by Jenna Kingkade
Almost everyone finds guilty pleasure in some type of junk food. I, for one, adore gummy bears despite my awareness that they contain artificial coloring, artificial flavoring, and gelatin, which ride against my proclaimed vegetarianism and advocacy for sustainable consumption.
The plus side of my indulgence is that I am fully aware that what I am consuming is junk food. In today’s age, deceptive marketing and advertising ploys make the line between junk food and healthy food increasingly fuzzy.
When we were kids, we ate Kellogg’s and General Mills cereals that were high in sugar and low in nutritional content, but at least we (and our parents) were not deceived into thinking that these cereals were healthy. Today, almost every cereal proclaims its vitamin or mineral content, sometimes going as far as stating that it reduces chances of heart disease or other medical conditions. Of course, this issue extends far beyond cereal to all kinds of packaged foods.
Ponder this article about the controversy surrounding Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies’ past claim to boost immunity. What do you think?
Well, part of the issue with the article is a basic misunderstanding of immunity. Improving an immune system does not necessarily mean the child won't ever get sick, just that they may be better equipped to fight it.
ReplyDeleteBack to the point of the post though, I think it's silly - soon they'll be putting stickers on vegetables that say they have vitamins in them too! Still, can't fight the power of the Rice Krispies :)