Product Review: Easy Diet Labels
Steven of Easy Diet Labels kindly sent me some of his stickers to review a couple of weeks ago, and I have been enjoying slapping the stickers on food products all over my kitchen ever since.
A bag of frozen tofu got the “Great choice” sticker. A carton of free-range eggs got the “You made a smart choice” sticker. Laughing Cow Light Cheese was marked as “Lean protein”, and I stuck a label on my spray canister of olive oil that says “Choose me”. I found myself wanting to put stickers on everything from bananas to oatmeal to a bottle of champagne. I managed to restrain myself from putting them on some things, but I am happy to say that much of the food in my kitchen is now covered in cheery stickers.
So what exactly is the point behind Easy Diet Labels? Well, although we all know which foods we should be eating more of (veggies) and which we should be eating less of (candy), sometimes it’s not quite that simple. There are many different factors to take into consideration. Perhaps you have recently been diagnosed with high cholesterol, or perhaps there is someone in your family who eats junk food which you do not want to be eating. Easy Diet Labels are a way to quickly see which foods you should avoid and which you can happily enjoy.
One of the things I like best about these stickers is that they serve as that last barrier between me and the food. If I’m reaching for a snack mindlessly, regardless if the snack is something homemade (and believe me, there are very few processed items in my kitchen) the sticker reminds me that I should have “Just a few – 1 or 2 – eat in moderation”. Portion control, even for the healthy “real” food, is one of my biggest obstacles; even when I measure myself out a portion, I am liable to have a second or a third.
I have found that although I might know that I should only have 1 or 2 of an item, when a label tells me that right before I open the bag, I am actually more likely to meekly abide by the sticker’s suggestion. I don’t tend to keep unhealthy foods in my home because I am the only one living there, but I can see how these stickers would be perfect for those who live with people who have vastly different diets from their own.
These stickers come in a large variety, all of which Steven was generous enough to send to me. There are stickers that say “hi fiber”, “not on my diet”, “antioxidants”, “low calorie”, “medium carb”, and “heart healthy”, among others. They are brightly coloured in splashy fonts and are a fun way to stay informed. If you are looking to help your family to learn how to make better choices, using these labels would be a perfect first step. When the boyfriend saw that I had labelled the Sticks & Twigs with the “just 1 0r 2” sticker, he asked me why I had used that sticker because he thought they were a healthy snack. He read the nutrition label and ingredient list for more information after seeing the sticker and understood after doing so that although the snack has plenty of healthy ingredients, it isn’t exactly a low-fat or necessarily a low-calorie choice.
Finally, I also love these stickers because you get to decide how a food ought to be labelled. I have lots of issues with the current state of food labelling and food marketing, so it is wonderfully liberating to slap stickers on food that say what you think the food should be advertised with.
Have you tried Easy Diet Labels? What do you try to do to educate yourself and your family about making healthier choices?
Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge and was not compensated in any way for the review, nor was I under contract to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this blog post are entirely my own.
I had not heard of these before reading your post, but they do sound like a fun way to leave little reminders in the kitchen. Neat concept!
They are really fun! And it’s a positive reinforcer when you make a good choice. I was smiling when I saw the sticker on the carton of eggs when I went to make poached eggs the other day… silly as it seems, it made me feel quite pleased with myself!
I’ve never used these. I just know what’s good and what’s not. For my parents…one time my mom demanded to know why I avoid powdered coffee creamer, even though it only had 30 calories per serving. I showed her the ingredients list and explained trans fat. I do it if they ask. But otherwise I keep my mouth shut.
It’s an amazing what the ingredient list can do. I try to keep my mouth shut unless people ask questions… some days it’s harder than others 😉
these fit perfectly with your lately theme of labeling/marketing. i think its great to give the INDIVIDUAL the power to choose what he/she deems healthy, and these stickers are fun and easy way to do that and stay mindful.
That’s funny – the theme was totally unintentional. But there certainly is a lot to be discussed regarding nutrition labels and the ethics and strategies of marketing. I love it when the individual has that power!
I like the concept, but I would not use them. I use the Sesame Street method; that every time I look at a food I see it as a “sometimes” food, or an “always” food. That is how I raised my daughter, and the system, when practiced regularly, really works. My daughter is 20 now, and still uses those terms. That Cookie Monster — don’t let the name fool ya, he’s a fitness insurgent of the highest level 🙂
That method sounds awesome! I approve of the Cookie Monster 😀 I like the idea of referring to food as such. It takes the negativity away from eating and transforms it into being more about moderation than the “good” or “bad”.
BTW: LOVE the new look 🙂
Huh, I’d never heard of these before but they definitey sound intriguing! I’m trying to imagine how that would work at my house though – every person would tag each food with a different sticker. It would be war, lol!
Ahaha yes, that is certainly a good point. Too many people will likely have many conflicting views about how a food ought to be labeled… then again, that’s the beauty of it: these stickers are for that exact reason that if an individual disagrees with the way a food is marketed, they can slap on their own label of how they believe it should be presented!