72/365 Don't Be Deceived

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Though I advocate reading nutrition labels before you purchase something, I was deceived by the packaging and ad design of a particular granola cereal.

To my dismay, Nature Path's Organic Acai Apple Granola was not as nutritious as I hoped it would be. I was intrigued for three reasons: 1. It was on sale. 2. It had acai in it. 3. It was organic. What should have intrigued me was its nutrition label. For 1 serving (3/4 cup of granola), you get 5g protein and 4g fiber. This is wimpy compared to Bear Naked. For only 1/4 cup of their Peak Protein version, you get 6g protein and 3g fiber. My other complaint is that the acai in Nature Path's granola is really "acai powder" and did not prove to have very many vitamins; it was merely a ploy to get you to buy it. Unfortunately, I fell for it. Something else I hadn't done was look at the ingredient list. Those listed first are most abundant in the product. Acai powder was towards the end, very sad.

The lesson here is to look at the nutrition label. The marketers may do a wonderful job of making a product seem tasty but, do not be deceived. When buying cereals and other grain products, it is important to look for ones high in fiber (3 and above is pretty good; the higher the better), high in protein, and low in sugar. This will ensure that you will have a slow release of sugar meaning a constant, steady release of energy for the morning and rest of your day.

In health,

Lauren