Health Food Store Deceptions

You think you are safe, but you're not. Even health food stores carry very unhealthy foods. UGH! You have to, have to, have to read labels...INGREDIENT LABELS that is. Even I get fooled. Take this week, for example. I have been wanting to make homemade english muffins for some time and just have not gotten around to it. So they have been on my mind lately and when I saw a bag of SPROUTS HONEY WHEAT ENGLISH MUFFINS in their bakery section, I tossed them in. They looked brownish with darker fiber flecks and the label was so generic (often a sign of fresh from the in-store bakery), Sprouts is known for health food. It's not like the bag had a big Wonder Bread sticker on it--then I would be suspicious. Well, I got home and took the time to take a lookie. YIKES!

Ingredients: ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, IRON, NIACIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, YEAST, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WHEAT BRAN, CRACKLED WHEAT, RYE MEAL, WHEAT GLUTEN, HONEY, MOLASSES, SOYBEAN OIL, SALT, DOUGH CONDITONERS (CALCIUM SULFATE, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, MONOCACIUM PHOSPHATE, ENZYMES, ADA, ABSORBIC ACID, CITRIC CARBONATE, AMMONIUM SULFATE, CALCIUM SULFATE),FUMARIC ACID CORNMEAL, CALCIUM PROPIONATE.

So when did honey become high fructose corn syrup?? I know white flour is refined WHEAT, but adding molasses for coloring and bran to give the fiber a boost, that is just trying to deceive consumers. Shame on you, health food stores of America.

The facts are, a vast majority of grain products being sold today are NOT whole-grain products. Even products targeted at the health food market are usually made mostly or only with enriched wheat rather than with whole-grain flour. Foods labeled with the words "multi-grain," "stone-ground," "100% wheat," "cracked wheat," "seven-grain," or "bran" are usually not whole-grain products। Color is also not an indication of a whole grain. Brown does not necessary mean whole wheat or whole grain! When determining if a packaged food product contains whole grain or not, look for the word "whole" in the ingredient list, preferable first on the list. Also look for the Whole Grain Stamp A "good source" stamp contains at least 1/2 serving of whole grains while an "excellent source" contains at least 1 serving of whole grains. Or better yet, make it yourself.