Not so sure Q: I see commercials all the time for Ensure, and when I asked my doctor about it, he said that if I like it, I should drink it regularly since it provides a lot of important nutrients. I bought some and it does say "No. 1 Dr. recommended" on the label. What are your thoughts on it? Dr. Wright: If that label claim is true, it just goes to show you, once again, the sorry state nutrition information and knowledge passed along by many medical schools. If you turn the package around and take a look at the ingredient list, you'll see what I mean. Here are the first few, along with my comments. - sucrose…This is sugar -- completely "empty calorie" sugar, which has directly contributed to the rapidly increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes in this country
- corn syrup…Also sugar -- same comments as above
- maltodextrin (corn)...Sugar again. Isn't it bad enough that the first and second ingredients are also sugars?
- milk protein concentrate... Cow's milk is a major allergen for many people
- canola oil... A potentially cancer- and inflammation- promoting omega-6 fatty acid, pressed from genetically altered, then re-named, "rapeseed" ("canola" is much more politically correct)
- soy protein concentrate...This is another major allergen and frequently contains MSG
- corn oil... Yet another omega-6 oil, which has quite possibly contributed to the immense increase in cardiovascular disease in the 20th century. Haven't these "balanced nutrition" folks heard that you need omega-3 fatty acids too? (More, in fact, that you need omega-6s.)
Following these disease-promoting major ingredients is a list of actually worthwhile vitamins and minerals. But besides the fact that they come after way too many harmful substances to do any real good, they're also almost all at levels of only 25 percent of the already less-than-satisfactory "recommended daily value." The only thing this unbalanced, incomplete formulation will "ensure" is a higher risk of poor health! I don't know who the doctors are that make this their "No. 1" recommendation, but you're much better off staying far away from the stuff! |
