The Sunday morning paper is chock filled with advertisements to buy the latest office supplies, electronics, furniture, and food. While many skip over the coupons, I’m one to check to see when I can save a few bucks. The latest coupon packet was an example of the mixed messages that our country faces when trying to establish healthy eating habits.
At the top of the front coupon page was the title – SmartSource Magazine with the following statement: “Diabetes Smart – Take Charge of Your Health.” Now I applaud the coupon company for their desires to help the public with making lifestyle changes; however, as you will see, this statement is misguided and misleading.
The first 5 pages of the coupon booklet were not diabetes smart. They promoted products that were high in sugar, despite some of the healthy features in these foods. Take for instance the front cover which advertised Red Mango’s new coffee chillers. These frozen yogurt drinks with coffee have more sugar in a 20 oz cup than a comparable sized Coke soda (83 g vs 65 g). I’m pretty certain a Nutritionist or Registered Dietician would not recommend a soda for someone with diabetes, let alone something that has more sugar.
The next pages were followed by:
- Plum juice (26 g of sugar for an 8 oz serving)
- Fiber One Chewy Bar (Second ingredient is chocolate chips)
- Luck Charms Cereal (Marshmallows followed by sugar in the ingredient list)
- Cocoa Puffs Cereal
- Fun-da-middles (Cookies & creme cupcake mix)
- Betty Crocker Shake-n-Pour Brownies
- Toaster Strudel
The first healthy items did not appear until page 9 of the coupon booklet. If the publication truly supported its “Diabetes Smart” promotion, then none of the coupons provided would be a problem for diabetics. For those with Type II diabetes, this health issue can be managed and overcome through proper nutrition and regular exercise. But, as long advertisers keep pushing the wrong messages, this disease will only get worse. For customers to truly “Take Charge of Your Health”, they will have to stop buying many of the products listed in the coupon packet.
Diabetes Smart Logo, Source: News America Marketing Properties, LLC