It's that time again for a "Misleading Product Roundup" in order to recap the food items I've been sharing on Facebook. I know we're all currently caught up with the holiday craziness, but please don't let the busyness cause you to be fooled by some of these highly processed products! And for more posts like this, check out Misleading Product Roundup I and II.
SunnyD
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I never understood why anyone would choose watered down, artificially dyed corn syrup over real orange juice.
Real Food Alternative: Just go with the real thing. Or, better yet, eat an orange!
Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins
I love how on the front Betty Crocker boasts that this product contains real blueberries, but of course there is no mention of how they are floating in high fructose corn syrup. This product also contains refined (white) flour, partially hydrogenated oil (i.e.. trans fat that is also probably GMO), refined sugar, more corn syrup, artificial flavor, and other questionable additives that I don't cook with at home. I'd say this is pretty far from premium, and it certainly isn't wholesome, in my opinion.
Real Food Alternative: How about making your own muffins from scratch using whole-wheat flour and real blueberries (that aren't floating in highly processed syrup!)? Here's a recipe to try.
French's Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Is it just me or does anyone else think it's interesting how the food industry can take a simple recipe and muck it up with all sorts of unnecessary additives (including high fructose corn syrup)? I mean this product clearly states it is Honey Mustard, yet it contains more salt than honey!
Real Food Alternative: Luckily, making your own Honey Mustard Dip at home couldn't be any easier. Simply mix together equal parts honey and mustard. Yep, that's all there is to it. At least that's the way it's meant to be (hence the name!).
Campbell's Tomato Soup
Who throws in a little high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) when making homemade tomato soup? That's what I thought. On the front, Campbell's claims this is a "Healthy Request" choice, but when I flip it over, I see HFCS, refined white flour (labeled as "wheat flour" without the word "whole"), refined oil (that's likely GMO), something mysteriously listed as flavoring, and quite a few other things I don't cook with at home.
Real Food Alternative: Yes, it's more work, but totally worth it to make your own soup from scratch. Make a double batch and freeze the leftovers for a rainy day! (FYI - To make it vegetarian just omit the organic bacon and use vegetable broth instead.)
Morning Star Bacon Strips
Speaking of bacon, this product doesn't contain any meat, but it sure does have a lot of other stuff in its 39 total ingredients, like artificial flavors, red #3, yellow #6, soybean oil with TBHQ, plus quite a lot of things I can't even pronounce (and certainly wouldn't cook with at home...would you?).
Real Food Alternative: Here's my two cents- If you want to be a vegetarian, then by all means be a vegetarian (i.e., eat vegetables, grains, dairy, fruit, etc.), but please do me a favor and avoid the imitation meat products. These "foods" are not even close to being real, and I would also be careful about trusting any food companies that freely use these types of ingredients.
Yoplait Yogurt
Did you know that food manufacturers even put artificial dyes in products like yogurt (see the red #40 listed)? Plus, I see other refined ingredients like modified corn starch, sugar, and even artificial sweetener. No, thank you!
Real Food Alternative: As far as yogurt goes, I always recommend to buy plain and flavor it yourself. And you can do that with a little pure maple syrup or honey or also homemade berry sauce. Yum!
Lunchables
Full disclosure: This list of ingredients is OLD. You want to know why? Shortly after I copied this off the Lunchables website, they removed their listing of ingredients. Hmmm... I wonder why? I'm just speculating here, but maybe because they were embarrassed to admit their PB&J + Fruit Lunchables contained 85 different ingredients, including hydrogenated oil (i.e., trans fat), high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavor, BHT, and propylene glycol. It's possible the ingredients have changed a tad since I copied these down, but I am not very hopeful there has been much of an improvement if this is where they started.
Real Food Alternative: Make your own homemade PB&J or lunchables (and get your kids to help). Check out my easy DIY guide!
Pop Tarts
For this one, I'm gonna compare PopTarts to the version they sell in England (I snapped a picture when we were there last year). Why does Kellogg’s sell their own US citizens a version made with artificial food dyes (derived from petroleum), but not our friends overseas? Plus, did anyone notice that this "Strawberry" product only contains "2% or less" of dried strawberries? In fact, these contain more salt than fruit. What these breakfast treats are really made with is plenty of refined sugar, because I can see that 3 of the top 4 ingredients (i.e., what the product contains the most of) includes corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and dextrose! It's rare that I get surprised about these things anymore, but all I have to say about this is WOW.
Real Food Alternative: Sure, it's more work to make your own Pop Tarts at home, but there is no better way to control the ingredients and avoid unwanted chemicals in your food. Here is a whole-wheat recipe that my girls and I love!
Coffee-Mate "Creamer"
Only the food industry could pass off this product as "coffee creamer" when it contains no actual cream or real milk. According to the ingredients, this is basically water, sugar, and partially hydrogenated soybean or cottonseed oil (i.e., trans fat that is likely GMO).
Real Food Alternative: How about just using real cream and sugar (or honey, or maple syrup) and a touch of pure vanilla extract the next time you need to add a little something to your coffee? Or you could make your own homemade flavored coffee creamers.
Smart Balance
What's so smart about imitation butter that's artificially flavored and made with refined oils (that are likely GMO)? Just go for REAL butter (preferably organic from grass-fed cows). If you are allergic to dairy, try coconut oil or olive oil instead, depending on the application. If you have trouble tolerating dairy, try clarified butter (a.k.a. ghee, since the milk solids have been boiled off).
Real Food Alternative:
Here is what I use instead of refined oils...
- For baking (in place of liquid vegetable oil): Melted butter or melted coconut oil
- For baking (in place of solid shortening): Cold/solid butter or coconut oil
- For low temperature sautéing: Olive oil or real butter
- For high temp sautéing: Clarified butter (a.k.a. ghee), coconut oil, or pastured lard
- For deep frying (high temp): Pastured lard or coconut oil
FYI - If you are new to coconut oil, check out this post to see how it works (it can be kind of tricky).
Quaker Flavored Oatmeal
In my opinion, Quaker is one of the worst offenders when it comes to misleading consumers with their products. Yes, this is a whole grain cereal. I get that one advantage, BUT this “Peaches & Cream” variety doesn’t even contain any peaches or real cream. The fruit chunks are actually dehydrated apples disguised with artificial peach flavoring and color. They did the same thing with their "Strawberries & Cream" variety!
Real Food Alternative: Please don’t fall for this. Instead, make your own oatmeal and flavor it yourself. It really is a super easy dish to make from scratch. One of the great things about homemade oatmeal is that you can pronounce (and understand) all the ingredients and use real peaches and cream!
Special K Cereal
I often wonder why Special K is touted as a "good for you" cereal that will help you lose weight. When you look at the ingredients, you can see it's basically a combination of refined grains (rice) and sugar. Whole grain rice would be listed as "brown rice" (the word "rice" by itself means it is refined, i.e., white rice). If you had this for breakfast, I bet you would be starving less than two hours later!
Real Food Alternative: When it comes to breakfast cereal, for a step up, look for something that lists a whole grain as the first ingredient (i.e., what it contains the most of) like whole wheat, brown rice, or oats. It would also be good if it didn't contain refined sugar, which is listed under many different names like cane juice, brown rice syrup, etc.
Here are a few other even better real food breakfast ideas, if you'd be willing to make something yourself:
- Homemade Granola
- Easy Oatmeal
- Whole-Wheat Pancakes (also great leftover)
- Simple Yogurt Crunch
- Whole-Grain Pumpkin Muffins
- Or just scramble some eggs!
Bonus: Froot Loops (Obviously this isn't misleading, but...)
Obviously this one isn't misleading, because let's hope we all know it's not healthy, but am I the only one who just noticed this cereal is spelled "Froot" Loops not "Fruit" Loops? I recently wondered how they could get away with using that word on the front when this cereal is basically artificially colored sugar. Some highly processed products at least use a tiny bit of real fruit for the coloring effect, but not this one. Between the hydrogenated oil (i.e., trans fat), BHT, refined grains (that are likely GMO), artificial dyes, and LOADS of sugar, this one is a real winner to start your day with. If your kids are just dying to try some of this cereal, PLEASE do me a favor and at least call it what it really is...a dessert!
(FYI, this was my daughter's breakfast of choice at overnight camp, which is why I decided to really analyze it!)
Real Food Alternative: See breakfast options just above!
Which items on this list surprise you the most? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Ralph says
Dang, thats too bad about the Quaker oatmeal. I'm usually up at 3am and I like something hot too eat but I'd rather go back to eating fruit for breakfast instead of putting all of that stuff in me. Really great post!
Ashley says
What about crock pot oatmeal using steel cut oats? Throw everything in the pot and turn it on right before you go to bed, it's ready when you wake up. Easy to reheat the leftovers.
Emily says
I love when you do these lists! It's just amazing what claims the food companies will make. And the amazing thing is how much better all the homemade stuff tastes. I can never go back to canned tomato soup again, and it used to be a staple in our house!
Becky says
Homemade tomato soup is amazing!!! Before I made it I honestly thought it was impossible to make tomato soup from tomatoes. I know, I know...ridiculous! But it is possible and it tastes so much better than the canned stuff (and not to mention a lot healthier too!).
Nikki says
I have tried multiple times to switch my kids oatmeal from the instant maple & brown sugar to a homemade version with no success. They take one bite & "yuck" they are done. Any suggestions or measurements of ingredients to add to make it yummy?
Brea says
Hi Nikki,
I have recently gotten some success with switching my kids over. I tried it cold turkey a couple of months ago with no luck and then had to revert to the Quaker low sugar apples and cinnamon variety for a while. Then one day I made gradual changes. First of all, I always make their oatmeal with organic milk and heat it in the microwave (I know, microwaves aren't great). To start the transition, first, I gave them 1 package plus 5 small spoonfuls of large flaked oats plus brown sugar. After they said they liked it I told them what it was. Next week I gave them half a package plus 7 spoonfuls of oats and subbed half the brown sugar for raw coconut palm sugar or maple syrup. And so on. I also add chia seeds and offer a few raisins to them. I tried raw cacao nibs but they weren't a fan (yet anyways).
I hope this helps. If your kids aren't already on the low sugar quaker varieties then I would definitely start there. Best of luck!
Amanda says
Hi Brea and Nikki,
We are in the same boat with instant oatmeal. My 9 year old loves it for breakfast and eats a lot of it - he has eaten 4 packets at a meal (barf, I know, #parental). Trying to move him to the real stuff cold turkey was a disaster. The best I have been able to do this: I buy whole oats in bulk from the WFM. For breakfast he gets 2 packets plus 1/2 cup of oats. While not the greatest, he no longer asks for seconds. He is more full, gets the flavor he wants but also gets a good serving of whole oats. Not great but it is something. Reading your question and Brea's response inspired me to try again. Good luck!
Angela Bennett says
My daughter's new favorite alternative for cereal is a diced banana, with chopped nuts, sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds in milk. Great cereal alternative!
AmyU says
Nutella! Gross ingredients.
Connie says
Just a quick comment on the oatmeal. Be VERY careful what kind you buy. Do NOT get "quick-cooking" or "instant" oatmeal. It has had the bran removed and all the nutrients are processed out of it. Buy only "old fashioned" steel cut or rolled oats!
Also, I cook mine right in the bowl in the microwave so there's no gooey pan to wash. Use a large bowl as it will spill over while cooking. I use a 2-cup pasta bowl. Just 1/2 cup of oatmeal and a cup of water with a pinch of sea salt. Nuke on high for about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes. You can experiment with your oven to get the time right. SOOO easy. I add half-and-half, honey or brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon, and of course, raisins.
Dani says
Please dont tell me that we cant trust products that say non-GMO its not always so? I mean I realize Smart Balance is not good anyway but that makes me nervous!
Christa says
Okay, I won't tell you, but... it's not regulated, and no one has sued the companies yet for dishonest advertising, so probably it's *usually* true, but not always.
Jason says
Any good alternative to the Smart Balance butter? I saw the cooking alternatives, but do you have one for buttering toast, etc? Dairy bothers me so I have been using the Earth Balance Organic spread, for lack of a better option.
Thanks in advance!
Mae Beigh says
Jason, an excellent sub for any kind of buttery spread is Coconut Butter, which is pure, concentrated coconut meat and NOTHING else. No dairy here to speak of! Tropical Traditions is one source for this lovely product (at http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/coconut_cream_concentrate.htm), though it is not, by far, your only source. You have to try it. I thought the coconut flavor would detract, but I was wrong. And, it's not only good for you--it's also delicious!
Bridget says
Jason, it probably doesn't exactly pass the test on this website, but Earth Balance organic is great on toast. No hydrogenated oils or dairy.
jackiehj says
The real natural thing is always the best :-) Strange how all these products pretend to mimic what we would do at home but by using them we end up with unhealthy alternatives... that are not even as tasty! I understand that we all run short of time in this day and age but seriously, eating a whole fruit is better than juicing, healthier, not any slower than drinking processed fruit juice and certainly faster than home juicing :-) and I have always been disappointed by ready-made salad dressings.
"Froot" Loops LOL - they most probably wanted to make a pun ("fruit" and "root"), standard marketing trick especially if they consider interweaving their loop "logo" all over the product's name (which obviously they did :-) ).
The more natural we eat, the healthier we will be!
Christa says
Actually, in the case of Froot Loops, I think they got sued for false advertising, since there was/is no FRUIT in it.
Sue says
I was so excited to see the real food alternatives to flavored coffee creamers, linked from Deliciously Organic. When I looked at them, all I could think was, "Peppermint Mocha Creamer?!?! YOU & CARRIE ARE MY NEW BEST FRIENDS!!!" By the way, I'm Sue...nice to meet you both.
LOL! Thanks for posting this.
Kim Blackstock says
Excellent article on junk foods disguised as healthy. There's so much of it in the stores. Your website & cookbook are so educational, simple, and do-able. I've learned a new way of choosing foods & even though I still do eat junk food occasionally, it's a lot less now that I see the many simple alternatives. Thank you, Lisa!!
Judi says
Great article! I cleaned up my diet 2 years ago & I was able to get off 8 prescription meds including 2 for high blood pressure & an antidepressant. I will never go back to eating the processed foods that they call food.
Kristin says
I used to love Campbell's tomato soup, until I saw it contained corn syrup. After years of searching, I finally found a Creamy Tomato Soup recipe that tastes like Campbell's, only better and without added sugar. Now Instead of cans of soup, I keep cans of organic tomatoes in my cupboard.
Also, I second the suggestion to skip the OJ and eat the whole orange.
Elise says
Nice list. We don't eat any of these except the Lunchables (see below) for many reasons! It would great to highlight the actual grams of salt and sugar in each because I think many would count for half of an entire day's worth in a single serving.
Re Lunchables: We have *severe* food allergies (peanut and soy among others) and deviate from Real Food for Lunchables and McDonalds. They are totally safe, road trip friendly, and widely available.
Angela @ Food Angel says
Thanks for listing alternatives! I love a positive spin on healthy eating blog posts, instead of just saying what we shouldn't be eating.
Veronica says
My son loves the cinnamon pop tarts. It is a total treat...I do NOT buy very often but he does love them. Do you have a suggestion how to make those?
Erik says
My father-in-law has a minor obsession with pop tarts (decreased now that he's retired and no longer eating breakfast in the car), so a few year's back my wife made him some homemade pop-tarts for father's day and posted the recipe. It's not explicitly a cinnamon filling, but I think you could come up with one by looking at a recipe for crumb cake (the topping): mostly cinnamon, sugar, and butter.
Here's the link:
http://eatlocal365.com/2012/06/16/fathers-day-breakfast-idea/
Nadine says
I am so guilty of using coffee creamer, even though I knew deep down inside how it was not a good thing for my body and how fake it is. But I love flavored creamer in my coffee! I can't tell you how delighted I was to see that I can make my own right at home. So, I will get myself through this week with the last of my Coffee Mate and once that is gone, I am done with store bought coffee creamer. Thank you so much for the recipes!
Angela @ Food Angel says
Ahhh I used to eat like 5 of those regularly! Thank goodness that was years ago now! :-) I stopped using Coffee Mate the minute I read "corn syrup solids" on the ingredient list!! That just sounds disgusting!
Andrea Neely says
It would be nice to see a real food alternative for the Morningstar product you reviewed rather than just a suggestion to "just be a vegetarian and eat vegetables, dairy, grain, fruit". You took the time to provide positive suggestions, alternatives, and even some recipes for everything else you reviewed and it would be nice to see the same consideration for the Morningstar product.
Carrie says
Maybe a suggestion to make your own vegetarian/vegan bacon from tofu (making sure it was organic and made from non-GMO soybeans).
The point of 100 Days of Real Food it to eat real food, not processed, full of junk food imitations. Fake bacon is not real, so that is why she posted it.
Christa says
the healthy alternative is to eat real meat from healthy, well-cared-for animals. There is not other real food alternative for fake meat, really. In my humble opinion, there is little real cause for vegetarianism in today's society. Historically, it was nearly unheard of. Today, we have choices between mass-produced animals raised in horrible conditions (which I don't eat) or animals raised in a natural environment by farmers who care (which I buy direct from the farmer) or animals that lived their lives wild (which most people get by hunting. I get deer within an hour of having their lives cut short by a vehicle collision.)
But fake meat? If you want to be a vegetarian, then why feel the need to pretend you are eating meat?
Lindsay says
Thanks for these - they're great! I will note that Smart Balance has taken a non-GMO pledge and they've transitioned all of their products. So, while they might not be the best choice when compared to butter, GMOs need not be one of the concerns. Frankly, I applaud their shift and support them for it! http://www.smartbalance.com/NonGMO
Tiana says
My youngest son used to eat chocolate poptarts all the time but a few years ago, I nipped that habit in the bud. Recently at a campout, another kid had them so my son ate one, or tried to anyway. He just could not eat it. Don't get me wrong, that kid is a chocolate fiend but he told me that after me cooking all the time and avoiding the "fake stuff" as he called it, the poptart just did not taste good anymore to him. Score one for mom!
Katie says
I fell for Special K...any alternatives for cold cereal? Please tell me Cheerios are OK!?!?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Katie. Lisa buys puffed whole-grain corn cereal, puffed whole wheat, or shredded wheat cereals. They have only one ingredient. Cheerios has a longer ingredient list including sugar and cornstarch.
Deanne says
When I need to make a coating for fish/chicken I use panko crumbs with some hard cheese like Romano and Asiago that I have put through the food processor. Yummy.
Geminiinn says
Thanks for upload this its very helpful to me.
Sarah says
Love your cookbook! I have young 3 children and they all love your salmon, pesto, and other recipes! Do you have a real food recommendation for crackers? The homemade version don't seem cruncy enough! In particular my little guy loves cheez-it's!
Kirsten says
I make sourdough crackers. They are SO good and crunchy. Although they do not have any cheese in them people always comment that they taste like cheese-its.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi. Lisa buys Ak Mak crackers along with whole wheat matzo. She also buys Crunch Master for time to time.
Amanda says
I make homemade cheese crackers that my daughter absolutely loves! It's whole wheat flour, cheddar cheese, salt, butter and water. I used the recipe from imperfecthomemaker.com Everytime I make them they only last a day. I highly recommend trying them since you know the ingredients
Sid says
Had to eat out the other day...KFC...ugh....did you know that they don't have honey for their biscuits? Oh no it is now 'honey sauce' What a rip. I love honey and biscuits. seriously honey sauce...high fructose corn syrup with maybe a drop of honey...
Lisa says
Yes, I've seen that (not at KFC, but other similar places) - you have to be careful even with something so simple!
richard says
hello ,
i want to know what u think about the WEETABIX for breakfast? most of time its what i eat for breakfast with some fruits and soya milk..
thanks
Lisa says
It depends on the ingredients - it's not a product I've looked at lately and know off the top of my head.
ricard says
in my opinion it looks ok .. if its the natural weetabix without sugar , but i want to know your opinion , one day you can check out for me please thank you
Claudia says
Where can I find pastured lard?
Lisa says
We buy ours from the farmers' market - it's actually leaf fat (I believe that's the name) that we make into lard on the stove.
Kelly says
I made your green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving and it was awesome! Best green bean casserole I've ever eaten.
Lisa says
I'm so glad to hear that! :)
Cindy says
I have broken a filling of my tooth twice in my life and both times it was eating plain Special K cereal.
Jennifer says
I'm not really surprised by these either. When shopping for thanksgiving I needed ingredients for green bean casserole. I could not bring myself to buy Campbell's soup. With the msg and other questionable ingredients I just couldn't in good conscience do it!! So I found Pacific brand cream soups made with normal ingredients I'd use if i made it at home. Another product I got from this brand is their gravy (we deep fry our turkey so no drippings to make it).
And why is there SOY IN EVERYTHING!?!? like tuna fish?!?!? Ugh!
My husband often comments that it seems like I'm always baking and cooking, which I am, but I'd rather be doing that then worrying about what my kids are ingesting. It's worth the time invested.
By the way I love your cookbook! My kids love everything I make from it! I'm thinking of getting one for everyone in my family did Christmas.
Lorrona says
Whats your opinion on the Simply orange juice and the Simply apple juice? I have looked at it and I am new to this all but it seems good it has to be used within seven days as it has no preservatives at all.
Lisa says
Last time I looked they were decent except for the fact they're not organic.
Donna says
None of these items surprise me. I fight an uphill battle over the Lunchables. I have my kids take deli meat, cheese (not American/processed cheese food) and TJ's Whole Grain Crackers.
The Yoplait Lite gets me. Now with out aspertame.... they use sucralose now. But in their defense, they have updated regular Yoplait and removed the dyes and HFCS. Still lots of sugar, but they are making progress.
And there are other, less bad, options for some of the items. TJ's and (I forget the name) toaster pastries, Simple Mornings muffin mix. A lot of times, the store brand is cheaper and less junky than name brands. Check out the peanut butter and ketchup and you may find them to be quite simple.
I also buy TJ's tomato soup in the box. Sometimes we need convenience and it has fewer ingredients and junk than Campbells.
Donna says
None of these items surprise me. I fight an uphill battle over the Lunchables. I have my kids take deli meat, cheese (not American/processed cheese food) and TJ's Whole Grain Crackers.
The Yoplait Lite gets me. Now with out aspertame.... they use sucralose now. But in their defense, they have updated regular Yoplait and removed the dyes and HFCS. Still lots of sugar, but they are making progress.
And there are other, less bad, options for some of the items. TJ's and (I forget the name) toaster pastries, Simple Mornings muffin mix. A lot of times, the store brand is cheaper and less junky than name brands. Check out the peanut butter and ketchup and you may find them to be quite simple.
Kathy says
So many people think they are eating healthy and they are getting fooled every day. Keep on posting this information to help all of us find the real healthy foods, I totally appreciate your help.
Dawn says
Yuck, yuck and yuck! None of these items should even been categorized as FOOD!
Karen says
Oh my goodness. I used to get so hungry when I ate Special K for breakfast. It is not filling at all. I would find myself wanting to go to the cafeteria or vending machine at like 9:00! You hit that one on the head :)
Candi says
Preach it sister! I know so many people who eat healthy, but it all falls apart in the butter/ oil department. They use Brummel& & Brown spread and canola oil thinking they are "healthier" alternatives to butter. Keep spreading the word..... real, raw butter. Delicious & healthy!
Maryea {happy healthy mama} says
Those ingredient lists make me cringe! Thanks for getting the word out there that there are better alternatives.