Nutrition Claims You Shouldn't Fall For

Health Food Claims

by Judi Ketteler

Health Food Claims

You practically need to be a dietician to sort through the all the nutrition claims on food packaging today. "They're confusing and lead you to believe you're getting something you're not," says Samantha Heller, M.S., R.D., nutrition coordinator for the Fairfield, Connecticut YMCA. Heller helped us sort through the top health food claims to get to the truth.

All Natural

All natural doesn't mean all good, says Heller. After all, arsenic is natural, but not good for you. A product with the "all-natural" claim can still be high in calories, saturated fat, sugar and sodium and low in fiber or other important nutrients.

Cholesterol-Free

Many cholesterol-free foods are often high in saturated fat, cautions Heller, so be sure to check the fat content on the label. Also, some products, like breads or cereals, which have labels that say they contain no cholesterol never had it to begin with. Cholesterol only comes from animal sources (meat, eggs, seafood, dairy).

Low-Fat

While you should strive to eat a low-fat diet (meaning 30 percent or less of your calories come from fat), many low-fat products get their flavor from sugar. Soda is fat-free, but it's also full of empty calories. The lesson? Always check the calories per serving in addition to fat.

Trans-Fat Free

Food companies are really taking advantage of the trans-fat hype. It's good that trans-fats are being removed from your food, but you need to look to see what it's been replaced with, Heller says. Have the manufacturers simply added more saturated fat, like palm oil or coconut oil? Also, a product can have up to .5 grams of trans-fats per serving and be allowed to claim that it contains 0 trans-fats. If you spot the words "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients list, you know it still has some trans-fats.

Low Sodium

When a food is low in sodium, either they've gotten rid of the salt or the product was never high in salt to begin with. However, low-sodium foods could still be high in sugar, calories and even saturated fat. Don't just buy it because of the packaging claims, investigate the other ingredients on the nutrition label.

Good Source Of ...

When a label claims a product is a "good source of" something, it just refers to a particular nutrient, but that doesn't correlate to how healthy the rest of the food is. For example, high-fat ice cream and whole milk are good sources of calcium and high-sugar juice drinks are often a good source of vitamin C (which has been added), but clearly those foods have dietary drawbacks. When it comes to vitamins and minerals, make sure you read the nutrition label to see what else you're getting.

Multi-Grain

Just because a product has multiple grains, it doesn't mean they are whole grains and that it's considered a health food. Seven-grain bread could contain seven refined grains. Look for the word "whole" in the ingredients list. Also, don't fall into the trap of thinking that a product advertised as "made from whole grains" is 100 percent whole grains. It could be made from one whole grain, and the rest refined. It isn't horrible for a product to contain some refined grains, but you should know what you're getting.

Baked Not Fried

It's good to choose baked snacks over fried, but remember that fat contains flavor, so if the fat is removed, the flavor needs to come from something, and often it's added sodium and sugar. Don't assume your baked chips are low in salt and light on calories.

Organic

Organic foods are widely available now, and this is generally a good thing. However, organic only refers to how a food is grown and processed. It's not in any way a comment on the healthiness of the finished packaged product. Your organic foods may be high in sugar, fat and sodium. Don't let the word "organic" blind you: Check out that nutrition label too.

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