Food can come in many different forms of packaging, color, size, and smell. This is why it is important for a consumer to know what foods they are purchasing and whether or not it is healthy. Because of this, many food brands may lie about the nutritional facts in order to make them more appealing to health conscious consumers. They may add labels that state: “Less sugar” or “Less Calories”... Such labels of the sort aren't always true and can be junk food in disguise. Examples of common junk foods in disguise include calcium-fortified cereal, candy bars forfeited with vitamins, and sweetened vitamin water and sports beverages. These foods may appear healthy with an eye-catching label on, however, when checking the nutritional facts, it is apparent that these foods aren’t as healthy as they seem. I believe that dressed up junk foods will forever be junk foods and can harm the human body. Junk foods may be hidden underneath a healthy looking costume, but with the right knowledge and facts, it is easy to tell whether or not something is healthy.
With the right advertisement, food that is on the market can be easily sold for a high price, despite its health values. Foods that are labeled to prevent health problems or improve health, despite what they actually are, tend to sell at a higher price in the market. According to the article, “...Americans have a hearty appetite for foods and drinks that claim to prevent a health problem” (2). Functional foods account for more than $27 billion in sales yearly and are 5% of the US food market. The estimated future growth ranges from 8.5 to 20% per year. Brands such as Yoplait and Dannon's Activia line, accounted for nearly $7 billion in sales in 2007. General Mills expanded their Fiber One cereal into snack bars, and after one year, sales exceeded $100 million. Many consumers are tricked into buying foods that have a fake claim. The next time we walk into a store and see a food like this and grab it off the shelf, we should look it over and consider where our money is going towards. Foods that claim to be healthy aren’t always the best and most healthiest choices for a meal.
Most functional foods are stripped of its natural ingredients, highly processed, and refined with artificial nutrients. When you remove all the added nutrients, the natural nutrients remaining are usually bad. This makes a majority of functional foods “dead foods.” Many foods, especially foods for children and young adults are forfeited and contain high sugar levels. Have you ever tried a Z-Bar? Ever wondered why it’s so sweet? Though it may claim to be an energy bar, it’s really just a sugar bar with a few simple added nutrients. However, with the added nutrients removed, it’s just sugar and calories. Many functional foods may taste good and look appealing. However, it is important to remember that these foods are still junk foods and usually contain high sugar and calorie levels. When manufacturers create these foods, they often strip the original food of all its natural ingredients then “enriches” a few specific ingredients back into it. However, merely adding a few specific nutrients into any food does not account for the myriad other nutrients. Functional foods aren’t healthy, as it contains just a few healthy nutrients, for the rest of the food stripped of all its original healthy ingredients.
Functional foods often contain a high quantity of a certain nutrient and could damage our body as it creates an unbalanced diet. Sometimes we use/consume too much of one thing that instead of helping our body, it damages it. Research has shown that consuming too much vitamin A, C, E, and folic acid can be risky to some people. According to nutrition expert Alice Lichtenstein, folic acid is one vitamin that is in "uncharted territory." This is due to foods being fortified with the additive more than ever. The popularity of these products due to its brand and advertisement could result in people consuming these items more which quite on the contrary, results in consumers to gain weight, fat and gain more calories, quite the opposite of what manufacturers claim. Forfeiting nutrients also leads to consuming excess nutrients which is as bad as nutrient deficiency. Like what food scientist Marion Nestle said, “People are tricked into believing these products are healthful. They eat more than is wise.” Our diet should be well balanced in order to maintain a healthy body.
Functional foods play a huge role in daily life, as it can affect our health, body, and diet. Functional foods may look fancy but are really just junk food with fake labels plastered all over them. These foods may seem appealing due to its claims of “less sugar”, “more vitamins”, or “prevents health problems.” However, in reality, manufacturers just want to make money off consumers. We also shouldn’t use products just because others say it’s good. Let’s take shoes for an example. Many young people are into AirForces these days due to its popularity. However, are those shoes as comfortable as they look? Are we simply going to spend our money on something just because other people say it's good? It’s the same with food. There may be all these good reviews and ads online that only talk about its good part. What about the hidden truth under a bunch of labels? But, for now, instead of wasting our money on fake foods and products, why not just eat an apple? Afterall, an apple a day keeps the doctor away:)
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