Manwich? On a Clean Eating blog?
No - I'm not advocating eating Manwich! I'm highlighting it because I think truth in advertising is important, and recognizing nutritional information - and more importantly, bogus and misleading nutritional information, is vital for the Clean Eater.
The ads tout that Manwich has a "full serving of vegetables" in every Manwich. The label has a large banner across it that says "Full serving of vegetables" - but what does that really mean? According to the Department of Agriculture, they no longer even use the term "servings" and haven't for a long time, but instead now advise eating 2-3 cups of vegetables a day. So how many cups of vegetables are actually in Manwich? A footnote on the back of the can in very small print reads "A 1/4 cup serving of Manwich provides 1/2 cup of vegetables." Turns out, The Department of Agriculture considers a 1/4 cup of tomato puree to be equivalent to 1/2 cup of vegetables. Huh? Now, I'm no math expert, but I do not believe 1/4 = 1/2. I don't get this part of it.
Mainly, know that Manwich is manipulating the serving terminology ( and deliberately using "outdated" terminology ) to give an impression of a healthy food, when in reality, Manwich is merely heavily sweetened tomato sauce with a lot of salt - and people reaching for this thinking they are providing their kids with something moderately healthy have been deliberately misled.
In the mood for a CE sloppy joe? Make your own with organic tomato paste & sauce, spices, maybe some salsa, finely chopped vegetables, and ground beef.
Mainly, know that Manwich is manipulating the serving terminology ( and deliberately using "outdated" terminology ) to give an impression of a healthy food, when in reality, Manwich is merely heavily sweetened tomato sauce with a lot of salt - and people reaching for this thinking they are providing their kids with something moderately healthy have been deliberately misled.
In the mood for a CE sloppy joe? Make your own with organic tomato paste & sauce, spices, maybe some salsa, finely chopped vegetables, and ground beef.