Nutella IS junkfood! The Proof

Is Nutella good for you? After losing a lawsuit, Nutella agrees to stop marketing its tasty junkfood as healthy  — in the U.S.  only, unfortunately.   I love the comparison to chocolate:

“The lawsuit noted that the spread contains about 70 per cent saturated fat and processed sugar by weight, as well as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and trans fat.  A two-tablespoon serving of Nutella contains 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 3.5 of which are saturated and 21 grams of sugar. To put that into perspective, a typical chocolate and nut candy bar has 250 to 300 calories and 12 to 16 grams of fat.”

Glad to see that chain mail letter validated.  But the sad part is the some of the comments after the article (visit the article page to read them) — so many miss the point that it is the misleading advertising rather than the product itself that was the problem; and there is one commenter who still hasn’t read the label and thinks this product is full of nuts rather than a sea of fat and sugar with a bit of hazelnuts for flavouring.

Here is the link to the settlement agreement (in its full lawyerese glory): Nutella Class Action Settlement Agreement; and here is the article reporting on it in layman terms:

Nutella settles lawsuit from angry mom, drops health claims

CTVNews.ca Staff

Date: Friday Apr. 27, 2012 8:44 PM ET

Salad or fries with that?

Do you want salad or fires with that? It seems a healthy option actually makes you more likely to pick the junk food.  Great for fast-food companies’ bottom lines.

From The National Post, April 30, 2009:

Thinking about eating healthy can fool brain into choosing fat: new study

Anne Harding, Reuters

Feel satisfied that you’re doing your body some good by merely looking at some leafy greens next to your burger? You may have just tricked yourself into ordering the greasy fries.

Eat your way to a better brain

From the July 17th, 2008 edition of The Economist:

Cognition nutrition

Food for thought

Eat your way to a better brain

Hormones can make it sweeter

Interesting…

From The Economist July 24th, 2008 print edition:

Appetite control

A sweet result

Hormones influence how sensitive taste buds are to sugar

Secrets of self-control

Whether it’s weight loss or anything else that requires self-control, the article below explains the key to success: avoidance, distraction and reframing.  A must read.

From the Globe and Mail, January 1, 2008:

Losing weight: the secrets of self-control

MICHAEL EVANS

Healthy living vs. cancer

It seems that healthy living can not only help prevent cancer, but may also help fight it.  From The Economist print edition, Jun 19th 2008:

Medicine

Better than cure

Healthy living switches off genes that promote cancer

Stress makes you eat junk food

It seems that high calorie foods cause a metabolic change that tamps the release of stress hormones like cortisol. Or is it the release of dopamine? Midnight cravings explained, in The New York Times, May 20, 2008:

Comfort Food, for Monkeys

By JOHN TIERNEY

Nutella = junk food, part 2

(If you haven’t already, read the original post on Nutella here.)

FAQ on a Nutella site  mentions this about modified palm oil:
“The modified palm oil is a mix of the liquid and solid oil naturally extracted from the fruit of the palm. The mix is adjusted to assure the best consistency for easy spreading. The process also reduces the level of saturated fat.”

Well, at least we know it is not hydrogenated — however, the phrase “mix is adjusted” could easily involve other questionable methods such as interesterification. The claim that it reduces saturated fats makes me even more suspicious of unnatural temperings.

Btw, the answers to all the FAQ’s are exquisitely worded to reassure us of it’s healthy nature.  For example, the very first question of “What is Nutella?” is answered by: “a deliciously unique spread made from the combination of roasted hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa”. No mention of the two largest ingredients by weight (sugar and modified palm oil).  It continues: “Nutella® has no artificial colors or preservatives“, which is true, but again no mention of the artificiality of the modified palm oil.

Another example of the misleading wording: “Hazelnuts are a main ingredient in Nutella®. Each 13 OZ jar contains about 50 hazelnuts.” Well, I tried to look up what 50 hazelnuts must weigh — according to wolframalpha, on average 2kg.  Which makes me suspect they used an incredibly tiny hazelnut variety.

According to Wikipedia, the formulation of the spread varies by country, no doubt tweaked to comply with local regulations and for best marketing angle.  Unlike the US/Canada ingredient list, the actual percentages of the ingredients are specified in other countries.  Assuming that the ratios are approximately the same, the touted ingredients are:

13% hazelnuts + 7.4% cocoa + 6.6% skim milk

for a total of 27%, the unmentioned rest being sugar, oil, and a bit of emulsifier and flavouring.

Healthy indeed.

I have to admit, they have a very skillful marketing department.

Magnifying taste: trick the brain into eating less

After learning how artificial sweeteners reset the body so that it will consume more sweet foods (and hence more calories), I think this is exactly the wrong approach.  Note to self: watch labels and avoid these new chemicals.

From Scientific American:

Magnifying Taste: New Chemicals Trick the Brain into Eating Less

Compounds that enhance the sweet and salty flavors of foods could combat obesity and heart disease

Whole grain — NOT!

Nothing pisses me off more than deliberately misleading advertising. Want to eat healthier and buy whole grain products? Good luck — this article explains why no one knows how much whole grain there is in some products.

From Business Week:
July 23, 2008, 12:01AM EST

How Whole Is Whole Grain?

A settlement between Sara Lee and the Center for Science in the Public Interest may lead to more accurate claims about whole grains on food labels