THE TRUTH LIESWITHIN

October 12, 2002   Volume I  Issue 164

Environmentally friendly since late 1999

Made entirely of recycled bits & words 

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Commentary

Have you ever noticed that when a food product is labeled "Sugar Free," "Fat Free," "Sodium Free," or "Low Salt," that the price is often higher than the same product in its regular version? I was in Wal-Mart the other day, and I was tempted to buy some Life Saver Cream Swirls. I sampled some of these once in my doctor’s office and they are quite delicious. They come in two flavors, Orange Creme and Strawberry Creme. They are hard candies with a creamy flavor to them. Wal-Mart was selling a six-ounce bag of the product for $1.50. Being a diabetic, I am very conscious of the nutritional values of foods particularly carbohydrate, fat, and calorie counts. I observed that these candies contain 40 calories, 15 from fat in a 15-gram serving which is approximately three candies. (I should point out that the numbers are approximate since I am writing this from memory, which, as we all know, is the first to go. I can’t remember what the second thing to go was. If I knew I was going to write an article about this, I would have taken notes, so don’t write in and tell me that I am off by a gram or two. The numbers are close enough to suffice for an example.)

For a diabetic, 15 grams of carbohydrate constitute one serving. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t matter if that carbohydrate comes from sugar, starch, alcohol, or other sources. While it is true that there is a so-called glycemic index which attempts to identify the rate at which these carbohydrates break down in the blood stream, it has so far proven impractical because the same food can break down at different paces under different circumstances. For example, a banana can have three different glycemic index numbers depending on its state of ripeness. If you are confused, so am I. That is why this idea is not usually passed on to most diabetics when setting up a nutritional plan. Instead, we are taught to count carbohydrates and treat them all alike. So, the good news is that if a chocolate brownie has the same carbohydrate count as a baked potato, you can eat the brownie instead and, theoretically, have the same reaction to it. Of course, life has a tendency not to be that simple and individuals react differently to different foods, so the diabetic who wants to manage her disease properly really has to do some experimenting and find out how her body reacts to a certain food. By the way, isn’t it nice to know that we have come such a long way from years ago, when we would write about a nonspecific person and it was always a male. Unless, of course, it was a car, which was generally referred to as "she" as in "She won’t turn over, the bitch," which meant your car wouldn’t start. You probably thought it meant something else and should be ashamed of yourself for such thoughts. Nowadays, writers are practicing a sort of affirmative action policy trying to show that they are liberated by using alternate indefinite pronouns such as "she" and "her" where in the past they would have used "he" and "him." Of course, if they are still thinking male pronouns, then they still have a long way to go.

Getting back to the Creme Savers, I noticed that they now have a sugar-free version that comes in the same size bag. Yet a peek at the net weight indicates that this bag contains 2.75 oz. of candy for the same $1.50 that you would pay for six ounces of the stuff when the sugar isn’t free. If you crunch the numbers, you will see that the full sugar version costs 25 cents per ounce, while the sugar-free version costs nearly 55 cents per ounce or 2.2 times the amount. So far, it appears that the sugar, while not exactly free, is a lot freer than the NutraSweet version, which costs more than double. Now, here is the real clinker. If you look at the nutritional values listed on the package, you will find that a 15-gram serving of the sugar-free version contains 25 calories in approximately four candies. If you recall, I mentioned before that the full sugar version contains 40 calories in 15 grams, or three candies. So, if my logic is correct, the sugar-free candies are smaller by about 25% since four of them equal three of the regular kind. Since they are both approximately 15 grams, we are still comparing the same amount of candy. Now for that clinker I promised you. If you compare the carbohydrate count of the two candies, the sugar-free clocks in at 18 grams while the full sugar version has a whopping 19 grams. This is a negligible difference and, for a diabetic, would still only count as one serving of carbohydrate. The only advantage that the sugar-free version has is in calories, since it has 25 as opposed to 40. Since it takes 3,500 calories above what you burn off to add a pound to your weight(and vice versa), I don’t think the 15 calorie difference is very significant. If you add in the fact that these are hard sucking candies that take some time to dissolve in the mouth, the odds are you are not going to eat the whole bag at one sitting like you might with cookies, potato chips, or other snack foods.

Basically, what you have here is another old-fashioned rip off. Most food products that might appear to be healthier because they are lower in calories, sugar, or fat, are not necessarily so. Some of the products that I encounter that engage in this type of practice are Sunshine Cheese-It crackers or Nabisco Cheese Nips, Ritz Crackers, Wheat Thins, Triscuits, etc. The regular version of the product comes in a 16 oz. box where as the baked(lower fat) and lower salt versions come in 12-13.5 oz. boxes. The boxes are usually of the same dimensions as the 16 oz. box to further deceive you into thinking that you are getting the same amount. When you get less of the product for the same price, then you are paying more, just like we talked about two weeks ago with Wisk deal. Years ago, I used to use Herb Ox and MBT instant broths, which come in a package of eight foil packs. At that time they were selling for 49 cents for the eight-pack. The "no salt added" version was selling for 99 cents. Again twice the price, but this time they did nothing to the product but not add the salt. They use far too much salt in most of these processed foods to begin with. So the manufacturer is penalizing the consumer by charging double for him withholding the salt shaker. I know I used her before, so this time I thought I would make the villain a he. Any objections?

Virtually every processed food item you buy that has a lite, lower salt, sugar free, or diet version, will cost more in that version. Either through an outright higher price, like the broth, or through a more subtle and sneaky method of a smaller quantity for the same price. , like the candy and crackers. To add insult to injury, when the stores have sales on these items, they often exclude the sugar-free, salt-free, or diet versions of the products. It seems to me that the manufacturers of these products are more interested in cashing in on fads and crazes than in making genuinely healthier products. If you recall a few years ago when it was thought that cholesterol was the biggest culprit in heart disease, manufacturers scrambled to get on the bandwagon to tout their foods as low cholesterol or cholesterol-free. I remember Skippy Peanut Butter proudly bearing a label stating, "A No Cholesterol Food." The truth of the matter is that the body makes its own cholesterol and foods high in trans-fatty acids, such as peanut butter, cause the body to make a lot of cholesterol. Even more than some foods that are high in cholesterol, such as shrimp. So the fact that a food doesn’t have cholesterol doesn’t necessarily make it heart-healthy. The fact that a food is labeled "sugar-free" or "diet," doesn’t necessarily make it good for you either. A lesson I always try to impart to diabetics is that, "Sugar-free" does not mean "carbohydrate-free." That’s why we should look for foods that are as close to natural as can be. Vegetables and legumes and other items that have not been overly processed. That means if you buy frozen vegetables, you buy cauliflower or broccoli, and not veggies in cream sauce or cheese sauce. If you want some kind of sauce, make your own. You can make a great cream sauce using skim milk, a little corn starch, and some seasonings.

There is a caveat in all of this as there is an exception to the rule. When you buy powdered drink mixes such as iced tea or lemonade, you have to determine the cost of a serving in order to make an accurate comparison. The reason being that the net weight of the product is misleading because of the differences in sweetening power of sugar substitutes and natural sugar. For example, to make ten quarts of iced tea, a sugar sweetened product such as Lipton, might weigh in at two or three pounds yet the NutraSweet Sweet version of the product might only be two or three ounces and the saccharine sweetened version might be 10 oz., yet they all make the same amount. The reason for that it because saccharine is 30 times sweeter than sugar and NutraSweet Sweet is 200 times as sweet. Therefore, you need far less of these products to make the equivalent amount of a sugar-sweetened product. So if you want to make a meaningful cost comparison figure out the cost per quart or per glass and compare on that basis.

Or better yet, take down all the information and send it to me. I’ll do the calculations for you, for a generous fee, of course.

The fact that the manufacturers will double the price on a so-called sugar-free item seems to me an indicator of their desire to profit from the new found health consciousness of Americans rather than a genuine concern for their well being. We have always tried to promote good consumerism here by educating you to the facts. You have put on your deerstalker caps and become good little Sherlock Holmes-type Sleuths, like I taught you, when you go shopping. I realize that it is extra work, but look at it this way, you are working for you and your family. After all, isn’t your health worth a little extra effort? It sure beats an hour on the treadmill or some boring aerobics class.

And THAT, was my two-cents plain!

Irvmeister

The artist formerly known as

Meisterzingers

A prune by any other name would pass just as sweet.

In order to bolster the image of the prune, which is usually thought of as a fruit eaten only by old people for constipation, the powers that be in the prune growing industry recently got together to change the name of prunes to dried plums, which is essentially what they are. Ironically, around the same time, I began to see on the market Italian plums being called prunes. Technically, since they are not dried plums, they are not prunes, even if they are the type of plum that prunes are made of. What gives? Did they want to lower the image of the Italian plum while at the same time raising the image of the lowly prune?

If the trend continues, will raisins be called dried grapes? When I was a kid, what today would be called apricot fruit roll-ups, was called shoe leather. Not quite as appetizing a name, I grant you, but very descriptive. I suppose in this politically correct environment other dried products would be taking the names of their fully constituted counter parts. So beef jerky would henceforth be called dried steak and that is the most jerky thing I have ever heard.

Since beans are actually seeds, will we soon be eating refried pinto seeds and navy seed soup? And if we become really honest, will oyster stew be called "yuk" as CheyAnna describes it?

The Times They Are A-Changing.

Do you remember back in 1959 when the "Untouchables" became a big hit on TV? A big stink was raised by Italian-American groups that the show unfairly portrayed Italian Americans as gangsters, even though it portrayed real-life gangsters, some of whom happened to be of Italian origin. They did not wish to be stereotyped as Mafia members. Ironically, in this politically correct atmosphere, one of the biggest hits on TV is HBO’s "The Sopranos" about New Jersey Mafiosi who happen to be Italian Americans. The characters are so stereotypical that they have names like "Big Pussy." And yet, there is not a peep out of any anti defamation groups. At the very least, they could strive to be accurate as the show has a character in the Sopranos mob family who is Calabrese, from Calabria. Any mafia authority will tell you that only Sicilians can be made men in the mob.

Letters to the Editor

Why won't you square off with Snapple? You are in their corner or . . . wait . . . I have never seen the president of Snapple and you in the same room! Ah ha!

T-Ma, Wantagh, NY

You have never seen me in the same room with Raquel Welch either. What can you conclude from that? Unlucky, I guess. (-Ed.)

Hi;

Just wanted to let you know that I enjoy your "Sleuth" and I appreciate all the work that you put into it.

Thank you,

Herky Honda

Thank you, Mr. Honda. And I just want you to know that I enjoyed your Accord. Can you get me a great deal on a new one? (-Ed.)

Thanks for the reply. I was just sitting here reading more of your letters from the archives. I cracked up on the one about your blue Chevy and going to court. I put them in my favorites and will continue to go back to them and read all of them.

I now understand why Heidi suggested going to your site!!!! Today I was with two of my daughters and told them about the letters that I read last night and am going to send them your address so they can subscribe also. I mailed a copy to a friend in Pennsylvania (Leo Cohen) and told him to read your letter and what a great site it was. I hope he subscribes
also.

Thanks much, it has really been my pleasure. I also am able to get the midis on Web-TV.

Hanna

Thanks for that glowing endorsement, Hanna. Your check is in the mail. Actually Heidi, has been wonderful to us and we love her too. Sign up for her humor e-zine at Firesongs_Funnies (-Ed.)

Happy Columbus Day to all you Columbians out there.

A proud member of the Net Wits, well not too proud because I joined anyway since the dues were cheap.

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