6 food label promises that sound healthy but aren’t
Many food labels include promises that sound healthy. Reduced fat. Sugar-free. Plant-based. These terms imply the food is healthy. In reality, these claims are misleading or even meaningless. For example, “reduced fat” products may still contain unhealthy ingredients and additives. “Sugar free” products usually contain artificial sweeteners and other chemicals. And “plant-based” may indicate a lack of animal products, but it doesn’t guarantee a lack of harmful, processed ingredients.
It’s no wonder that people have so much confusion about what to eat. Remember that you can’t believe everything you read on a food’s packaging. And many of the foods posing as healthy options aren’t as good as they seem. Let’s talk about seen of the common food labels terms that sounds healthy but may be trying to mislead you.
REDUCED FAT
Reducing fat sounds like the right way to go for a healthier lifestyle. But it’s not as simple as that. Some food products that say “reduced fat” may sound more healthy than their full-fat counterparts. But it doesn’t always mean they’re good or even better choices.
Here’s why. Less fat doesn’t necessarily mean fewer calories. The term “reduced” only means something has been decreased from its original amount. And since fat tastes good, companies often add sugar and other, artificial ingredients to make up for the loss of flavor from the fat reduction. So those “healthier,” reduced-fat cookies? They may have more sugar or calories than the regular ones.
ALL NATURAL
You might think putting “all natural” on a label means the food has to be healthy. But it doesn’t mean that at all. In fact, it barely means anything. There is no legal definition of “all natural.” It can mean anything from “the product contains no artificial ingredients” to “all of the processing aids are natural.” The USDA does provide guidance on what they consider all-natural, and the FSIS must approve anyone putting “all natural” or “100% natural” labels on their products. The bottom line: There are plenty of natural ingredients that are terrible for you.
NO SUGAR ADDED
The food label promise “no sugar added” is a trick to make a product sound sugar-free. The FDA’s guidelines for the use of the phrase “no sugar added” means a product with this label “cannot be processed with any sugar or sugar-containing ingredients, though it can have sugar alcohol or artificial sweeteners.” These products can still contain artificial sweeteners and any amount of sugar that occurs naturally in their ingredients.
HEART HEALTHY
The AHA, American Heart Association, and the FDA says a food can be labeled “heart healthy” if it meets specific requirements for fat, cholesterol and sodium content. But to date there’s no research that proves purchasing these products will actually reduce the risk of heart disease in any way.
For a product to be “heart healthy,” the FDA guidelines say the product must adhere to the following: “Total Fat: Less than 6.5 g. Saturated Fat: 1 g or less and 15% or less calories from saturated fat. Trans Fat: Less than 0.5 g. Cholesterol: 20 mg or less.” That means a “heart healthy” food product can contain a ton of sugar, calories, preservatives, artificial ingredients and other unhealthy crap. Just as long as it meet’s the FDA’s “heart healthy” fat and cholesterol guidelines.
PLANT BASED
A “plant-based” product is simply one that’s made with plants. But products labeled as such are often just processed foods that have been fixed to taste better. The problem with this label is that it doesn’t specify which type of plants it contains. Some products labeled “plant-based” are really just processed food and will have added salt, sugar, or fat content to make them taste better for the customer’s palate. Sugar, after all, comes from plants. Refined flour still comes from grains. “Plant-based” only tells you something vague about the ingredients. It has nothing to do with nutrition or health.
MADE WITH WHOLE GRAINS
Whole grains are an important part of a healthy diet. Thus, many people think “made with whole grains” sounds like something nutritious. But this isn’t always the case.
All “whole grains” means, as defined by the Whole Grains Council, is this: “Whole grains or foods made from them contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed in their original proportions.”
Here’s the point. Food that’s “made with whole grains” isn’t the same thing as food made only of whole grains. Whole grains are indeed nutritious, but the problem lies in what else may be added to the whole grains. Many food products that are “made with whole grains” also are made with lots of sugar, butter and other ingredients that can be unhealthy. These processed “made with whole grains” foods are a lot less nutritious than foods made only of whole grains.
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