Food marketers often slap claims on packages to make products seem healthier than they really are. How to avoid getting duped by seven misleading labels.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Hey, it’s Robert Davis, the Healthy Skeptic. Food packages often include marketing buzzwords that make the product seem good for you when in fact it’s not. Here are seven sneaky labels to watch out for.
One: “Natural.” You might assume this means the food is organic or has no additives. Not necessarily.
In fact, there’s no official definition of the term for packaged foods, so manufacturers can slap it on just about anything, including products that are highly processed.
Two: “Lightly sweetened.” There’s no standard definition of this term either, and foods with this label may be loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Three: “No sugar added.” The key word here is “added.”
Products with this label may contain naturally-occurring sugar. “No sugar added” fruit juice, for example, can have more sugar than soda.
Four: “Low” or “Reduced” fat. Not all types of fat are bad for us, and removing it doesn’t necessarily make a food more healthful.
Take peanut butter, for instance. The lower-fat version is actually less healthy because beneficial fats are removed and sugar is added.
Five: “Made with.” Foods claiming to be “made with” real fruit may show pictures of apples or strawberries on the box but in fact have only a trace of fruit in the form of puree.
Likewise, products labeled “made with” whole grains may contain only small amounts and consist mainly of refined grains, which are less healthful.
That brings us to six, “Multigrain.” This is easily confused with whole grain, but they’re not the same thing.
Multigrain just means different types of grains, some of which may be refined and not so healthy.
Seven: “Light.” This is an especially tricky one.
Usually it means the product is lower in salt, fat, or calories than the regular version. But “lower” doesn’t necessarily mean “low.”
And here’s where it gets even more confusing: “light” can also refer to texture, color or flavor.
So light olive oil, for example, is lighter in color and flavor, but not calories.
The best approach is to ignore claims like these on packages and instead look at the nutrition facts label and the list of ingredients. That can require more effort, and perhaps some reading glasses. But you’ll be less likely to get duped and more likely to choose foods that truly are better for you.
For more on diet and nutrition claims, check out my book Coffee is Good for You, which reveals the truth about everything from red meat to red wine.