Veggies and fruits on a label–makes a product healthier?

With the latest trend to avoid putting chemical names on the ingredient list of a product, manufacturers are now putting fruits and veggies as the source of the vitamins and minerals. For example, Vitamin A may be listed as Vitamin A (from carrots). Does this convince the consumer, you, to buy the product?

Well, if you are health conscious, then you definitely would be interested in seeing whole food names on the label but did you know that sometimes that data on the label is coming from a database like the USDA database that tells you how much vitamin A that a carrot has in a certain serving size. So if you went by the label, then yes, you are getting Vitamin A from carrots but how much is the question. A good manufacturer will be able to tell you that it was tested for but such test methods are limited so it is always wise to ask the company. Why? Lot to lot variation can occur. Remember, a carrot grown beside another carrot on the same farm could have distinctly different amounts of Vitamin A due to the weather, soil, etc. conditions. So to standardize it, did the farmer add vitamins to it? Good question right? Plus, remember depending on the processing to make that product, are you truly getting the full amount of Vitamin A from that carrot that was initially harvested? Another thought to ponder, right?

If you have more questions about the label, definitely Google or search on Reddit what others are saying about the product. Best way to find out about what you are taking is to ask the manufacturer of the product and see what they have to say. Most products have a website that will lead you to a customer service agent who should be able to answer those questions for you.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be hard but you definitely need to be aware of the marketing a product has!