What Is a Health Halo?
“Health Halo” is a term that means that a saying or phrase is powerfully linked to being well in our vocabulary. The truth is that often, the meaning behind this saying may be far from healthy.
Dr Jonathan (Chiropractor) first heard about this when watching Super Size Me Two by Morgan Spurlock. If you haven’t seen it, it will blow your mind. You will not be the same afterward.
Marketing Magic: How Words Deceive Us
Dr Jonathan explains how the food industry, in particular, redefines terms in our minds and replaces them with ones that seem much healthier.
For example, knowing that fried foods are bad for us, the food industry tries not to fry foods anymore. Sounds great? Not really; they make them “crispy” instead.
Do you know how they make food crispy? They fry it.
That’s right, renamed, repackaged, and a new product is born – “Healthy.”
The ‘Natural’ Deception
Another health halo is “All Natural Ingredients.” It sounds great; however, arsenic is natural. It is element No. 33 on the periodic table with the chemical symbol As.
You could have all-natural, organic arsenic for breakfast but not for lunch, as you would not make it to lunch.
Dr Jonathan’s Favourite Health Halos
Here are some of Dr Jonathan’s favourites:
- “No added salt” (lots of salt)
- “No added sugar” (already too sweet)
- “Contains vitamins” (added to make it legal)
- “Low fat” (compared to what?)
Mountain Water and Other Myths
Recently, Dr Jonathan was given some shower gel, and he was delighted to see that it was hydrated with mountain water.
In his mind, he could see the Sherpa carrying the water on their head in a clay vessel all the way down the mountain to hydrate his gel. The gel would, in turn, hydrate his skin, he supposed, which in turn would hydrate him, and that must be good because we all need to be hydrated, right?
The mountain water makes literally no difference other than to water down the other ingredients.
Building Real Health
It’s vital to remember that your health is built over time. The best diets always come down to eating less, eating natural, eating seasonally, and varying what you eat. Don’t be fooled by the marketing.
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