Don't Be Fooled by Food Label Tricks

Don't fall for food label tricks

There is more to an ingredient list than you realize. Processed food is designed to sell and it’s important to know their food label tricks before you decide to buy, or you may be eating something very different than you suspected.

Phantom trans fat

In the United States “zero trans fat” doesn’t really mean zero. The dangers of consuming trans fats are well known and food manufacturers are being forced to reduce these cheap oils used in packaged foods. Unfortunately for consumers, food labeling laws allow manufacturers to avoid labeling trans fat if the amount is equal or less than 0.5 grams per serving. So what to do when a serving size of 10 grams includes 1 gram of trans fat? Change the suggested serving size to 5 grams and now there is magically zero trans fat (you never paid attention to the serving size anyway)! Remember: packaged foods made with “healthy” unsaturated oils (canola, vegetable, soybean, corn) likely contain trans fats for longer shelf life even if it doesn’t show up on the label.

Sneaky sugar

We all know we are better off to avoid foods that appear high in sugar, so manufactures have developed multiple tricks to hide the sugars or make them appear lower. One trick is to shrink the serving size like with trans fats. Another trick is using multiple types of sugars or sweeteners so sugar doesn’t appear as the first and largest ingredient. Now its spread through the list as HFCS, glucose, sugar alcohols, sucralose, etc. Companies will also use processed sugar sources that sound better but are still sugar: fruit juice sugar, fruit sugar concentrate, etc. Remember: if it’s sweet, there’s probably a significant amount of sweetener inside (even if it states "zero"), and artificial sweeteners are no better for your health.

Added fiber, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics?

Do adding synthesized nutrients make junk food more nutritious? No. But it does make you feel less guilty and increase sales. Those nutrients are added because the food manufacturing process wiped out the natural nutrients. If the grains weren't processed into white flour, the fiber would still be there. If the yogurt wasn't pasteurized, the probiotics would still be there. And for the benefit of thinking it's a healthier product, the food companies charge you more. Remember: if they are adding nutrients, it's because processing took them out.

What the easiest way to avoid food label tricks?
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Avoid processed foods. The only way to totally avoid food label tricks is to choose real foods and get cooking. Tricks can be played with meats and produce as well, but not as easily as boxed or canned processed foods. And remember, the best and cheapest food is what you grow in your back yard.

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