Walmart is the largest grocery chain in the US and they have now pledged their support of First Lady Michelle Obama's fight against childhood obesity. They say they will change the formulas of many of their Great Value brand items to lower the amount of sodium and sugar they contain. This could really help Americans in the efforts to achieve weight loss success.
This is a great move for consumers as the "hidden" sugar in these goods has a direct link to many of our health issues and this country's obesity epidemic. In fact, the starting place is to focus on things like salad dressing, fruit juice and lunch meat--products that when you read the label you will often see have sugar in the top 5 ingredients.
Sales of Great Value label products amount to roughly 20% of Walmart's sales--so this is not a small promise. But don't expect to see the change on products tomorrow--reformulation will take some time. The goal is to reduce soium by 25% and reduce or remove added sugar from "some" of their label products by 2015.
Even if you don't buy your groceries at Walmart, this move will likely have an affect on you because of the power Walmart yields with suppliers. The chain gets this power because it controls roughly 15% of the grocery sales in the US--the closest competitor is Kroger, the parent company of King Soopers here in Colorado, which is about 1/2 the size of Walmart.
It is likely that suppliers and even competitors will follow Walmart's lead as they did when the giant encouraged a reduction in packaging.
Also in the plan is removing more trans fats (hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils) from the line which will also be a big health benefit.
In another health-positive move, Walmart is pledging to lower prices on fresh produce.
Since we won't see these changes overnight, it is still up to us to make conscious food choices and to read labels. As more of us vote with our wallets and stop buying foods that contain unnecessary sugar, sodium and trans fats, the grocery industry will scramble to meet the demand for healthier foods.
Showing posts with label packaged foods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label packaged foods. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Honor Mother Earth and Have Weight Loss Success
This is Earth Week and as we turn our attention to what we can do to honor our Mother Earth, it is a good time to think about simple things we can do at home to help...not just the earth, but to lose weight, too!
These are things we can do every week, not just this week. Just like losing weight, it is by making small changes and absorbing them into our routine...making them our new habits...that we see big results!
One of the biggest things you can do for both the earth and your waist line is to eat fewer packaged foods. Less packaging is better for the environment.
You want to eat more fruits and vegetables...and think about how little packaging that entails! For most of them no package is required...or it comes built in! Whether it is something you can compost like the orange peel or something you eat, like yummy sugar snap pea...fruits and veggies give us great nutrition and what is left behind gives back to the earth!
The more packaging there is the more processing that food has been through. More processing typically means more of the good stuff is taken out and bad stuff has been put in. By buying fewer packaged foods you are pretty much guaranteeing you get more of the good and less of the bad!
Let's face it...sometimes we want packaged foods because of convenience. When that's the case select packaged foods with the earth and your health in mind. Read the labels for the contents so you know what you are eating, but also look at the label and see if the package is recyclable, made from recycled materials, printed with vegetable based inks, and uses vegetable based films. This all helps reduce our dependence on oil, supports our farms and keeps our land healthier.
It only takes a little effort to have a big impact on our environment. Making small changes like these will give you a big result...both for healthier you with weight loss success and a healthier planet, too!
These are things we can do every week, not just this week. Just like losing weight, it is by making small changes and absorbing them into our routine...making them our new habits...that we see big results!
One of the biggest things you can do for both the earth and your waist line is to eat fewer packaged foods. Less packaging is better for the environment.
You want to eat more fruits and vegetables...and think about how little packaging that entails! For most of them no package is required...or it comes built in! Whether it is something you can compost like the orange peel or something you eat, like yummy sugar snap pea...fruits and veggies give us great nutrition and what is left behind gives back to the earth!
The more packaging there is the more processing that food has been through. More processing typically means more of the good stuff is taken out and bad stuff has been put in. By buying fewer packaged foods you are pretty much guaranteeing you get more of the good and less of the bad!
Let's face it...sometimes we want packaged foods because of convenience. When that's the case select packaged foods with the earth and your health in mind. Read the labels for the contents so you know what you are eating, but also look at the label and see if the package is recyclable, made from recycled materials, printed with vegetable based inks, and uses vegetable based films. This all helps reduce our dependence on oil, supports our farms and keeps our land healthier.
It only takes a little effort to have a big impact on our environment. Making small changes like these will give you a big result...both for healthier you with weight loss success and a healthier planet, too!
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