Even in a tough economy, the diet business is in terrific shape - unlike many of its customers.  But with research suggesting 95% of dieters regain the weight within 12 months, does the diet industry rely on our failure to make its profits? While we spend billions of dollars on diet food and products, our collective weight continues to increase.  The United States is now embroiled in what has been termed an “Obesity Epidemic”; as if getting fat were something contagious your kids could pick up at school and unwittingly bring home to the rest of the family!

With reports of obesity skyrocketing, it seems just plain irresponsible not to be following some kind of diet.  However, our increasingly busy lives make eating right a challenge for many Americans.  Luckily, our supermarkets offer a wide variety of easy-to-prepare and prepackaged foods that can save us valuable time in the kitchen.

As obesity levels soar, the cash-generating potential has never been so great for food companies.  We can now purchase a low-fat, sugar free, or low-carb version of just about anything!   But concerns are growing that this very industry is fuelling our rising obesity levels - after all, it would be a very short-lived business if we all achieved our weight goals using their products; we would no longer need them.  Their success depends on our failure.

Here’s how it works:

We are so busy that we tell ourselves we do not have time to eat properly or exercise.  But, we don’t want to gain weight, so we grab one of the many versions of prepackaged meals on offer at the grocery store.  We glance at the label to ensure there is not too much fat, sugar or carbohydrates per serving.  Feeling good about our choice, we bring it home and serve it up.  We tell ourselves that although we don’t have time for a home-cooked meal, we are at least getting nutrition that will help us stay healthy and attain our weight goals, right? WRONG!!

Many of the prepackaged foods may indeed be low in fat, carbohydrates and sugar. Since this leaves the food resembling a lump of soggy cardboard, it is necessary to add a few things to make it palatable. These foods are packed with sodium, flavor enhancers and preservatives that in fact, cause your body to retain water and increases insulin production, leading to extra weight gain.

What are the additives that are making us fat? One of the major culprits is MSG (monosodium glutamate).  Since its introduction into the American food supply fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the prepackaged meals, soups, snacks and fast foods we are tempted to eat everyday.  Ingesting MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, clearly a factor that contributes to obesity.

Here’s the problem; MSG can be found in nearly 90% of supermarket items. The reason they add it to food is to make people eat more.  Scientific studies indicate that not only does MSG cause people to eat more of foods that contain MSG, they begin to experience foods that don’t contain the product as bland and flavorless. Try getting the kids to eat their veggies after a week of prepackaged dinners – there will be complaints, to say the least! 

This may come as a surprise to you, but it is NO surprise to the companies that manufacture these products. The MSG manufacturers admit that it addicts people to their products. It makes people choose their product over others, and makes people eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn’t added.  From their point of view, it just makes good business sense to add it to our foods. 

Since many have learned about the negative effects of MSG, manufacturers have given it another name that sounds relatively healthy; Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein.  In addition, there is a loophole that allows companies to hide MSG in other additives and then claim “No MSG” on the label.  Food additives that contain hidden MSG include; Hydrolyzed Protein, Hydrolyzed Plant Protein, Plant Protein Extract, Sodium Caseinate, Calcium Caseinate, Yeast Extract, Textured Protein (Including TVP), Autolyzed Yeast, Hydrolyzed Oat Flour, Corn Oil.

And we wonder why the nation is overweight?  The products we have been relying on to help us maintain our health are, in fact sabotaging it! The more we eat, the more money the manufacturers make.  When we get fat, they are more than happy to sell us high-priced diet products – although the brand may be different, it is still owned by the same company! Did you know that Heinz owns the Weight Watchers food division?

It is time for a change!  Stop buying prepackaged foods!  Start eating real food that you make yourself.  It may be challenging at first.  It may be hard to find the time.  You may not be that comfortable in the kitchen. You may have to wean yourself off the prepackaged foods. That’s okay.  All that will change over time.  To ease the transition, here are some suggestions that may make it easier and more fun;

♦  Rather than going out to dinner with friends or family, try cooking a meal

    together at home.  It will be fun and rewarding. 

♦  On the weekends, spend time chopping fresh veggies and fruit. Put some in

    small containers that are easy to grab on your way out the door and keep the

    others in a larger container to make prep time faster for meals cooked during

    the week.

♦  Make an extra portion of dinner and have it for lunch the next day – this saves

    time and money!

♦  Cook a few extra portions of your favorite meals and freeze them.  They can

    easily be re-heated and served on days when you just don’t have time to cook.

♦  Share lunches with a friend or coworker; make a nice salad or soup and bring

    in enough to share. The next day, it is their turn! This way, you get healthy

    food every day but only half the prep and cleanup time!

♦  Get the family involved! Even the little ones can help make dinner! Find jobs

    for kids such as washing veggies, grating cheese or measuring ingredients.

    Not only will it make your job in the kitchen easier, they are more likely to eat a

    healthy meal when they helped to create it!

♦  Go with a theme; find recipes that use a few common ingredients and cook

    them all week.  This way, you can have several meals without having to

    purchase a lot of different items or running the risk of wasting food.  There are

    several websites that offer recipe finders based on the ingredients you have on

    hand.

Whatever you choose to do, just have fun with it!  No matter how busy your life is, it is important to take time to honor your health.  The healthier you are, the better you feel.  The better you feel, the more you can accomplish.  You are worth it!