Trying to eat healthy? If you listen to the FDA, that historically meant swapping your avocado for a Pop-Tart. It’s true, the FDA has thrown us for a loop before, but now they’re finally reevaluating their standards.
Currently, the administration has antiquated views of words like “healthy” and “natural,” but they’re taking steps to get a grip on what the modern definition should be. Two decades ago, when the FDA last defined the term, “healthy” was based on fat, saturated fat, sodium, cholesterol, and beneficial nutrients. A food product with too much fat or sodium was unhealthy, whereas sugar content wasn’t part of the consideration. You can see an actual breakdown of the guidelines here:
Under these stipulations, foods thought to be healthy such as avocados, almonds, and salmon actually aren’t healthy, according to the FDA. Their fat content is too damn high. Ironically low-fat Pop-Tarts, are healthy, so are Frosted Flakes.
Luckily for all of us, Kellogg Co. doesn’t push its Frosted Flakes or Pop-Tarts on us as a “healthy” snack, but under the current stipulations, they could. While the foods are sky-high in sugar, they meet all the criteria, from low fat to fortified with vitamins. When the regulations were put in place, sugar wasn’t thought to be as damaging as it is today. Hell, under current guidelines, fat-free puddings can be marketed as healthy, come on FDA.
“The problem, of course, is that the foodscape can change quickly, but FDA regulations change very slowly,” says David Katz, director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center.
The FDA has recently told The Wall Street Journal that it will start seeking advice from experts, as well as the public (Don’t trust us, FDA! That’ll be worse than before!), to figure out what needs to be adjusted. Unfortunately, like most things on the federal level, the process could take several years.
(Via WSJ.com)
