All that glitters is not gold. Otherwise we’d all be filthy rich.
Similarly, all those healthy food products you buy aren’t actually as healthy as the food label would make you believe. Otherwise we wouldn’t have quite so many health concerns.
Food labels can trick you. So how do you spot a liar?
1. Lightly sweetened: How many times have you been delighted to see a product labeled like that? But make sure to check the label. Since FDA has no definite standards for what is ‘lightly sweetened’, chances are that the product could contain small amounts of different natural or artificial sweeteners and still be labeled as ‘lightly sweetened’.
Look out for ingredients like glucose, sucrose, sucralose, fructose, invert syrup, high fructose corn syrup and malt syrup are all different forms of sugar. The lesser you see these ingredients, the better the chances that they are really ‘lightly sweetened’.
2. All Natural Ingredients: Before you grab the pack delighted to find something made with natural products, remember to check the ingredients label. The lesser the ingredients listed, the better are the chances that it contains more natural products. Most times, it means that it does not contain many processed ingredients, artificial flavor or colors.
However, you should keep in mind that FDA has no specific definition for this label. This means that the food item could be ‘lightly processed’ instead of ‘highly processed’ and still be sold as a natural product.
3. ‘Made with’: Some food products have labels like ‘Made with whole grains’ or other healthy food. But since FDA does not require the manufacturers to spell out how much, it is possible that it is present only in small quantities. There is an easy way to check this claim – see if the ingredient is at or at least near the top of the list of ingredients.
4. Low/Light/Reduced: While it may suggest that they have low levels of fat, sugar or salt, in reality, it could mean that the product might have a lesser amount of the ingredient than what is found in the original variety. For instance, a food product with just 25 percent lesser salt/sodium can have a ‘reduced’ label. If possible, check the original and the ‘reduced’ version to see the difference.
5. ‘Free’: Any product labeled ‘free of sugar/fat/sodium’ can in fact have very little quantity in the food product, based on FDA guidelines. It could mean that the product has about 0.5 grams fat, 0.5 milligrams sodium or 5 calories despite the claim that the ingredient is absent!
6. ‘High in fiber’: This is yet another that can be deceptive. According to FDA, any food can be labeled as ‘High in Fiber’ as long as it contains at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. But this fiber need not be from a natural source. Look out for products that list whole grains in the first few ingredients.
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I would like to add to this list the word “organic”. Manufactures can actually have several percentages non organic and still label it organic. So organic products can actually have GMO in them without telling us. The only way to know something is truly organic is if it’s labeled “100% organic”.
Be aware as the big greedy companies are getting into the organic game.
Very good list. The fact is however that you should try to stay away from anything with hype words like these. Usually they have so many ingredients that some of them are going to be unhealthy. My rule of thumb is to stay away from products that includes more than five ingredients.
"Fewer ingredients, " not "lesser ingredients. Does nobody bother to proofread or learn decent grammar these days?
Rainy,
You are absolutely right, seems like no one bothers to proofread or learn decent grammar, including you.
“It’s Doesn’t anyone bother to proofread or learn proper grammar these days ?”
Two points to note :
1) There’s no decent grammar and indecent grammar, the “decency” doesn’t apply to grammar.
2) ” Does nobody ” is wrong usage. The right usage is ” Doesn’t anyone”.
Please stop being so snobbish next time, will you ? I understand your frustration to see a poorly constructed sentence. You seem to be an intelligent & educated person. It pays to have some respect in your tone while you correct grammar mistakes. You’ll also be highly appreciated, only then.
Best,
BTS.
Without that BAD cholesterol, we would DIE, and quickly.
The article seemed to end abruptly with no advance warning. I fully expected to see the word “organic” listed next. So, I agree with Jenny’s comment. Maybe Jenny should have written the article because that is a huge issue when it comes to grocery shopping.
Also, I would add reading numbers on barcodes on the labels in the produce section. To avoid GMO’s in your produce, I’ve been told to avoid any with the first number 8. At the place I shop, that means I can’t buy pre-cut up bagged salads, and sometimes greens. And again, the organic issue Jenny brought up applies. Sometimes, it will say the salad mix is organic, but when you look, sure enough, the number on the bar code begins with 8.
Of course, this time of year, if you grow your own food, you aren’t so much at their mercy. As for the grammar, I am just used to it now. I see it too often to even bother bringing it up. But it makes me dream about being able to land a job proofreading articles for some online magazine, and getting paid handsomely for it.
Regards,
VonZae
Yes, sometimes the wrong usage is rather jarring. The principal victim of such usage seems to be “Principal” which is wrongly used in place of “Principle”. It is closely followed by Affect vs Effect.