Health Food?

We all want to be healthy.  It's a big industry.  The companies that manufacture health foods are largely like any other company.  Money is made when income is greater than cost.  How do successful companies achieve this?  The best way is by providing a quality product with good service that people are willing to pay for.  

An alternative is to heavily market inferior, low-cost items so that people think it is beneficial.  Take for example a product produced by the food giant, Nestle called "Boost," marketed as a "complete nutritional drink."  First of all, it is common knowledge that sugar is not good for you, especially processed sugar in large quantities.  Add to that our understanding that vegetable oil is a source of saturated fat.  Lastly, it is generally not a good idea to eat things you can't pronounced.  People must not read ingredients.  Here is the list of sludge contained in the "Creamy Strawberry" flavored Boost.  

Water

Corn Syrup

Sugar

Protein Concentrate

Vegetable Oil

Soy Protein Isolate

Calcium Caseinate

Sodium Caseinate

Potassium Citrate

Magnesium Chloride

Magnesium Phosphate

Calcium Phosphate

Cellulose Gel and Gum

Salt

Soy Lecithin

Sodium Ascorbate

Choline Bitartrate

Natural and Artificial Flavor

Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate

Carrageenan

Ascorbic Acid

Potassium Choride

Ferrous Sulfate

Zinc Sulfate

Niacinamide

Vitamin A Palmitate

Calcium Pantothenate

Manganese Sulfate

Copper Sulfate

Vitamin D3

Pyridoxine Hydrochloride

Thiamine Hydrocholoride

Beta Carotene

Riboflavin

Folic Acid

Chromium Choride

biotin

Potassium Iodide

Vitamin K1

Sodium Selenite

Sodium Molybdate

Vitamin B12

Now, I realize many of these ingredients are vitamins and minerals - things that are good for you.  But I sure didn't see any Strawberry in that list.  We must be willing to sacrifice a healthy breakfast of complete foods for a bottle of individual ingredients that were delivered to the factory in tankers, barrels and boxes rather than on the hoof or from the garden. 

Where are the enzymes and other trace minerals our bodies need to digest and absorb this stuff?  How is consuming 18 grams of sugar healthful?  We probably didn't notice since the cereal we all grew up on was less nutritious and had more sugar than this.  Who makes the colorful boxes of sugary cereal (or "healthy" cereal for that matter)?  Hmmm.  Giant food companies with large marketing budgets. 

Don't get me wrong; I'm a fan of capitalism.  Big companies are not innately "evil."  But the profit motive can lead undesirable consequences.  It pays to be informed, especially when the companies marketing their products know a lot more than you do.

I think we could all do with a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to "health food."