Weight Control Foods: One Big Oxymoron
It's time for sensible thinking people everywhere to raise their hands and call it like it is. The new "genre" of weight-control foods can only be described as the height of silliness.
Our shopping aisles are filled with bright colorful boxes claiming to solve all of life's ills. But you know what?
The emperor has no clothes on.
How can I say such a thing? Surely all good diet-loving folks should be drooling at all these wonderful packaged problem-solvers? Fortified-this. Enhanced-that. We have weight-management salads from the Cheesecake factory and now... weight control oatmeal from Quaker foods.
Here's the reality check: Every food is a weight control food. The only requirement is that we as consumers exercise control over how many forkfuls we put in our mouths.
Some of us need to put down the fork - others can practice moderation. In the case of some food items - it may be better to leave the fork in the drawer and bypass the foods altogether.
Please Mr Big Food - no more gimmicky food products. What next? 6-pack-ab Sandwiches? Flat Tummy Fajitas? Muscle Maintenance Mac 'n Cheese?
Which will you choose?
Oats
Ingredients: Oats.
Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal
Ingredients: Whole grain rolled oats, whey protein isolate, maltodextrin, natural and artificial flavors, salt, oat flour, calcium carbonate, guar gum, caramel color, soy lecithen, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, niacinamide*, vitamin a palmitate, reduced iron, pyridoxine hydrochloride*, riboflavin*, thiamin mononitrate*, folic acid*. *one of the b vitamins contains milk and soy ingredients.
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It never fails to amaze me what they will come up with and even worse the people who will buy it because they are to lazy to actually do the research themselves. It seems to me when you can't pronounce half the ingredients on the label(never mind understand what they are) then you should just leave it on the shelf.
ReplyI think the previous comment by Tess was a little harsh. Just because you can't pronounce the name of something doesn't mean it is not beneficial. I can't pronounce amoxycillin or anthocyanin, but that doesn't mean they are not beneficial (one as an an antibiotic, the other as an antioxidant).
ReplyAll of these products target the sweet tooth. Enough said.
Replyi just hate that it says "weight control" or something to that effect on things that one serving of is 300 calories, and 7 grams of fat. Even lean LUNCH meats dont have those high nutritional facts attached to them. just makes you wonder if you should bypass the middle of the store all together, between being pumped full of preservatives and containing astronomical amounts of empty calories serving no nutritional value whatsoever, no matter what the label says.
ReplyI think that most of the "weight control" advertising just appeals to the idea that you can have it all - you can eat anything you want and it is healthy. Unfortunately, many think that because they ate Weight Control Oatmeal in the morning, it balances out the half of a cheesecake they eat at night.
ReplyIt plays to the "looking for a quick and easy way to lose weight" mindset that most seem to have.
If people just avoided eating anything that comes in a bag, wrapper or box 80% of the time the weight would start dripping off of them.
Brian
ReplyEven though it has more ingredients than plain oatmeal, the Quaker Weight Control oatmeal has more protein and more fiber per serving compared to a bowl of plain oatmeal and maybe 10 calories more.
ReplyI am a firm believer in avoiding anything that comes in a box. Look how they are fooling consumers with the so called 100 calorie snack packs---of all things---cookies and crackers.
ReplyIt's hard for me to trust advertising, but they sure get me rightfuly confused.
ReplyWhile I do admit alot of the food gimmicks are silly, I do support Weight Control oatmeal. I did compare it to regular oats and it was just about the same calories, no added sugar, and it has more protein than plain oats, and it tastes good! It comes in individual packets so its quicker in the morning than luging out the tube of oats. It keeps me good and full til lunch time. I cannot vouch for many of those other foods, usually too much sugar, but W.C. oats are ok!
ReplyI have been trying to eat "clean" since the beginning of January. I feel much better - I may spend a little more, but all that diet stuff is full of chemicals that my body doesn't need. I agree with the earlier poster who said to avoid the middle of the store.
ReplyI should be surprised that so many people fall for the diet products, but I'm really not.
Michelle, This product doesn't really have more protein. 1/2 cup of rolled oats has 6.5g of protein, and the "weight control" oatmeal only has 7g.
I make my oatmeal from plain ol' rolled oats with a half tablespoon of wheat bran for a bit of extra fiber and a tablespoon of peanut butter for the fat and protein to keep me full till lunch. I don't think there's any prepackaged product that would compare... the little packets are never very tasty anyway.
ReplyAnd we wonder why so many people have complexes about weight? On one hand, we see magazines and tv programs about how to lose weight and we're not skinny enough (and then you lose too much and you're TOO skinny)...
And then you walk into the grocery store, and you need a doctorate to figure out exactly WHICH foods are good for you and which aren't. By the way - the "outside of the store" is becoming just as toxic as the inner aisles. We EXPECT preservatives and jacked-up-foods in the inner aisles, so we have our radar up, but now it's coming to produce, with the invention of the "grapple" and preservative- and dip-laden "healthy" snacks for kids (apple slices with carmel dip, carrot sticks and ranch dressing).
ReplyHere's my weight control food:
2 scoops Milk and Egg Protein Powder
2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 whole egg
I have a hard time eating more than 300 calories of this mixture. My BMR is 2200 calories per day, so 300 calories is almost nothing to me.
ReplyI have tried the WC oatmeal. I purchased it for quick breakfasts at work when I don't have time to eat at home. The label stated it had a ton of fiber, protien and lower in calories than normal flavored oatmeal. I admit, I took the bait. The flavor tasted so artificial I couldn't even finish the serving I made. Sure there is no added sugar - but something in there makes it super-sweet.
I create my own single serving oatmeal packages each morning. In a plastic container I put 1/2 cup oats (rolled or quick cooking - whatever I have on hand), a handful of raisins, spoonful of brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon. When I am at work I add about a cup of water from the hot water dispenser on the coffee machine. It only takes another minute or so in the microwave to finish cooking. It tastes great and keeps me full all day.
ReplyI think Jim had it exactly right when he said:
"Every food is a weight control food. The only requirement is that we as consumers exercise control over how many forkfuls we put in our mouths."
I couldn't have said it better.
ReplyWhen manufacturers "fortify" food products - how sure can you be of the quality of the added vitamins and nutrients -- and/or their bio-availability?
ReplyI'm sure this costs at least 2x as much as oats by the pound, bought at the grains store. All this packaging has a high cost on the environment as well as on our budgets.
Replyi like the oatmeal because compared to most packaged cereals it contains more fiber and tends to keep me full longer. i will pay extra for the convience of the individual packets. i also have switched to lite bagels and english muffins which tend to be smaller, around 100 calories and contain triple the fiber. my dr recommends eating carbs to keep my hunger down as long as the contain whole grains and high fiber. i have no portion control so anything that comes in a small single calorie controlled size is wonderful for my diet!
ReplyI recommend butter for controlling hunger.
ReplyI agree with you, JJ. Often times the 'has more...' this or that just needs a little research to discover exactly what the misleading statment is about. However, I see the main problem being that many people are so used to processed versions of something, they don't know or cannot appreciate the real food.
Not difficult at all. If you adapt the attitude not to purchase anything with an ingredient list, you head for the vegetable department, produce (hopefully organic or at least a lowered meat consumption), and grains etc. in their original form - meaning eating only those foods as close to their natural form as possible. You learn to live without the bottled salad dressings you thought you 'have to have' and adapt a simpler, quick home version etc etc.
...but 'convenience foods' as a lifestyle is the norm for the majority of N. Americans and English. Sadly, such poor food choices are invading our shelves over here too...where young mothers think it is 'modern' and 'in' over choosing traditional foods that don't have to be complicated and time consuming. It has to be fast, 'convenient' and microwaveable.
I roll my eyes when I read something like 'don't have time in the morning'...as if a good breakfast takes AGES to make! All it takes is changing the routine and changing your attitude. Get up a little earlier or reassess your 'priorities'. Be 'willing'.
ReplyMany of these new "miracle" weight loss foods are simply the same foods repackaged. I noticed once that the difference between regular Triscuits and Reduced Fat Triscuits was the serving size. They actually made the Reduced Fat Triscuits a hair SMALLER and alluded to them being healthier. If consumers actually read the ingredients on packaged food, they would not be so easily fooled...
ReplyI eat oatmeal every morning...I buy the generic large size of oatmeal (in the round container) and it is less than $2 for a month's worth of breakfasts. I make it with 1% milk, use 2 tbsp. ground flaxseed for Omega-3 fatty acids and extra fiber, sprinkle with cinnamon (believed to be thermogenic) and a bit of sugar and stevia to sweeten, and I have a great breakfast. You can add a piece of fruit (or even use natural unsweetened applesauce right in the oatmeal).
ReplyIt's what we eat that we should watch out. I agree to the moderation thing. We can't stay fit if we don't eat in moderation. More than enough of anything is not good.
ReplyOatbran is 80 calories per serving. I make a huge bowl of 2 servings plus 1 c soymilk + 1 banana is 330 calories and extremely filling
ReplyI do a cup of oatmeal with a few raisins and a half cup of Kashi cereal for some sweet crunchiness. :)
ReplyMarketing geniuses will always get people to buy the big brands. 90% of people just grab and go in the supermarket. If you are really weight conscious, you wouldn't even be in the market, you would be in the health food store.
ReplyWendy, I use the flaxseed too plus I add a good spoon of pumpkin seeds (particularily good for menopausal women - plus more). I hope you grind the flax yourself and don't buy it ground. Flaxseeds once ground go rancid VERY quickly (as in starting to go rancid by the time packaged and leaving the factory). This is why when I have bought the oil, only from the healthfood shop's refrigerator.
I just use a small grinding attachment that comes with my hand held blender.
ReplyBravo for this post!! All of this processed, chemical laden garbage is one of the root causes of the obesity epedemic. It started with all of the low fat junk in the late 80s and moved on to low carb. Now we are getting "whoe grain" as the latest scam from food manufacturers. Meat, chicken, fish, fruit, veggies and grains...THOSE ARE THE REAL WEIGHT CONTROL FOODS!!!
ReplyWell, the post is a little unfair because the product isn't trying to a better oats, it's trying to be a lighter version of their flavoured oatmeal.
Personally, I feel a lot of the fortifications are good. Certainly the flavours help me enjoy oatmeal more. When I am watching the cals, the reduced sugar versions are great.
How can anyne really get mad at oatmeal anyway? If you are truly honest, most people don't actually eat raw oatmeal without adding anything at all ever every day, year after year. Some people, but not most.
There are far wose things we shove in our mouths each day. The focus should be on calorie dense foods instead of attacking a step in the right direction from food manufacturers.
Please continue to enjoy oatmeal. It's my favorite food and it doesn't like being picked on.
ReplyPeople are lazy so this will sell off the shelves FAST. No one wants to work hard to stay in shape. I eat plain oats everyday with nothing in it.
ReplyI've been reading the comments here for the past few days on this post and am surprised at the level of judgement that is being thrown around of people who choose to purchase and consume *gasp* pre-packaged foods from *gasp* a grocery store. For me personally, I have had a great deal of success balancing exercise and a greatly reduced calorie diet (including plenty of raw fruits and vegetables). I think it's fantastic if someone has the opportunity to stir up their own oatmeal mixture in the morning. I, on the other hand, am running around trying to get myself and my 2 year old out the door in the morning and grabbing a package of this or any other pre-portioned food with a set amount of calories goes a long way toward preserving my sanity! It's incredibly hard work and I feel anything but lazy as I try to maintain my 65lb weight loss. Everyone has their own situation and I guess I just take issue with the implication that one is lazy or contributing to some kind societal evil by eating Quaker Instant Oatmeal.
ReplyGlad to hear that. I eat Quaker 33% Less Sugar Brown Sugar Cinnamon oatmeal about 2-3 times throughout the day and I'll bet I'm in better shape 90% of people. In fact I know I am.
It's more about what you don't put in your mouth than it is what you do.
ReplyIt's probably the same as any other oat meal. It only comes to us on what to eat that will make us healthy.
ReplyWeight control foods are probably effective because people read the directions. While eating normally doesn't give them the curiosity to do so. This drives them to eat more than directed.
65.9% of all statistics are made up on the spot too!
I lift weights, rock climb, wrestle and practice Jiu-Jitsu.
Most of that pre-packaged oatmeal is no better than lucky charms or any other sugary cereal.
I just found this diet blog today, it is funny how much people do not know about healthy living.
ReplyRight on Jim! Wouldn't it be nice if the food industry tried to help us a little with honest advertising. We will still buy food!!
ReplySteven, that is the NAME of the product. 33% Less Sugar not a statistic at all. It's a Quaker poduct available in Canada and sounds like the same thing with a different name.
Bottom line is some people actually believe everything they are sold. Some of us know enough to take it with a grain of salt and that marketing is what it is.
The diffence here is whether you accept that or not. I don't care what they call it, I will compare it with other food choices for the day and decide if it is healthful or not based on nutritional facts and my personal nutritional needs.
You can only be tricked by marketing or false claims if you allow yourself to be.
Flavoured oatmeal v.s. most other foods in the supermarket, leaves flavoured oatmeal looking like a shining star. Oatmeal is an amazing food.
Reply"Fortified-this. Enhanced-that" - a sure sign of over-processed food!
It isn't always a matter of less, often its a matter of different. A lot of food that people eat is nutritionally bankrupt, so people eat more and more because they are starving. As a result, they get fat.
Eating nutritional, whole, unprocessed food is a great start! With that sort of diet, a lot of people will eat enough, not too much. In my opinion.
Reply