How Food Marketing Tricks You And How To Respond

Transcript

Welcome And Why This Matters

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to There is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell and I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I am the owner of Maxwell's fitness programs, and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and most importantly why things work. Hence the name, There Is a Method to the Madness. Before I get to today's show, I want to thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilden of the Gilden Group at Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales. Why don't you give them a shout and figure out what your home is worth? 386-451-2412.

The Fitness Blame Game

SPEAKER_00 0:46

Is it your fault? Is it their fault? Whose fault is it? I'm going to talk about an issue that I think is really important when it comes to health and fitness. And I'm going to start talking a little bit about the blame game that we see a lot out there. Um so let me give you some of the some of the other side. The other side would be the food industry, and then our side or your side is people that eat the foods from the food industry. So I'm going to talk about a little bit their side, and it's almost like implying that they are the enemy. It is their side. I think that's often how it is perceived. And um, I'm going to talk about that. So let me first talk about their side a little bit. You know, oftentimes when people are, you know, they're either struggling to get to the weight they want to be or to get in better shape, or maybe they just um, you know, they don't like what they see as the unfairness of things. And I get all that. I really, really do. But there's a lot of talk over, well, you know, the food industry really does what they can to trick us and give us bad information. And so it's really their fault that I can't seem to get in better shape. You know, so that is a philosophy that's out there. And, you know, like everything in life, there's probably like extreme versions of that where people like won't take any responsibility and it's all their fault, you know, just like if they got hooked on cigarettes or now vaping, I suppose, but tobacco products, you know, it's all their fault for the targeting of marketing that they do to get you hooked. Like they're trying to get you addicted to these specific products in this case, again, tobacco products. And, you know, same thing, right? Um, and then of course, adding fuel to the fire, big tobacco loses a lawsuit, has to change some labeling. And again, I'm not against or for it at all. And when it comes to food, same way. Now, the the food industry, it's more near and dear to my heart because it really impacts more the type of health and fitness that I help people with. I mean, there's no question that smoking will degrade somebody's health faster than anything. So I'm not trying to imply that it's less important than food. It's actually probably more important. It's just that's not my scope of practice. So, you know, the food, weight gain, weight management, uh, fueling for your workouts, that's all part and within my scope of practice, okay?

How Stores And Brands Nudge You

SPEAKER_00 4:05

So let me give you their side. I guess if you're on the camp of it's all their fault, then we'll just call them the enemy. So there's no doubt that they hire what are called human factors psychologists to help the food industry sell product. I mean, there is no question that they do that. I mean, I know some people that work in the um social media end of those things to try to help get people hooked onto social media. So there's definitely a psychological human factors department that's job is to get you to buy the crap that's not good for you. Absolutely, this is true. Nobody's gonna dispute that. Not even them, I don't think. So this is true. Let me tell you some of the things that they do. Product placement. They're gonna put all foods at the eye level of who they think they're going to buy it. So if it's an adult food that's, you know, maybe not ideal for you, it's cheap, but it's not ideal, or it's expensive, but it's not ideal. Doesn't matter. They want it to sell, they're gonna put it at the eye level of an adult. If it's a uh kid's food, like a kid's cereal or whatever, it's gonna be placed at their eye level. So the kids' products that they really, really want to push are gonna be maybe three or four feet off the floor. And the adult products that they really, really want to push are gonna be more five to six feet off the floor. Okay, so they do that. And they don't do that because it's easier for people to reach, they do it because they're trying to get you to see the product because they know that the human brain will buy what it sees oftentimes. Another thing that they use is they use color psychology such as red and yellow on the labeling and packages, which actually stimulate hunger and urgency. Now, how great of an impact does that have? You know, I had to stop and think about that one a little bit. How much impact does that have? I don't know, but it has some impact, or they wouldn't do it. So they're going to use that. They want you to think, you know, oh man, you know, I'm hungry. And the the red and the yellow ink that they use is going to stimulate that more than other colors. All right. So they also will do what they call false freshness, and that's where they will perfect what uh what we're doing here. Not perfectly, but purposely mist the produce to make it look super fresh, you know, keeping it cooler. Um they're going to do things like that. I mean, they can take, like, say, you know, almost rotten zucchini and put it out there and start misting it with water, and and the the allure is gonna be, oh wow, this is a fresher product when in reality they're just watering it. So they do do that. And and again, is there anything wrong with that? I mean, I you know, I guess that's up to you to decide. I mean, uh, it's a tough one, isn't it? I don't think there's anything wrong with that one. I mean, you know, they're well, I don't want to give the other side yet. See, I so want to like counter each argument because that's my nature, but we don't want to do that just yet. All right, so another thing that is used in psychological marketing is what they call psychological pricing. So they're going to manipulate the prices and the shortages a little more than you would like to think. For example, some milk products will be held in the back more to make it seem like they're running out. And so when you see maybe one or two gallons of milk, and I'm not insinuating, by the way, any of these products are bad, like milk. I mean, I think I already stated I told you I bleak tobacco is bad, but I'm just stating how they sell products. So they'll purposely leave it relatively empty, depending on the store and the circumstance. So you will think there's a bit of a shortage. And so if you see that one or two gallons of milk, even though you weren't necessarily going to shop for it, you might grab it and put it in your cart. So hey, you fell for it, that's on you. But anyway, that goes on, and that goes on with other types of products as well. Another way that they use psychological pricing to their advantage is end cap sales, which we all see. I mean, I fall for that one a lot, but you know, I do and I don't. I mean, I know that the BOGOs are going to be mostly on the end caps, but typically I only buy the BOGOs that I was going to buy. A lot of times it's the coffees and things like that. But anyway, they're going to push the products that they want to sell. They're going to put them on sale, and they're going to put them in your face, whether it be on the end caps or in the center of the aisles or things like that. Again, all these sound kind of small and minuscule, but they all add up to what they're trying to do. It's, you know, it's not a matter of when you lived in the in the old country town or Wild Wild West, when you went to the grocery store and you're like, you know, I need milk, I need eggs, I need bread. And they were right where they were supposed to be, you know, with no manipulation. It's just not that anymore. I mean, food is big, big, big business. All right. And now one of the now the last thing that they do as far as psychologically manipulating you to buy certain products. And this one I have always,

Deceptive Labels People Fall For

SPEAKER_00 9:54

this one I've always had an issue with. This one for sure I've had an issue with. And it's called deceptive labeling. And uh, you know, they've done it for so long. And again, it's like, should they, should they not? I don't know. Like, I really don't know on that one. Um, you know, I I'm a big believer in buyer beware and learning, and I'll get to that. But this one does bug me. So but you know what? It also bugs me that so many people fall for it. I mean, you have to be pretty darn ignorant to fall for some of the labeling, and you'll see what I mean in a second. But you know, one of the most common ones we see all the time is natural, natural, natural. I mean, there's a famous bread product that's probably not that bad. And I know I bought it before, and I'm not gonna like slander the label, whatever, but like it literally has natural in the title of the brand. And I'm like, it is not natural. I mean, natural is like when one of my employees is actually making sourdough bread at home. Okay, that's natural. This is far from natural. You can flip it over and you can see all of the ingredients, which are far from natural. I'm not saying they're not necessary. They they are necessary if you're going to ship the bread and preserve the bread and keep the bread on the shelf for at least three or four days. So it's not that that's the other side with natural, is so what? I mean, you know, some things need to be preserved. I mean, but they use it and people go, oh, it's natural. You know, this is natural beer. Don't they have a beer natural light or something? I mean, come on, man. I mean, how stupid are you to fall for that? To think, oh, this beer must be good for me. It's natural light. It's like, yeah, that's such a natural product. I mean, it just rains beer out there, right? Just makes beer puddles, mud puddles, and we clean it up and drink the beer. I mean, come on, people. Natural, you just have to be a little bit slow on the take to fall for that one. But that's an example. Another one is organic. Now, I have no issue with organic products. It's a huge industry in itself right now. Um, personally, I have some issue with like what needs to be and what not needs to be. And is it really organic? That would be the bone I would pick. But I don't have a bone to pick at all with it being naturally organic. I mean, I think if it really is and it's got its USDA green organic stamp, then it is organic, but you got to be real careful because there are products out there that state organic without the organic seal that are not organic. So you got to be careful with that. That's another one. Is that like a real big one with me? No, it's not. And here are the ones that really, really, really get me. So the protein distortion on labels. So, number one, that implies that protein is the most important thing that you should be eating, and that is not true. You need to eat a balanced diet of protein, carbs, and fat. So, number one, it's already a lie when it over-exaggerates the protein. Number two, a lot of the overly exaggerated protein foods are high in sugar and other things. For example, like most protein bars you're going to get, I was gonna say over-the-counter, they're all over the counter. I guess what I mean is like from a Publix, from a um, you know, a Wawa, whatever. I'm not trying to slam any of the big companies at all. It has nothing to do with that. But for the most part, they're just glorified candy bars. Sure, you know, that whatever bar has 12 grams of protein or even 20 grams of protein, which is a good level of protein, and it also has 32 grams of sugar. And then if you picked up a Snickers, it might have eight grams of protein. So what's the difference? The answer is very little. So other foods that aren't necessarily protein-style foods, typically, like you know, most grains and plant products other than, say, soy and quinoa, are not protein foods to begin with, but they'll put you know, high in protein or they'll load it up with protein to try to get you to buy it, like a lot of the breakfast cereals, you know, are protein fortified. Okay, it's still just like glorified junk food, but people fall for it because kind of like the natural thing, like, oh, it's high in protein, man. It's gotta be a healthy food. No, no, it's not. I mean, you know, protein isn't synonymous with health, by the way. Some protein is good, and you know, all of the macronutrients are good within their regular range that they should be in. But don't fall for the high protein on the label thing. You know, if it's a box of cereal and it says high protein, please buy another box of cereal. Cereal's not supposed to be high in protein. Cereal is a grain. And if you really, really are doing what you should do, you should be shopping the ingredients and make sure that they're complex carbs, high in fiber, low in sugar. Don't worry about the flipping protein on a cereal box, for God's sakes. That's just manipulation. Of course it is. Do I fault them? No, I don't. They're doing what they're paid to do, which is sell the cereal. All right. Um, another one, these are the ones that'll really make you feel silly. All right. I love when you see no cholesterol on bread products and cereals. Guess what? Cholesterol is a fat found only in animal products. It is impossible for there to be cholesterol in a plant product. So the fact they state it is just manipulating the market. Doesn't it make you feel kind of silly when you picked up the bread and you bought it because it said no cholesterol? When in reality it was never supposed to say cholesterol because it never had cholesterol to begin with. You'd be amazed how many people buy those products just because it says no cholesterol. All right. Cholesterol is not something that you need to be looking for in your complex carbohydrates or any form of plant products, it just doesn't exist. All right, cholesterol is a fat found in animal products. So that's just manipulation. Shame on them. I mean, I guess they're not lying. It is no cholesterol. I say shame on you because you fell for it and you didn't do your homework. Another one that's often misdone, uh misleading people is when it says like less fat. I love that one. So this yogurt has less fat. Oh, look, it's less fat. It's like less fat than what? So it's got 17 grams of saturated fat. Yeah, but it's less than the 18 in this one. I mean, it's just turn around and read the label. I mean, if if you really want to learn what is in foods, turn around and read the label. So less fat is kind of a funny one. And then a lot of the fat-freeze, which again could work in certain instances. But so the um, you know, a couple of the nice companies that I've kind of ripped on before that I won't right now. But um, you know, in the 80s they were pushing the fat-free thing huge and heavy, and there was snack wells and all these kind of things. And right on the label, the box, it would say, you know, fat-free, no cholesterol. Well, I already ripped on the cholesterol. It's not supposed to be there in a plant-based product anyway, but they would, you know, it'd say cholesterol-free, fat-free. People are like, oh man, this is good for me, you know? And then like that one cupcake still had 300 calories in it because it was loaded with sugar. I mean, you know, I'm not an anti-carb, I'm not an anti-pro, I'm not any of that. Like it's all within balance, it's all within what you need. All of that is marketing BS that they do all of the time. And uh, you know, but when they looked at what happened in the 90s, people got fatter because they were just pigging out on the fat-free products because it was just loaded with sugar. Now, does that mean, oh, the carbs are the problem? No, it's your appetite that is the true problem. Like that is where the problem is. And then finally, the last one that you'll often see on products is gluten-free. And that's another one that makes me laugh. You'll see like gluten-free on like chicken and gluten-free on dairy, and I've even seen gluten-free on beef. It's like, really? No shit. I mean, so gluten is a carbohydrate sugar found in plant products. I mean, that's what it is. So that meat better be gluten-free. It never was there to begin with. But people fall for it. Oh, I hear I shouldn't eat any gluten. It'll make me fat or it'll make me, you know, it'll make I'm allergic to it. I'll swell up. I mean, it it's all campaign marketing to get you. I mean, and it works. So I already said we're gonna take two sides of this, and I think I've been already kind of leading you in the side you need to really pay attention to.

Responsibility, Choice, And Better Sources

SPEAKER_00 19:19

So, a couple different quotes that I really, really love, you know, and I'm just gonna paraphrase them here. But basically, one of them is by Marcus Aurelius, who states that we always have control over our opinions. We always have control over the information that's given to us. We always have control over it. And then Epictetus, a Roman slave who became a Stoic philosopher, went on to say a little bit later that basically we need to decipher like what is up to us and what is not up to us. And we we're not a slave, you know, no, no pun intended, and he was trying to make a point that if we can still choose what we need to choose. And Victor Frankl, the famous Holocaust survivor who became a psychiatrist, had the same belief system as well. He says, you know, you're not a prisoner if you still have the freedom to choose. So I'm really, really big on that. Like, I'm but I'm a big believer in like these things happen. There's no question about it, that you're going to have marketing campaigns that are going to try to get money out of you. I mean, of course, that's the business that they're in. You know, should there be more regulation on that? I mean, I don't know. I mean, I I think when it comes to labeling and marketing and stuff, no, I don't think so. I just think that there needs to be a level of transparency that whatever is on in the food is on the label. And I think after that they can write whatever they want on the boxes, you know. Does there need to be more campaigns to educate the public? It's like, I don't know that either. I mean, you know, I know that for me, when I started to get really passionate about health and fitness, like, you know, I didn't know much. I mean, I went by like what my mom taught me. She was big into health when I was young and she worked out and she walked and stuff, and you know, she went to health food stores. And so, you know, I I think I got a pretty good starter education on that, you know, and um, you know, she didn't know anything by any means. I mean, I look back at some of her habits when I was young, and I, you know, and I think, well, you know, that wasn't ideal. But, you know, she didn't know, but it was certainly good enough, and I would say better than a lot, you know. But but the point is, like, I had a thirst for knowledge. So when I started to figure things out and get healthier and fit, like I had a thirst. For knowledge. Like I did my homework. Like I went off, and I think everybody knows I got my psych degree and then I got my exercise physiology degree. But I remember like when I was taking my undergraduate courses when I was a psych major, I really thrived in human nutrition, the course. And like I learned and I liked it and I thought it was great. And I was a sponge for knowledge. And, you know, you might say, well, you had a benefit. You know, you went to college. Not everybody does, not everybody studies nutrition. But what I learned was that it's not nearly as complicated as people make it out to be. And nowadays, with you know, um, Chat GBT and AI, and Google now has like less ads because it's been forced to. I mean, you there's a wealth of knowledge out there. Like nobody's really hiding anything from you except for the people that are trying to sell you things. But, you know, it's it's kind of like if you want to use the war reference, it's like, okay, so that's that side, but your side, I mean, you're not a victim, people. Like, you honestly cannot blame the food companies because of the way they're marketing or what they want you to buy. It is not their responsibility to try to get you to buy the right products. I mean, you have to educate yourself on this. And I really, really believe that if you really want to get fit, if you really, really want to get well, you will get the information. You know, I have people, I mean, I train people every day. You know, I have my own personal schedule from roughly 7 o'clock until 12, and I'm working with people, and predominantly what we'll do is the strength training portion. And um, you know, but if there's ever a question that comes up, like when people want to know something, I had a client today, it wasn't about this subject, but it was about stretching and youth sports, and she wanted to know. So she asked me and I gave her the information. So, you know, there's things we hear all the time, but we can go to the experts and ask. And again, even if you're not going to a personal trainer, it's not in your budget, or you don't want to, I mean, you can Google. There are ways to figure out what is truly best for you. So uh no, I just don't believe that there's any excuses to push the responsibility off of the individual when it comes to food choices. I just don't. I mean, there are some that don't know. Of course, there's a level of ignorance that people don't know. And yes, I've already admitted that there's a ton of marketing with people pushing, you know, over protein products. I mean, don't forget, that stuff's expensive. So of course that they want to push it. I mean, you know, how much is a protein bar even, you know? I mean, it it's not cheap if you go into a uh a Wawa or a 7-Eleven, you know. Um, I remember a month ago I was in there looking around, and and I honestly I don't know. I think like the certain protein bars on the shelf were like two for five dollars or something like that, but then I noticed there was a banana for 49 cents, you know, which one do they rather sell? You know, I mean, of course that that's an easy answer. So, you know, of course that goes on. Of course the manipulation goes on, but you have to educate yourself. And I truly believe, you know, people that want to get better, there's just so many resources out there that they can ask and they can get the right information from people without an ulterior motive to lead you in the right direction. I mean, you know, if you go to a back surgeon and and they're an orthopedic surgeon and you're getting like an opinion, what do you think they're gonna say? I mean, come on. If you go to an orthopedic doctor that doesn't specialize in surgery, you know, or more uh, you know, um easier treatment, so to say, maybe they're more in the physical direct. They're not in the either, is the point. I mean, what are they gonna say? You're gonna get more of an honest answer. I mean, that's just life. I mean, so you have to educate yourself on what the best course is for you, and the information is out there. I heard so now let me bring it back into balance a little bit because I'm not I'm not completely giving the powers up be a pass. I'm really, really not. I understand what they're trying to do. I just don't, I'm not going to like degrade myself and feel like I'm a victim to that because that is just that's loser talk, right? I mean, we don't want to be that way. We want to be the best we can be. So let me bring it back to a little bit of middle

Balance Luck With Personal Responsibility

SPEAKER_00 26:38

ground here. I heard a quote the other day. Um, it was about politics kind of, but I really, really liked it, and I think it can apply to this. But the person said that he wished like the people who represented the government, not necessarily like the the politicians or whatever, because look, I'm sorry, I don't know what side you're on, and it really doesn't matter because I think both I know both sides do it. I mean, they're just gonna tell you essentially what they think you want to hear to stay in office. So not them. I'm talking about like maybe the communication people, you know. He said he wished that they would, one side would talk about how luck is involved. Like there is a level of luck. Like you just can't always tell people it's your own fault. Like there is a level of luck. And he wished that that side of the aisle would just admit it that yes, there's a level of luck, but we still believe there's opportunity for you to get better. Like, just admit it. No, not everybody has had it as easy as you. We're going to admit it. And not everybody has had it as hard as you. We're just gonna admit it. That's all. And then he said he wished the other side would talk more about personal responsibility and say, you know, hey, we wish you would work as hard as you want to get the results. So, like it was kind of that perfect balance of, you know, one side really, really, really wishes that the politicians at B would talk about the luck factor. And then the other side would really, really wish that they would stop talking about the luck factor so much and, you know, talk about the personal responsibility because I think if both sides concede a little bit, like we could get somewhere. And I really, really, really like that. So I'll end with a uh, you know, a quote that actually my mom gave me that I thought was really, really, really cool. And I try to keep religion and spirituality and all that. I don't know that I keep spirituality out of this, but try to keep, you know, everything neutral. But it doesn't matter. I just think it was an awesome quote growing up. She used to tell me, she'd say, Rob, you know, why don't you like pray as if everything is dependent upon God and work as if everything is dependent upon you. And you know, is that not great advice? Because then you're really, really getting the best of both worlds. So to wrap up this podcast, I want to

Key Takeaways And How To Support

SPEAKER_00 29:02

state that. You know, just know that the the marketing gurus of the food company do want to get you hooked and they want to get you hooked on bad food. But also know that you have the freedom of choice, that you can make the right choices. And if you make the right choices, you will get into the best shape that you can get in for you. Thank you everybody for listening to today's show. I really appreciate it. I ask you if you will please hit automatic download wherever you are getting your podcasts, and please subscribe to the show. It will cost you absolutely nothing. And if you heard anything you like, I would really appreciate it if you would send it to somebody who you think needs it. You can text it to them, you could email it to them, you can share it to your social media. And now I want to take the time to thank our second great sponsor, Procharge Liquid Nutrition. This stuff is great. My personal favorite is the lemon lime. Each packet has two servings, and each serving is 20 grams of protein. The great thing about it is you can open up the packet and squirt it right into your mouth. You don't have to mix any proteins, you don't have to shake anything up. It is that simple. You can take it with you when you travel, so you don't have to try to pack any bulky protein containers. You can put it in your carry-on or you could put it in your suitcase. That makes it super convenient. It's really great stuff. So check them out on my website at fitto themax.net or just check them out and Google them at Procharge Liquid Nutrition. Thanks everybody.