By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern
We’ve all heard the phrase “Never judge a book by its cover,” meaning that you should never make a decision about something based on its appearance alone, rather than on what’s actually inside. Most people don’t associate this phrase with buying foods, but it’s very accurate, considering how some foods are marketed as healthy when they’re really not.
Registered dietician Courtney Smith says that there’s a lot of deception that lies in the packaging and marketing of certain food products, So, instead of trusting the front of packages, turn them over and look at the nutrition label and ingredient label to truly determine its healthfulness.
While it’s important to study the label of every food that you buy, Smith notes that some are widely known as health foods, but really aren’t.
Granola – While this seems like it’s a healthier cereal option, granola is actually filled with sugar, as it’s needed for making the clumps. The same can be said about granola bars. Many are sources of hidden added sugar.
Trail Mix – The intent behind trail mix is actually quite good, to be a mix of super high-calorie foods to provide nutrition on hikes or other strenuous activity (Hence the name!). The issue lies in that many premade trail mixes nowadays are full of sweetened nuts, sweetened dried fruit, and candy pieces.
Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter – When peanut butter says that it is reduced fat, that’s not always better. For one, you’re losing out on all of the heart-healthy fats that naturally occur in peanuts. Also, the fat that is removed has to be replaced with something to maintain consistency, and often it’s replaced with extra sugar.
Vitamin Boosting or Fat Burning Energy Drinks – While they say that they can do great things for your health, they really don’t. The fat-burning energy drinks don’t just magically burn fat on their own. Likewise, the energy drinks that say they’re full of vitamins don’t really give you much except for B vitamins.
There are just a few examples of foods that are not as healthy as they are portrayed to be. It’s important to look over the entire nutrition label to see what you’re really getting. For some helpful tips on how to understand nutrition labels, check out this article from Fill Your Plate!