Is it a Trick or a Treat?

These days it’s hard to decipher between a trick or a treat when it comes to picking healthy foods. Food manufacturers are increasingly more deceptive with their health claims; they highlight all the benefits of their foods, while failing to mention the many risks.

Trick #1
Many food manufacturers will highlight one major vitamin or mineral on a food product, such as fiber in cereals or snack bars, but they often “overlook”  the enormous amount of sugar that has been added to the food. Be sure to look at the nutrition label for sugar amounts.

Trick #2
“No trans fat” does not necessarily mean that it is free of trans fat. Food manufacturers love to tout the trans fat free claims on their colorful packages. The FDA requirements allow food manufacturers to use the “0g” label if a single serving contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat. Just think about how quickly 0.5 grams can add up if you have several servings. Trans fat is linked to heart disease, the number one cause of death.

Trick #3
If the food packaging that you are reading is screaming healthy food claims, it’s more than likely not the healthiest of foods. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a package of strawberries coated with health claims. They don’t need to prove themselves.

This Fall season, I encourage you to keep an eye out for the tricks that appear to be treats in our food supply. Food advertisers love to disguise themselves and wear their favorite “healthy costumes.”

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