Fleeced By a Carrot

by Kris Pitcher

They never had any cholesterol!

I know you're a savvy shopper, and you probably know your way around the grocery store pretty well. And when you go grocery shopping, you're not distracted, in a hurry, or heaven forbid...hungry, right? I sure hope not because you need all your faculties working for you - or you might just get fleeced!

A trip through the produce isle and you've got your eye on washed and cut carrots. Good for you, you're looking for grab and go! Now, one package says, "Cholesterol Free!" Great! That's the one for me! Wait a minute. Vegetables don't have cholesterol. You've just been fleeced by a carrot!

How about "Gluten Free Corn Chex"? Well guess what, gluten comes from wheat. Corn Chex are made from? Corn! Now, why do you think General Mills puts that on the label? They know that many people are eating gluten free diets, so they're letting you know. OK, but anyone requiring a gluten restriction would know it isn't in corn. My sense is they would like to market to all the rest of us who might get on the non-gluten bandwagon if we see their label. They want to sell you their Corn Chex.

Making sense of nutrition is tricky. Throw in some 'marketing to the masses', and every one's drinking POM juice. The same anti-oxidant ingredient is in grape juice...only POM did a much better marketing campaign. Stop and think the next time you're reading a product's claims. After all you don't want to be fleeced, by a carrot.

Nutrition, The Key

Nutrition, it's the key!

by Kris Pitcher

I borrowed this quote from Team Pitcher's fb page because it captures a topic I've been thinking a lot about lately. Nutrition is a powerful topic for a number or reasons. The power in what it can do for us when we use it as a tool is remarkable.

We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.
~Adelle Davis

The old adage, you are what you eat is really true. So, what are you? I got stuck yesterday at the grocery store. I was looking for a sauce to go with a shrimp appetizer. Every bottle I picked up was filled with high fructose corn syrup. Empty handed and broken hearted...I pushed my cart away. I didn't want that for my shrimp, or for my family.

Right there in the isle I decided I could do better, way better. So, I picked up a few items and I will make something home made, and "made up" to bathe the shrimp in. Sure we'll be celebrating and having extras, but that's no reason to throw caution to the wind.

During my same grocery trip I momentarily hovered over the 1/3 less fat cream cheese. Did you know there's corn syrup in there too? See, these are things I don't normally buy...so I had to double check the labels. What's in the real stuff? [Pasteurized milk and cream, cheese culture, salt, stabilizers (carob bean and/orxanthan and/or guar gums)] That's a little easier to swallow although I don't know why they can't/won't just tell you either/or which is in there.

You have a lot of choices to make about what and how you fuel your body. Choices about whether you medicate or celebrate with food. Do you drink alcohol, or skip it? Vegetarian, organic? All choices. There are no right or wrong answers either. Certainly, based on what your goals may be there are choices that are better than others. Choices which are necessary, or foods which don't fit in...for the goal you want.

Nutrition is a value laden subject. As you become more aware of your choices, think about how nutrition can help you become much more than you are. It really is the key to our success.