Misleading marketing

I consider myself an educated consumer, but I am still learning things.

So I recently had blood work done and had my cholesterol checked. The cholesterol numbers were NOT good. And this in spite of the fact that I exercise a lot and eat kale. 🙂

I shouldn’t be since I have a family history of cardiovascular problems. This caused me to take a long hard look at my eating and exercise habits. I think we as humans, tend to underestimate how much we eat and to overestimate how much we move.

I love peanut butter. I have it as part of my second breakfast, spread on whole wheat bread. I used to eat Trader Joe’s Unsalted Peanut Butter. The only ingredients are peanuts. Hah, the only problem with this product is that the oil tends to separate from the peanut mix. When the container is full, it’s no problem since you can mix it. But when the container gets half empty, all the oil seems to have disappeared and just the solid peanut mix is left. Yuck.

So I started using Jif Natural Peanut Butter. The key word is “natural.”

After the cholesterol news, I took a closer look at the ingredients. The third ingredient is palm oil! Oh sure, it is natural but it is very bad for you.

What is unhealthy about palm oil?

From Harvard University Medical School:

“Palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil — the so-called tropical oils — got a bad reputation because they’re high in saturated fat, which has long been linked to heart disease. Saturated fat boosts “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, both of which are risk factors for heart disease.”

I did find a Smucker’s product that just has peanuts and no nasty oils. Hopefully, it won’t split into oil and peanut mix.

What misleading marketing things have you seen?

Photographs thanks to dear Mr. Ken!