As a farmer and rancher, I have found this journey of healthy living to be quite an interesting one. It is amazing to me to see so many people willing to take produce and food advice from paid celebrities, but are reluctant to engage with those of us who are actually putting in the time and energy to provide the food that fills the store shelves.
Let me first start by saying that it does not matter to me if you prefer organic food, conventional food, processed food, fast food – for the sake of this conversation, let’s just agree that food is food.
Labels can be confusing and misleading – and as a mother of a child who depends on those labels to be accurate and easy to understand, I get frustrated when I see so many “other” designations on a label. For example, a package of strawberries that is “gluten free.” This is an accurate statement, but is needed about as much as a banana being labeled “boneless.”
Now that I’m paying more attention to what I put into my cart, I see why so many get confused. The shelves are packed with labels that scream all sorts of claims at you – and very few of them actually mean anything.
So what does it all mean? Remember that many times labels are meant for marketing. If it’s in big, bold letters with lots of exclamation points, chances are it’s there to sell the product, not accurate information regarding the products true benefits, healthiness, etc. Do a little research, use common sense, and don’t be willing to fall for great marketing plans.
Labels – Be careful – they can be misleading! These are labels for the same product, the one on the left claims to be “all-natural” cereal and better for you. Yet, check out the ingredients!
Do you have any specific questions about how food is raised? I’m more than willing to answer those I can, or find another farmer that can answer those questions I don’t know the answer to – because as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t know everything. (Sarcasm…that’s sarcasm!)
And maybe, together, we can make healthier eating a little less daunting, and those store shelves a little more helpful – all without busting the bank.