What you see vs. what you get

It’s relatively easy to find organic produce these days–even in regular supermarkets. But finding organic meat is a little bit trickier…

You see, when you’re looking for a truly organic piece of beef, you have to ask if the cow has been “grass finished.” That means that the cow was fed grass right up to the time it became steak. The distinction is a small–but important–one. Because even organic cows can be “grain finished” (meaning they were fed grains before slaughter to fatten them up) and still be considered organic.

It’s one of those labeling loopholes food manufacturers and producers try to slip past us–like if a product contains less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving it can still be called “sugar free.” Or 100% extra virgin olive oil…Did you know that the United States consumes more extra virgin olive oil each year than the entire world produces?

So, once again, don’t believe everything you read on a label.

These labeling rules are put in place to allow food manufacturers to skirt the true meaning of the words. That’s why you should never look at the front of a package for information on a food. The package can pretty much say anything it wants.

The nutritional information and ingredient list, on the other hand, have to be 100% truthful. So that should be the very first place you look to get the information you need to make an informed decision about what goes into your mouth.