition of SuperFoods or SuperFruits. There is no science to apply to a food and determine if it is a super food. As far as the FDA is concerned, all this talk about Superfoods is just marketing.
What About Acai, Muscadines, Resveratrol, Noni, etc. - I thought they were SuperFoods?
We do believe that Muscadine Grapes, Acai Berries and Resveratrol all have super nutritional profiles and some impressive health benefits. So, it seems fair to call these elite fruits SuperFoods - and almost everyone does. However, if you twist our arm and ask us what scientific formula we use to determine if a food makes it to SuperFood status - we have a one word answer - Oprah!
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by Dan-N on October 28, 2009
It was fun while it lasted, we all had a good laugh, but now it looks like the concept of calling Froot Loops a Smart Choice has come to an end!
Smart Choices Label Program Has Been Suspended
Guess what? Just days after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would examine whether front-of-pack nutrition claims are potentially misleading, the fine folks at Smart Choices decided to suspend their label and logo program. Smart Choices has said that it “will voluntarily postpone active operations and not encourage wider use of the logo at this time by either new or currently enrolled companies.”
What Is Smart Choices?
Smart Choices is an industry funded and sponsored labeling program that was supposed to help consumer make better choices about food, based on nutritional content. Kellogg’s, General Mills, Kraft, Unilever, ConAgra, and PepsiCo’s Quaker Foods all took part in the Smart Choices program.
While there were many questionable products that got to display the Smart Choices logo, Froot Loops may have been the one that finally pushed the FDA to investigate. Why isn’t Froot Loops spelt Fruit Loops? Because there is no fruit in there - they had to make up a word because it was a lot better than saying Sugar Loops. Many people were outraged that a ceral filled with sugar could “earn” the Smart Choices logo.
The Secrets are Not Just With Supplements
We spend a good deal of time on this blog giving the supplement industry a hard time for misleading the public (see our countless articles on
acai scams and
resveratrol scams). It is important to note that deception is not reserved for the supplement industry, here you have some of the largest consumer brands in the world misleading the public into what is a smart choice for breakfast.
Well, I will say they made one Smart Choice - closing the program down.
Additional Rescources:
by Dan-N on October 8, 2009
Thanksgiving is just 6 weeks away - a time for turkey, gravy, butter, pie, ice cream and other high fat foods. So here is an idea - after you load up on a huge fatty Thanksgiving meal, why not take an F-16 for a spin? You do know that a new study shows that a high fat diet puts you in the best mental state to fly a plane - right?
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by Dan-N on October 6, 2009
Let’s not beat around the bush here. It is a sunny Tuesday morning so what better time than to answer this simple question - Can we be healthy and live to be 150?
It used to be even asking this question moved you into the realm of fringe, sci-fi thinkers. However, when the New York Times starts writing about this, you know it has gone mainstream…
“Meanwhile, it is a pleasant and not wholly unfounded thought that, just possibly, a single drug might combat every degenerative disease of Western civilization.”
- Quest for Long Life Gains Scientific Respect, New York Times 9/28/09
Wow, you have to admit that is a pretty strong comment from a New York Times Science writer.
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