Fake Health Foods

2 Fake Health Foods
by Dr. Lonnie Lowery

1. Low-Fat Peanut Butter

Let's take the healthy, mostly monounsaturated fat out and mix-in some corn syrup solids. Brilliant. Whether this appeases the leaders of the "dietary fat witch hunt" or not, it just creates a nice fat-plus-sugar combo that we just don't need.
And although Consumer Reports has stated that there is actually little trans-fat in most peanut butters, I still pass on the creamy run-of-the-mill stuff. I like the taste of real mashed-up peanuts in their own oil. It's bizarre, if you think about it, that we have to pay significantly more for "natural peanut butter." In the name of George Washington Carver! That's the REAL stuff! In fact, it's sometimes only offered in stores with a specialty foods section. Ugh.

2. Margarine

Here another smart move, eh? Industry's efforts to find an alternative to butter (which admittedly isn't something that should be over-indulged-in) brought our society to margarine. Trans fatty acids replaced the saturated ones and voila —vascular disease is more common than ever.
When I use margarine, it's an olive oil-based, trans fat-free type. Or, on occasion, I even use actual butter. Or how about just getting used to life without it? Learn to suck it up, you pampered child of the kindly West! You're just smearing fat on your carbs by remaining dependent on buttered toast and margarine-fried pancakes. Not good for a dieter. These foods aren't really that different from donuts; would you diet on those?
Listen, margarine—at least in its original form—was basically a mistake. Even if it is a modern-day staple. On holidays, I still find myself smiling at how far society has drifted into our fancy new hydrogenated world when my mom announces "I'm serving this with REAL butter!"