Why are we so gullible?

An ad in The Philippine Star caught my atten-tion. It was a picture of a plate of tomatoes and cucumbers stuffed with a salad mixture of peppers, olives and greens on a bed of lettuce. A bowl of soup with some prawns and vegetables floating on it also was featured near the salad. The captions "Diet o daya?" on top and "Have it tested" at the bottom were bold. I read on and it said, "Are you sure of the protein, carbohydrate, fat and salt contents of your packaged diet meals? Call Gigi or Ivy at 374-800-3372 or 374-7993 for additional information.

It was an ad of Qualibet Testing Laboratory. It skipped my mind that the founder of this laboratory is my good friend Pinky Tabiano. Out of curiosity, I called the above number and talked to Gigi. After some probing, she told me that the founder of Qualibet is a certain Ms. Tabiano. I remembered that she told me about this new venture of hers.

This young lady is a chemist by profession and knows exactly what she is talking about. She decided to put up this laboratory so that the consumers will not be fooled by what they are offered.

Take for example the most popular South Beach Diet. Almost everyone in the Philippines who wanted to lose weight got into this diet. Those who could afford it spent oodles of money to have their meals catered by people who claimed to be experts in concocting the perfect South Beach Diets. But sadly, after all the hunger pangs and the mega bucks spent on their catered meals, no substantial results were seen. A lady friend of mine spent P40,000 on her South Beach Diet. She lost two measly pounds, which she gained back a few days after she stopped her diet.

Tabiano explained further that most chefs base their food recipes on theoretical calculations but only a few have it validated and analyzed. "We have checked the many South Beach Diet meals prepared by famous chefs and most of them have high fat and carbo content," she said.

A brief backgrounder on what the South Beach Diet is, for the benefit of the uninformed or for those who have never cared to learn more about it:

South Beach’s philosophy is that one has to eat the right carbs and right fats from normal-size helpings of meat, chicken and fish, vegetables, eggs, cheese, nuts and salads with olive oil dressing. Within two weeks, which is Phase One of the diet, fruits and bread are not allowed. Weight loss is anywhere from eight to 13 pounds. After the first two weeks, which is the most difficult period, one is supposed to get used to eating the right carbs and fats. This diet educates the individual into classifying the good carbs and the good fats from the unhealthy carbs and fats. Carbohydrates are so important in a diet as they are a source of energy, but we should know which kind of carbohydrates will benefit us the most. Bad carbs are white bread, pasta and white rice because they are highly processed. They convert into stored fat because they are difficult to metabolize. Good carbs are fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which have a lot of fiber.

Good fats are mono- and polyunsaturated oils like olive oil and canola oils which studies show are good for the health since they lower the risk of stroke and heart attack.

The South Beach Diet is not supposed to be just a diet. It is supposed to be a lifestyle and should change our eating habits if we want to remain healthy and fit. Following its principles, you are given the freedom to choose how to go about it on a daily basis. After the first two weeks, which is the crucial period of the diet, you are given a list of foods to enjoy and avoid.

But the bad part is someone putting his/her trust in the caterer for his South Beach Diet meals, only to realize after two weeks of pain and fortune spent that they may lose only two pounds.

Tabiano advises, " Always make sure your South Beach Diet comes with a seal of assurance from accredited food labs and chemists. Demand a certification from your chef with your expensive packed meals."

The importance of having food analyzed before being a sucker to all the media hype on these products is further emphasized by the different findings in her laboratory.

For instance, among all the virgin coconut oil advertised and marketed, only one passed the standard of healthy coconut oil. The rest of the other brands were saturated with bad fats, and hence were bad for the health. She also warned me about the water that we get from the different water filling stations. Some of them are handled unsanitarily Her laboratory discovered water from several filling stations that are high in bacterial content. Don’t be surprised if you have a bad case of gastro-enteritis or LBM. Chances are, it could be from the water that you buy.

I was further informed of the different creams and lotions that are marketed as organic. Some of them are not really organic, nor have the qualities that they claim to have.

To further validate Tabiano’s claims, I did further research and found out that there are big laboratories internationally that sell supposedly high-quality products. There are 12 laboratories that were named the dirty dozen as they used some toxic ingredients in their products. Surprisingly, these laboratories are well known and their products are very expensive, in fact.

I was so disgusted with myself after all I had found out as I realized that I am so gullible and such a sucker to great advertising. I tend to buy a lot of products that are termed "healthy" or "organic" without even thinking of having them analyzed, just because they are marketed by supposedly high-profile renowned companies with a long track record of good products.

Pinky Tabiano opened my eyes. In retrospect, I developed some harsh reactions to some products that were labeled "organic." I trusted in them because they were expensive and manufactured by some well-known laboratories.

As a warning to us consumers (and it is not because she is advertising her laboratory), she advises us to have our products, and food analyzed before we spend our hard-earned money on them. They could just be wolves in sheep’s clothing.