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The marketers are good. Really good.
I was no longer eating donuts or chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. I was eating things that said “Whole Grain” and “Heart Healthy.” The bowl on the Multi-Grain Cheerios box is in the shape of a heart for Pete’s sake!
I’m going to go over 5 foods that I cut out by looking at the marketing claims, the actual science, and then my reasoning for the pantry removal.
Multi-grain Cheerios: The “Heart-Health” Lie
I knew that Honey Nut Cheerios had quite a bit of sugar at around 12g per serving, but I figured the multi-grain would just be an even healthier version of plain Cheerios. Nope.
Let’s look at the marketing claims:
- Good source of Calcium and Fiber
- 100% DV of 9 vitamins and minerals
- May reduce Heart Disease
- First ingredient is whole grain
Let’s look at the actual science:
- 8g sugar per serving. And who only eats 1 serving at a time? Multiply that by 3.
- Contains Sugar and Brown Sugar Syrup.
- Extremely processed oats, corn, and rice spike insulin fast.
What does this mean?
While the soluble fiber might help lower your LDL cholesterol, the cereal is essentially sugar-coated dust that will spike your triglycerides. Many adults grab this version of Cheerios because we think we are being responsible. Instead, we are spiking our insulin right after we wake up.
I now mostly eat plain non-fat Greek yogurt for breakfast with some fresh berries and nuts. I still feel the need for that “crunch” factor that a cereal gives. If that is you, I highly recommend Catalina Crunch cereal. It is extremely high in fiber and uses stevia or monk fruit to sweeten.
Dried Fruit (Raisins/Craisins/Dates): The Whole Fruit Illusion
I covered dried fruit in my last post, The Fructose Trap , so I will keep this brief.
Let’s look at the marketing:
- Whole Fruit!
- Raisins: 0 Added Sugar!
- Craisins: No artificial Flavors or Preservatives. “For Salads.”
- Sun-Maid Dates: Has a “Healthy Food Fitness Award” emblem.
Let’s look at the actual science:
- Tons of sugar.
- Raisins: ~25g per serving.
- Craisins: ~29g per serving.
- Dates: ~60g+ per serving (4-5 dates).
- Lacking the water to slow down absorption.
What does this mean?
Dried fruit is just a whole fruit with the water removed. Popping raisins is basically like eating Skittles. You would never eat 30 grapes in 30 seconds, but you can eat 30 raisins that fast.
Volume matters. Just eat real fruit instead.
Natural Syrup and Honey: The Organic Fallacy
I have made some fairly macro-friendly protein pancakes. That’s healthy, right? Well, not with the amount of maple syrup that made its way onto my plate. If you aren’t weighing out oils and syrups, you may be shocked at how much you are actually using.
Let’s look at the marketing:
- Maple Syrup: “100% Pure from Vermont.” Even the marketers can’t make this look better.
- Honey: “100% Pure, Raw, Unfiltered.”
Let’s look at the science:
- Maple syrup is just nature’s liquid sugar.
- Honey is the better of the two options as it contains less fructose, but it is a sugar sweetener and should be treated as such.
What does this mean?
You need to use these with extreme caution and moderation or not at all. Those protein pancakes? I add a dash of water to frozen blueberries and microwave them. I then pour the whole thing over the pancakes to get that blueberry goodness and prevent the pancakes from being too dry.
Oat Bars: The Fiber Decoy
Oh oat and granola bars, how tasty are thee! There is a reason for that usually. I was a big fan of Nature Valley Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares and their Chewy Protein Granola bars.
Let’s look at the marketing:
- Low in Fat.
- Marketing often features outdoor activities like hiking.
- Feature the words “Energy” or “Nature.”
Let’s look at the science:
- 8-10g of sugar. These are just healthy oatmeal cookies.
- The Glue Factor: Have you ever tried to make oats stick together in a square at home? You have to use a sticky binder. That binder is almost always corn syrup, fructose, or honey.
- The “Protein” Trap: The protein version usually just adds soy crisps to the mix but keeps the high sugar content to mask the taste of the cheap protein.
What does this mean?
Eating these for a snack is not healthy. It keeps insulin high all day long, never giving the liver a break to burn fat. If you want oats, make a bowl of steel-cut oats. If you want a bar, look for one where the binder is nut butter or egg whites, not syrup.
Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce: The Condiment Camouflage
I’m singling out this condiment, but a lot of the information for Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce goes for other condiments and dressings too. We often take a perfectly lean, liver-friendly piece of chicken and ruin it with the sauce.
Let’s look at the marketing:
- “Award Winning BBQ Sauce.”
- “The Sauce is the Boss.”
Let’s look at the science:
- First ingredient: High Fructose Corn Syrup. EEK!
- 17g, yes seventeen grams, of sugar per 36g serving (2 tablespoons).
- The Reality: Nobody measures out 2 tablespoons. We pour it on. You could easily be consuming more sugar in your sauce than you would get in a can of soda.
What does this mean?
If you are going to flood your liver with sugar, would you rather have 3 mini Hershey bars or a serving of BBQ sauce? While most BBQ sauces contain sugar, I have switched to Stubb’s which has significantly less, and I weigh it out every time.
Turn the Box Over
It is exhausting trying to outsmart the marketing teams. They know exactly which buzzwords, like “Whole Grain” or “Natural”, will get us to toss that box in the cart.
For years, I thought I was making responsible choices. In reality, I was keeping my liver saturated with sugar from the moment I woke up until dinner.
You don’t have to be paranoid, but you do have to be aware. Turn the box over. Ignore the front. Look at the ingredients. If the first or second ingredient is sugar, syrup, or fruit concentrate, put it back.
If you want a cheat sheet so you don’t have to read every single label in the aisle, I’ve already done the heavy lifting for you. Download my Grocery System to see exactly what I buy instead.