Sensible Solutions is a program (aka: sales technique) that Kraft has created to "help" consumers find what they refer to as the "better-for- you" products they sell. They make it nice and easy for you. They simply place a friendly, happy sunshine logo on the boxes, so that way the mindless consumer doesn't have to work hard at finding things that are good for them. The green and yellow label with the sunshine makes it all better and your life is a healthy breeze if you're buying these easy to spot products. Thank goodness!! If it weren't for sunshine and lollipops on my food, I wouldn't know what to do. And bunnies! Oh, I love bunnies...
This type of marketing really pisses me off, because it actually contributes to all the confusion out there people face every day while they are trying to find what is healthy for them. People actually believe that they are doing themselves a favor by purchasing these products, because they believe they are better choices. As someone who trains people to get in shape & get healthy, it just breaks my heart to see how confused and misinformed people really are when it comes to what they're eating. Marketing like this encourages us to be obsessed with things like calorie free food (WTF?!! Since when is food not supposed to have calories?!) low fat no fat nonsense (which by the way,typically means more sugar, hence - hello, making us fat - don't even get me started!!) and believing that this is what will make us all thin and healthy. Sadly, the Sensible Solution line is not the only problem, in fact, most of the companies that sell "food" have some sort of "healthy" line.
Most Canadians are looking for healthier choices, and we're aware that eating healthy and exercising prevents several diseases, and improves the quality and length of our lives. These businesses are clearly taking advantage of that and are trying to capitalize on this.
Here are some of those "better-for-you" choices they promote:
- Crystal Lite Low Calorie Drink Mixes (this product contains aspartame, which is extremely dangerous for you, and I will blog about separately...please don't ever eat it!)
- Kraft Dinner (I shit you not, it's there -the white flour macaroni with cheese made from powder and chemicals)
- Certain Processed Cheese products (yes, they're PROCESSED)
- Cookies (really? COME ON!!)
- Cream Cheese spreads and dips (with loads of chemicals)
- Tang Singles (remember that crap from when you were a kid, and it stained your teeth and tongue orange after you drank it?)
The list just goes on.
Here's what I figure. Instead of a sunshine on their boxes, there should be a skull and crossbones there, so you know it contains toxins, poisons, and is not healthy for you. Perhaps a warning label on these types of foods should be mandatory, like with cigarettes. Things like "This product contains tartrazine, and extensive consumption of this chemical over time causes anxiety, migraines, clinical depression, blurred vision, general weakness, sleep disturbance and feelings of suffocation". Obviously, absolutely none of these products are a healthy choice. The list of chemicals and garbage in each one of them is so long it would take weeks to go through them all. If you need proof, just do a little research on one or two of the ingredients in some of them. Google one of them you've never heard of before.
The bottom line is, if it is not a real, whole food, it probably is not good for you. If it has been processed, boxed, preserved and is being marketed to you on television or as some "healthy line", it is likely garbage and is just a giant business targeting you as a consumer to buy their product.
You'd never actually see a local farmer paying for expensive advertising to get you to come buy his produce, or big billboards for the Farmer's Market. Ever see clever commercials for random fresh vegetables or fruit just encouraging you to eat more of them? "Hey, I'm asparagus! I am low in calories, and loaded with folic acid, vitamins A, B & C, contain fibre AND I even have detoxifying and diuretic effects! Eat more of me!!" Nope. The reality is that these farmers don't have the money to spend on advertising. Instead, they spend their money on growing their produce, and raising their animals in humane conditions. They spend their money on harvesting their crops and livestock so that they're ready for the market, and are as tasty and healthy as possible for you. And I tell you what - those people who are devoting their lives to growing real food for me to nourish my body with are the businesses I want to support ANY day of the week.
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