Showing posts with label vitamin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vitamin. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

God Rules With Strength and Gentleness. Want to Live to 100? Eat More Beans!

.

God Rules With Strength and Gentleness

Isaiah 40:10-11

Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.

“These two verses condense a tremendous amount of information about how God will rule when Jesus Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth.

The book of Revelation explains that as Jesus Christ is coming down to this earth, the armies of the nations of this world will attack Him as if He were an alien invader (Revelation 19:19). Christ’s response to these unprovoked attacks will be with “a strong hand,” as He forcefully puts down the rebellion and makes it clear who is in charge (Revelation 19:20-21).

But that is just one aspect of Jesus Christ’s rule. Isaiah mentions that He will bring a “reward” with Him for His faithful followers who will then assist Him in “His work” of teaching His way of life to the survivors of the end-time troubles.

Isaiah 40:11 is a beautiful picture of our all-powerful God gently gathering people like little lambs and feeding and caring for them.

God is both strong and gentle at the right times. He wants us to learn to follow His lead in this area of life as well.”          Listen to the "Verse by Verse" episode covering this scripture at:  https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/god-rules-with-strength-and-gentleness/?

For more about Isaiah 40, see “God’s Perspective on Prophecy.” For more about how God will rule in the Kingdom of God, see the articles in our “Kingdom of God” section. 

_________

It's time to get to know God. Start your 7-day guided Journey.

________

Want to Live to 100? Eat More Beans!

Eat beans and live 100“Want to know how to live to 100? Eat plenty of beans, says plenty of research studies on the longest-living populations in the world.

Campodimele, Italy, a hilltop village south of Rome, has so many centenarians that it’s known in Europe as the “Village of Longevity.” Daily, its citizens enjoy a diet full of beans like lentils, chickpeas, and white beans.

How to live to 100

A few years ago, scientists identified five groups of long-lived elderly people (aged 70 and older) – Japanese in Japan, Swedes in Sweden, Anglo-Celtic people in Australia, and Greeks in both Greece and Australia – and observed them for the next seven years, tracking their health status and food choices among nine different categories: vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, cereals, dairy products, meat, fish, and monounsaturated fats. A total of 785 elderly people were followed.

Eating Beans May Help You Live To 100Nowadays, there are many tasty varieties of beans on the market, not only staples like garbanzos but also choices like cranberry, cannellini, and fava beans. Eat beans and live longer, maybe even live to 100.

The researchers found that legumes were the most important dietary predictor of survival among the elderly, “regardless of their ethnicity,” they wrote.* For every 20-gram increase in daily legume intake (20 grams is about three-quarters of an ounce), “there is a 7 to 8% reduction in mortality hazard ratio.”

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more perfect food than beans. They are an excellent source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and complex carbohydrates. They’re very low in fat and virtually sodium-free. Plus, they’re filling.

And fiber? Even the lowest-fiber bean puts most other foods to shame. A cup of high-fiber beans, like pinto or black beans, tallies up 16 grams of fiber.You’d have to eat about eight slices of whole-wheat bread to get the same amount of fiber. And it’s primarily cholesterol-reducing soluble fiber, which makes beans an excellent heart-healthy alternative to meat.

Bean prep these days has gotten so much easier, thanks to the ready availability of cans of already-cooked beans, and you can find many “no salt added” varieties, which is really wonderful for keeping blood pressure under control. If all you can find is salted varieties, get rid of some of the salt by rinsing the beans through a colander.

Here are some simple tips for how to get more beans into your life (and how to live to 100):
  • Toss a handful of beans into your salads (try the rich, buttery flavor of cannellini  beans)
  • Stir beans into your pasta sauces or soups. Make an easy, sensational bean soup by combining canned white beans, any vegetables you already have, low-sodium chicken stock, and chopped fresh Italian parsley. Season with no-salt-added Italian blend seasonings and 1 tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.
  • Fold beans, like black and pinto beans, into corn tortillas with salsa, shredded nonfat jalapeno cheese, and shredded lettuce.
  • Puree beans for dips. For a zesty Mexican-style dip, combine pinto beans, chopped red onion, fresh cilantro leaves, and lime juice in a food processor and blend. Whip up your own delicious and inexpensive hummus dip in a processor with just five ingredients: two garlics, one can of no-salt-added garbanzo beans, three-quarter teaspoon sesame oil, two tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt, and two tablespoons fresh lemon juice.
Source:   https://www.pritikin.com/your-health/healthy-living/eating-right/539-want-to-live-to-be-100-eat-more-beans.html

* Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004; 13 (S): S126.

_________

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

The Roots and Fruits of New Year’s Eve. God’s Festivals as Shadows of Things to Come. The Fruit Whose Juice Is Healthier

.

The Roots and Fruits of New Year’s Eve

The Roots and Fruits of New Year’s Eve“Some of the customs may seem crazy or quaint, but what are the real origins and results of the New Year’s holiday?

I admit it. I have been up at midnight on New Year’s Eve a few times. Not celebrating exactly. In fact, most of those times I was part of a volunteer security force on the campus where I went to college—which happened to be along the Rose Parade route in Pasadena, California.

Our job was to be alert to criminals, vandals and even people camping out along the parade route and searching for anything they could burn to keep warm. You might be surprised that it gets fairly cool in January in Southern California. Of course, it is much warmer there than in New York’s Times Square (where it averages 33.7 degrees Fahrenheit at midnight) and other northern gathering places where people count down to the new Roman year.

It makes you wonder: How did New Year’s Eve come to be celebrated in the winter and at midnight? Blame it on the ancient Romans.

Julius Caesar, the calendar fixer

Many ancient societies began their new year in the spring. But by the time of Julius Caesar, the Roman calendar was off. Way off. To get the calendar to line up with the seasons, Caesar had to add 90 days!

History.com explains, “Over the centuries, the calendar fell out of sync with the sun, and in 46 B.C. the emperor Julius Caesar decided to solve the problem by consulting with the most prominent astronomers and mathematicians of his time. He introduced the Julian calendar, which closely resembles the more modern Gregorian calendar that most countries around the world use today.

“As part of his reform, Caesar instituted January 1 as the first day of the year, partly to honor the month’s namesake: Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, whose two faces allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future. Romans celebrated by offering sacrifices to Janus, exchanging gifts with one another, decorating their homes with laurel branches and attending raucous parties.”

Beliefnet.com also notes that New Year’s is associated with the winter solstice and is “an ancient holiday with deep spiritual roots. … Ancient Romans celebrated with six days of carousing that would probably be familiar to us today.”

Customs and superstitions

From its ancient origins, a wide variety of traditions and superstitions have developed around the world. Here is just a sampling.

“In Ecuador, people make dummies, stuffed with straw, to represent the events [and people, such as politicians and pop culture icons] of the past year. These ‘[año] viejo’ effigies are burned at midnight, thus symbolically getting rid of the past” (Beliefnet.com). Some even try to jump through the flames 12 times!

MarthaStewart.com describes another jumping tradition: “Many Danish people celebrate the New Year by jumping off chairs at the stroke of midnight. Leaping is said to banish bad luck and bring good fortune into the new year. They also traditionally throw plates at neighbors’ doors to symbolize their friendship. The person with the most broken plates is said to have the most friends.”

On NPR.org, Maria Fe Martinez describes another Latin American New Year’s tradition: “If you want to have a very lucky year, you have to wear yellow underwear. And if you want to have a very passionate year, you wear red underwear. …

“And you can get them all over town. Like, if you’re driving in your car, you’re going to see a street vendor selling yellow underwear, which is hilarious. Right after Christmas, they show up.”

The International Business Times reports that 44 percent of Americans say they will kiss someone at midnight. But why?

According to Livescience.com, “Puckering up at the stroke of midnight is a venerable tradition with ancient roots. Many cultures considered the transition from the warm to the cold seasons to be an intensely vulnerable time, when evil spirits could run amok, Aveni [author of The Book of the Year: A Brief History of Our Seasonal Holidays] said.

“Many of our traditions, including kissing, originally come from the English tradition of ‘saining,’ or offering blessing or protection, during the period of Yuletide, Aveni said. (Yuletide was originally a pre-Christian Germanic festival that eventually became synonymous with Christmastide in Europe.)”

New Year’s crime rates

In addition to its pagan roots, the fruits of this holiday are not good. For example, according to Allprobailbond.com, “the holidays are the busiest time of year for the bail bond industry.” Why?

“• Increased alcohol consumption. … Driving under the influence is the leading cause for New Year’s Eve arrests. …

“• Increased emotions. Some people are very unhappy during the holidays. Domestic violence often increases during the holiday season as well as self-inflicted wounds. Consumption of alcohol also increases violent acts.”

What does the Bible say?

The Bible gives its own list of meaningful annual celebrations, but Jan. 1 is not on the list. It’s definitely not God’s new year; He set the first month of the year to begin in what we call March or April. The Bible gives its own list of meaningful annual celebrations, but Jan. 1 is not on the list. It’s definitely not God’s new year; He set the first month of the year to begin in what we call March or April (Exodus 12:2; Deuteronomy 16:1). And the Bible warns against getting ensnared by customs that are based on pagan religions. We are not to ask, “How did these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise” (Deuteronomy 12:30).

Superstitions and customs that may seem quaint or harmless to most people today can be repulsive to God who knows their roots and their fruits.

Playing with paganism isn’t cute—it is corrosive to our relationship with the true God. When God calls Himself a jealous God,” it’s actually a sign of His love and desire for the best for us (Deuteronomy 6:14-15).

And consider the apostle Peter’s call to avoid sinful celebrations where there is “lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries” (1 Peter 4:3). Peter acknowledged that our friends may think it strange we no longer party with them, but in the end we must answer to God.

For all these reasons, celebrating the pagan holiday of New Year’s Eve is not pleasing to God.”

From Holidays to Holy Days. Download Free BookletLearn more about what God says in our free booklet From Holidays to Holy Days: God’s Plan for You 

From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/new-year/new-years-eve/

________

God’s Festivals as Shadows of Things to Come

Colossians 2:16-17

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

“In essence, Christians were still enjoying the biblical festivals with eating and drinking, and apparently were being judged by those who believed in philosophies of self-denial. Paul mentions these ascetic ideas later in the chapter: “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle” (Colossians 2:21).

Some think that when Paul said the festivals are “a shadow of things to come,” it was a put-down. They think Paul was saying the festivals were not important.

But another way to look at these shadows is to see that they help us picture the objects of which they are shadows. For example, the Passover clearly represents the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and foreshadowed that event. Pentecost foreshadowed the coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the New Testament Church.

In the same way, the four fall festivals foreshadow events that have not yet taken place. Learn more about these important events in God’s plan of salvation in our free booklet From Holidays to Holy Days: God’s Plan for You.”   From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/gods-festivals-as-shadows-of-things-to-come/?

Listen to the "Verse by Verse" episode covering this scripture at: God’s Festivals as Shadows of Things to Come (lifehopeandtruth.com)

(This passage is explained in detail in “Colossians 2:16-17: Did Paul Warn Christians Against Keeping God’s Law?” We encourage you to study that explanation to clear up several misconceptions about this passage.)

________

The Fruit Whose Juice Is Healthier

Transcript of video at: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

“Can you name a fruit whose processed juice is healthier than just eating the fruit itself?


Here’s the VCEAC of fruits, and their juice. The black bars are the fruit; the white bars are the juice. VCEAC stands for vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacity.

So, for example, even though apples don’t actually contain 150mg of vitamin C itself, they have other antioxidants that add up to the equivalent of that much antioxidant power. As you can see, across the board, as you go from fruit to juice, the antioxidant capacity is slashed. In fact, the only reason the grape juice was even that high is because it happened to have extra vitamin C added to it—so it kind of cheated.

But wait a second; what is this? A fruit’s juice that has significantly more antioxidants, and even greater phytonutrient availability? And the answer is: tomato juice. About twice the antioxidant power of tomatoes, and five times the phytonutrient lycopene.

And no, it was not a trick question. You may use it as a vegetable, but it is a fruit, because it’s got seeds. Don’t tell that to the Supreme Court, though, who, having nothing better to do, ruled in 1893 that tomatoes were vegetables—though they were only a batch of Justices away from those who ruled Mr. Scott was not a citizen, so I wouldn’t listen to them.

Arkansas decided to have it both ways, declaring tomatoes both the official state fruit, and the official state vegetable.”  From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-fruit-whose-juice-is-healthier/

_________

Monday, July 3, 2023

Prove Evolution Is False Without The Bible. Living lessons from the Dead Sea. Kids’ Breakfast Cereals as Nutritional Façade.

.

Prove evolution is false without the Bible

Prove evolution is false without the Bible“Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is a biological explanation of how creatures have supposedly "evolved" through natural selection and variation (now known as mutation) over eons of time from the tiny cell to the largest creatures on earth today.

What is taught in classrooms is not mere microevolution—small changes within a species—but macroevolution, the change from one type of creature to another quite distinct life form.

Many who support the theory of evolution therefore believe there is no need for a Creator, since evolution is the mechanism for creating and transforming life. They believe life arose from non-life and evolved from simpler creatures to more complex life forms. The tiny cell eventually became an amoeba, then a lizard, then a monkey, and finally—you!

In this article, in order to remember key points disproving Darwinian evolution the acronym FALSE is used. Some of these points will also disprove the compromise of theistic evolution—the notion God employed macroevolution over eons in forming the creatures we see on earth today.

F for Fossils

A fossil is the preserved remains of a living thing. The fossil record around the earth extends to an average of one mile deep. Below this level there is no evidence of any living creatures. The fossils of the earliest type of complex creatures with hard bodies are called trilobites. No previous ancestors of these arthropods have been found.

Trilobites were similar to some marine "bugs" we see today on the seashore that disappear into the sand when the waves retreat. They had hard shells, all the basic organs, and complex eyes like those of flies, with hundreds of sophisticated lenses connected to the optic nerve. Trilobite fossils are found around the earth, and in all cases the level of rock beneath them does not reveal other creatures with similar features.

As one source states: "The dominant life form was the now-extinct sea creature known as a trilobite, up to a foot long, with a distinctive head and tail, a body made up of several parts, and a complex respiratory system. But although there are many places on earth where 5,000 feet of sedimentary rock stretch unbroken and uniformly beneath the Cambrian [layer], not a single indisputable multi-celled fossil has been found there…Darwin himself said he could give 'no satisfactory answer' to why no fossils had been discovered. Today's scientists are none the wiser" (Francis Hitching, The Neck of the Giraffe, 1982, pp. 26-27).

"If throughout past ages life was actually drifting over in one continual stream from one form to another, it is to be expected that as many samples of the intermediate stages between species should be discovered in fossil condition as of the species themselves…But these missing links are wanting. There are no fossils of creatures whose scales were changing into feathers or whose feet were changing into wings, no fossils of fish getting legs or of reptiles getting hair. The real task of the geological evolutionist…is to find those thousands upon thousands of missing links that connect the many fossil species with one another" (Byron Nelson, After Its Kind, 1970, pp. 60-62).

A for Assumption

When there is no real evidence, assumptions are made. We do see limited changes within species, but we do not see any changes into other species. There is also no evidence of gradual change in the fossil record. Yet evolutionists continue to assume that transitional forms must have existed.

In Darwin's book On the Origin of Species there are some 800 subjective clauses, with uncertainty repeatedly admitted instead of proof. Words such as "could," "perhaps" and "possibly" plague the entire book. Evolution is still called a theory—a possible explanation or assumption—because it is not testable according to the scientific method, as this would require thousands or millions of years.

L for Life

The law of biogenesis as taught in biology class states that only life can produce life. You've probably heard the famous question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? It's a real dilemma for an evolutionist to answer. An egg comes from a chicken, yet the chicken comes from an egg. How can there be one without the other?

To complicate matters even more, the chicken has to come from a fertilized egg that has the mixture of two different genetic strains from both its parents. So the problem of the origin of life and initial reproduction is still a mystery evolutionary science cannot adequately answer. Yet for someone who believes in special creation by a Creator, there is no dilemma. First God made the male and female chickens, which produced the first fertilized egg.

S for Symbiosis

When one living thing needs another different living thing to survive, it's called a symbiotic relationship. An example of this is the relationship between bees and flowers. The bees need the nectar from some types of flowers, while these flowers need bees to pollinate them. Both depend on the other to survive.

The question for evolutionists is: How did these plants exist without the bees, and how did the bees exist without these plants? Yet if you believe in a Creator who specially created the various forms of life on earth, the answer is simple—both were created at about the same time.

E for Engineering

All living things are exquisitely engineered or designed. A bacterium is as majestically built for its purpose as a human body is for its function. Yet evolution says it's only an illusion of design—that there is no real designer behind it. Living things are multi-functional. They do many complex things at the same time, something evolution with its step-by-step process has never been able to demonstrate.

One example of a living thing with exquisite engineering is the tree. It provides breathable oxygen for us while processing carbon dioxide, which in high amounts in the air would be toxic to us. It supplies wood, housing for birds, roots to limit erosion, fruit and seeds to eat, is biodegradable and gives shade. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "A healthy tree provides a cooling effect equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day."

How could something so complex arise from a random, undirected evolutionary process? We need more "faith" to believe in blind evolution than in an all-knowing Creator who designed the marvelous tree in the first place! Evolution is F-A-L-S-E and the story of creation in the Bible, our Creator's great book of truth, tells us what really took place.

Source:  The Good News Magazine (Mar-Apr 2012) From: https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/prove-evolution-is-false-even-without-the-bible

_________

Living lessons from the Dead Sea

“The Dead Sea between Israel and Jordan is aptly named—because it is dead in nearly every sense.  It is a dead end. Several rivers flow into it, but none exit.  Because of the blistering desert sun, water evaporates, leaving minerals behind. The brine that is left is choked with salt, bromide, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride and sulfur.  The salt and mineral content is between 25 and 30 percent—where the average salt level in the oceans is less than 5 percent. No marine life can live in the Dead Sea.  Swimmers regularly enter the sea, and some claim its high mineral content will help cure a variety of skin disorders. But you have to be careful not to splash the water on your face or in your eyes! 

The Dead Sea is the lowest body of water on earth. 

The surface of the Dead Sea is an incredible 1,400 feet below sea level, and it is estimated that in places the bottom extends an additional 1,300 feet down. Standing on its shores, one has a sense of being at the bottom of the earth!  To add to the meaning of its name, some scholars believe the destroyed remains of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah may lie beneath the Dead Sea.  Those oily, briny waters may therefore cover the graves of thousands, or tens of thousands, of people who provoked the God of creation to take their lives in an onslaught of what the Bible calls fire and brimstone (Genesis 19:24). 

When I stop to evaluate my own spiritual condition, I think back to the time I was baptized. I had come to see that I was nothing, had nothing, and was as spiritually dead and valueless as the waters of the Dead Sea. Apart from God’s grace, and a powerful miracle, I had no hope.  Ezekiel 47:8-10 prophesies of a time when a river will flow from Jerusalem down to the Dead Sea, and its waters will be healed—something unthinkable now. Any fisherman who would launch his boat to fish the Dead Sea today would probably be the subject of scorn. 

But we are told in the future God is going to purify those waters so that fishermen will throw their nets into waters that are teeming with fish!  That’s how you and I become after conversion. God’s Spirit begins to flow into and through our minds, and we are purified and healed.  We become converted and change from people with little or no spiritual value into the children of God, offered eternal life in the Kingdom of God if we will remain faithful to our calling. 

I was able to visit the Dead Sea in 1984, and the memories are still clear. There were salt and mineral formations all around the shores, various shades of yellows and whites, but no life. I remember coming back out of the water with the feeling that I’d been swimming in cooking oil, and needing to shower off before getting back into regular clothes. 

The picture Ezekiel paints of those waters being healed and vibrantly healthy is amazing! Even more amazing is that God intends to restore even the lives of those who died in Sodom and Gomorrah—the ancient towns whose ruins may lay deep beneath the Dead Sea.  Ezekiel 37 talks about a time when those who have died will live again and be offered God’s Holy Spirit (verse 14). Revelation 20:11-12 also talks about this time of judgment. And Jesus talked about Sodom and Gomorrah being in the judgment. They are awaiting this second resurrection, when God will teach them the way to live in peace and happiness.

That healing and restoration is happening now in the minds of those He has called. Looking back to my baptism reminds me where I’ve come from, and the wonderful future God has laid out before me!

I’ve often wondered where I’d be today without God’s calling

Whatever it might have been, my life would be very different from what I have today. I’d never have met my wife, nor most of the people I know today.  Whether I’d be well off or very poor, I don’t know. But I do know that spiritually I’d be of about as much value as the Dead Sea is today.  We are all in the same position, and we should draw great encouragement from this as we press on to lay hold of what Christ Jesus has for us (Philippians 3:12).”

Kind regards, and have a great rest of your week, Tom Clark, for Life, Hope and Truth.

__________

Kids’ Breakfast Cereals as Nutritional Façade

“Plastering front-of-package nutrient claims on cereal boxes is an attempt to distract from the incongruity of feeding our children multicolored marshmallows for breakfast.

Transcript of video at: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/kids-breakfast-cereals-as-nutritional-facade/

Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

“The American Medical Association started warning people about excess sugar consumption over 75 years ago, based in part on our understanding that “sugar supplies nothing in nutrition but calories, and the vitamins provided by other foods are sapped by sugar to liberate these calories.” Hence, added sugars aren’t just empty calories, but like negative nutrition—the more added sugars one consumes, the more nutritionally depleted one may become.

Given the totality of scientific evidence, the FDA decided to make processed food manufacturers declare “added sugars” on the nutrition facts label. The National Yogurt Association was livid, opposing the added sugars declaration, since they needed “added sugars” to increase their products’ palatability. The junk food association questioned the science…whereas the ice cream folks seemed to imply consumers would be too stupid to use it, so, better leave it off. The world’s biggest cereal company, Kellogg’s, took a similar tact, opposing it so as not to confuse the consumer, and should the FDA proceed with such labeling against their objections, added sugars should at most be “communicated in a footnote.” See, their goal is to provide consumers with “useful information so they can make informed choices.” This from a company that describes their Froot Loops as “packed with delicious fruity taste, fruity aroma, and bright colors. Made with whole grains and ‘lightly sweetened,’ a good source of fiber.”

Lightly sweetened? Froot Loops has more sugar than a Krispy Kreme doughnut…. Froot Loops is more than 40% sugar by weight.

The tobacco industry used similar terms, such as “light,” “low,” and “mild” to make their products appear healthier before they were recently barred from doing so. Now, sugar interests are fighting similar battles over whether their “healthy,” “natural,” and “lightly sweetened” terminology is similarly deceptive.

But just look at all those vitamins and minerals they added. That was one of the ways the cereal companies responded to calls for banning sugary cereals. General Mills defended the likes of Franken Berry, Trix, and Lucky Charms for being fortified with essential vitamins. Sir Grapefellow, I learned, was a grape-flavored cereal complete with sweet grape starbit marshmallows––but don’t worry, it was “vitamin charged.”

Sugary breakfast cereals, said Dr. Jean Mayer from Harvard, are not a complete food even if fortified with eight or 10 vitamins. “I think your point is well taken,” replied Senator McGovern, “that these products may be mislabeled, perhaps more correctly called candy vitamins than cereals.”

Plastering nutrient claims on the box can create a “nutritional facade,” acting to distract attention away from unsavory qualities, such as excess sugar content. The majority of parents have been found to misinterpret the meaning of claims commonly used on children’s cereals, raising significant public health concerns…. Ironically, cereal boxes bearing low-calorie claims were found to have more calories on average than those without such a claim; so, it’s like the cereal doth protest too much.

Even candy bar companies are getting in on the action, bragging about their protein content because it has some peanuts, but it’s also a candy bar, with 50 grams of sugar, just like Froot Loops could be considered breakfast candy, as the same serving would have 40….

Given research suggesting “consumers believe front-of-package claims, perceive them to be government-endorsed, and use them to ignore the Nutrition Facts Panel” on the back, there’s been a call from nutrition professionals to consider “an outright ban on all front-of-package claims.” The industry’s short-lived Smart Choices label was met with disbelief when it was found adorning qualifying cereals like Froot Loops and Cookie Crisp. The processed food industry spent more than a billion dollars lobbying against the adoption of more informative labeling, a traffic-light approach, railing against the suggestion that “any food [might be] too high in anything.”  From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/kids-breakfast-cereals-as-nutritional-facade/

________