If you got around to reading my “healthy living: knowledge is power” post from last week, then you know I am fully immersed in the search for what being healthy really means, which goes beyond just ‘eating right’ and exercising in today’s world. As I dig deeper, I discover more and more about the tricky tactics being used in America’s food industry among everything from disguising harmful ingredients to false advertising on packaging — ultimately making it a painstaking challenge to eat truly healthy. Sad, huh? And although I am well aware of the industry’s sly ways (and have been for a while), even I was recently duped. Here’s how it went down…
Lately I’ve been on a documentary kick (they’re surprisingly addicting), and my latest sit-down was with ‘Hungry for Change.’ There is a brief portion of the film that emphasizes the addictive properties of MSG and free glutamates (now used in about 80% of all processed foods for that reason) and their ability to make us fat over time. I immediately thought, “Whew, good thing I don’t have to worry about that since I steer clear of those kind of junky, overly-processed foods.” However, the film revealed shortly thereafter that those particular ingredients often go unnoticed on food labels because they are disguised with different names such as hydrolyzed soy protein, free glutamic acid, sodium caseinate, citrate, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, monoammonian glutamate, maltodextrin, soy protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, and autolyzed yeast extract. (Does any of that sound even remotely natural to you?!)
As the names rolled across the screen, one all-too familiar ingredient immediately caught my eye: soy protein isolate, also known as the second ingredient in the Clif bars that I’ve consumed on a regular basis for years. I quickly looked up ‘soy protein isolate’ online, only to find that it’s a highly refined form of soy protein made from soybean meal that has been dehulled and defatted. (And let’s not forget to mention that soybeans are one of the most genetically modified foods in our country). I felt cheated, but mostly foolish for not realizing this sooner. The part of Clif’s packaging that says, “contains 70% organic ingredients” had me coerced into thinking it was a healthy bar (minus the rather high sugar content, of course) and for that reason reached for them as pre-workout fuel and quick breakfasts on the regular.
I then figured that I might as well take a look at the ingredients on my Luna bars since they’re a Clif-owned product. Of course I found the same exact thing: soy protein isolate (but listed as the first ingredient instead of the second!). Since I was on a roll, I grabbed for my chocolate whey protein powder that I frequently buy at Whole Foods. What do you know – whey protein isolate, hydrolyzed whey protein isolate, ion-exchanged whey protein isolate – all right before my eyes.
Now that I’ve been enlightened with this information, I’ve decided that these products no longer have any business with me, that’s for sure. (You hear that Clif? We’re done. Over. I’m leaving your processed protein ass for KIND and LÄRABAR. Sayonara, sucker!)
But let’s take a step back for a minute. Although I realize I am sounding rather harsh, let it be known that I am not saying Clif is a “bad company” and one to completely avoid by any means (they do use 70% organic ingredients in many of their bars after all, and they even make a few 100% organic bars such as ‘Clif Kid Zbar’ and ‘Clif Kit’s Organic Fruit + Nut bar.’ They also strive to help the environment which is great), but what I’m really trying to get at here is this: KNOW what you are putting into your body – don’t let things like “contains organic ingredients” fool you like I did, or think that just because you bought it from a co-op or health foods store that you’re automatically in the clear. If you aren’t sure what an ingredient is or if it sounds fishy, look it up or better yet – simply pass on that item. All in all, the more clean, whole and organic foods you are eating (mostly ones that don’t require an ingredients list at all) – the healthier you will be and the less scrutinizing of ingredients you will have to do — win, win!
Are (or were) you a Clif bar fan?
Oi. Unfortunately, MOST of those ingredients, while unnatural sounding, sound very familiar to me. That means those ingredients are probably in most of the foods I’m eating where I check ingredients regularly. Yes I agree that those types of documentaries are addicting… but they’re also super freaky. There has to be a good balance. Or maybe we do just stick to KIND and Larabar… and even safer, whole foods like bananas that we buy ourselves. Thanks for enlightening me!
Jenn – Thanks for reading! Yes, unfortunately those ingredients can be found in many conventional food products like cereal, fake meat products, granola bars, etc. I’m just to the point where if I don’t know what an ingredient is, then I don’t buy that product. And while those documentaries can definitely be freaky, I’d rather be overly informed than in the dark – that’s for sure! :-)
I watched that documentary too, and that’s what inspired me to start juicing! It’s a great eye opener! I have never tried Clif bars, but Larabars are definitely among my favorites!
Zhenya
http://beingzhenya.com
Yay! – Good for you, Zhenya! I am actually considering a 3-day juice cleanse. Don’t waste your time with the Clif bars – Larabar is where it’s at! ;)
Do you want to do it together and blog about it? I think that would be an interesting and beneficial experience!
I like where you’re going with this — accountability partners! I’ll shoot you an email :-)
Looking forward!
I’m allergic to soy protein so I usually choose whey but have transitioned mostly to kind bars. It’s hard to find good all natural protein sources on the go. I think whey is natural though, just slightly processed when isolated or hydrolized, to make it easier for your body to uptake it I believe. I have been researching this a lot lately and definitely going to continue my research on this! Great post!!
Thanks for reading! :-)
Good clean bars are so hard to come by! If it is in a preserved and packaged form, it is hard to find clean nutrition that doesn’t cost $3 per bar :(
They can indeed be pricey but I think it goes back to the age-old saying, “you get what you pay for!” Thanks for reading :-)
I loved that movie; very inspiring. As a Health Coach I try to encourage my clients to watch this among others like Food Matters and Food Inc. I’m with you, say yes to Kind Bars and give Clif the boot! Thanks for a great read!
Thanks for reading, April! :-) Glad you enjoyed the post!