Debunking Health Claims: SpaghettiOs

In the generation of recipe-less minds and tradition converted into easy bake ovens, many young people whose parents work late nights, or college students who don’t have the time or resources; products such as Campbell’s Spaghetti-O’s is the idea of a full meal. I recently purchased a can of Spaghetti-O’s original at the local university food housing store; which I have failed to eat due to the fact that I don’t have a can opener, hence lack in resources. When actually looking beyond the classic Campbell’s label and the exciting cartoon like image of the product, one may also see on the label a decoration of health claims. This canned food product, which can be ready in just three minutes, claims to have a “full serving of veggies” as it reads in bold blue letters on the front of the label. It also claims to have 6 essential vitamins and minerals within it, although that is hard to believe amongst its ingredients of citric acid, spice extract and high fructose corn syrup, what is that doing in there?!

As Doctor Zimney says in his article, Improving the environment and your Health,“We need to eat more food and fewer food products. What then is this thing I’m calling food? It’s fresh food that your great-grandmother would recognize as food. It’s not Go-Gurt. It’s not Vitamin Water. It’s not Slim-Jims, Snickers or Spaghetti-O’s.” Spaghetti-O’s is not a legitimate food, it is as he said simply a product; so what are we doing eating it? We don’t eat our clothes and those are products too, but of course Spaghetti-O’s is an American favorite right along with those snickers and Slim-Jims, (which might I add, aren’t making us any thinner!) On the actual Campbell’s webpage,they rebute arguments against them not being a food with the proud facts such as containing “a good source” of Vitamin A, Iron and Fiber.

So who could deny one of America’s “mMm MmM Good” favorite products for the our mouth watering , fast paced lifestyles? Well after looking at the fine print on the back of the label, underneath the rather small table of nutrition facts, it says that those claims on the front of the label of a “Full serving of veggies,” is really only a ½ cup of vegetables and 1 ounce equivalent of grain! Yet non-the less I couldn’t seem to find what vegetables this can may be talking about, unless of course those are just assimilated through that spice extract they put in it?! This product makes me say HmMm more than MmMm after debunking these stretches for health claims. Maybe I won’t hunt down a can opener and crack open this can after all, it is a true "Uh Oh" for buying these Spaghetti-O’s!

Remember get some real grains and veggies,
beef & asparagus