Billions Wasted On Hyped Food Products
The editorial in the BMJ by Professor Lean, a nutrition expert from the University of Glasgow, hoped that new European directives coming into force in the UK would help to tackle misleading marketing.
There are strict regulations about research trials and control groups for medications, but food items and supplements marketed with health claims are not subject to the same degree of control. But consumers aren't always aware of the difference, as Professor Lean points out:
The distinction between medicines and foods is sometimes unclear when they are marketed for health reasons, and consumers can be misled. - Trading regulations and health foods, MEJ Lean, British Medical Journal
Although there are regulations about what claims can be made for a food (for example, marketers cannot lie about the amount of fiber, fat and other nutrients in the product), it is easy for canny adverts to imply that a product will aid slimming or weight-loss.
The problem is not confined to the UK, either; Reuters reported that:
In 2000, people in the US spent $35bn (£22bn) on weight loss products, many of them making false and unsubstantiated claims.
Professor Lean points out in his study that the only methods of weight-loss which are safe and effective are:
- Calorie-restricted diets
- Exercise
- Orlistat and sibuutramine (two weight-loss drugs)
- In some cases, bariatric surgery (such as a gastric bypass or gastric band)
If you're currently buying expensive food products or supplements (such as pills) which claim to help you lose weight, stop. Unless you're on medication prescribed by your doctor, it's unlikely to be having any effect at all. Spend your money on gym membership, a personal trainer, or weight-loss club membership instead.
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You have to love some of the 'clever' ways marketers get us on this front: Just the other day I bought very healthy looking wheatie-looking bagels - emblazoned on the packaging was 'organic seeds'. They turn out to have a fibre content of 3%, and the only organic seeds they used was a bit of sesame. Then there is the famous 'Heath Bar' which they eye sees as 'Health Bar'. Actually don't get me started....
ReplyI love looking at all the overpriced Weight Watchers brand foods and watching people buy them, probably thinking: "Hey, it's WW, it must be healthy". My mom used to buy those WW desserts which were like, $3-$4 each and she'd load up on those things. I mean, yeah, they tasted OK, but they don't make you lose weight on their own. They sell WW yogurts that are exactly the same as any other light nonfat yogurt out there, yet cost twice as much. It's so ridiculous.
ReplyI think the best rule of thumb here is to stick to foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Generally, the more a food is processed, the worse it is for you. If it comes in a box, bag, or wrapper, even if it's "healthy", beware. No one ever put on weight eating apples!
ReplyHealthy foods are not under the same degree of control, which makes them very dangerous. Marketing strategies of the people who want to increase their profits lead to speculation and adding forbidden ingredients into these foods.
ReplySome of them are produced just for keeping the weight, but not helping you to lose more, which pushes obesse people to buy more of them.
I don't waste my money (nor liver) on any supplements, trinkets, or strange processed "diet" food. I tried a chocolate diet bar at my gym, it was just awful. Even my scale is the old kind, so even though I weigh every day, I can only tell which way it's going, not definite numbers. My weight loss is cheap, a 3 year gym membership, and mostly eating at home. It's working out quite well, actually.
ReplyI think the best practice to have a slim & healthy figure is to EXERCISE. Either go to the gym or just do some simple Yoga or use machine at home will do the trick. Even when a person is watching movie or talking on a mobile phone , he/she can just lie down on the yoga matt and do legs lifting or sit-up, which is FOC yet effective. But of course, healthy diet means a lot too.
ReplyThese food product have good quality. These quality is very useful and important.
Reply