Many food companies capitalize on misleading health labels to influence consumers to buy their products. In fact, food packaging that has health claims on the front labels can contain products that are actually worse for you than packaging without any health claims. So, how can you be confident about what’s truly in the food you’re buying and consuming?
Pay attention to the ingredient list.
Product ingredients are listed in order of decreasing quantity; the first three ingredients listed are what the manufacturer used the most of. If the first couple of ingredients include refined grains, sugars, hydrogenated oils, or saturated fats, it’s probably best to leave that product on the shelf. Instead, opt for products that have whole foods listed at the beginning of the ingredients list. Additionally, a good rule of thumb is that a product with an unusually long ingredient list is highly processed.
Be skeptical of serving sizes.
Sometimes, companies will list the serving size of a product as less than what someone would normally consume in a sitting; for example, half a cookie or a third of a can of soda. This way, they can make the nutrition facts seem more appealing to consumers as it will make the product look like it has less sugar and calories than it actually does.
Don’t be fooled by baseless health claims.
The following are claims that companies often use to trick consumers into thinking their products are healthy. In reality, these claims are usually deceitful and baseless:
-
light
-
low calorie, fat, or carb
-
multigrain
-
made with whole grains
-
organic
-
fortified or enriched
-
no added sugar
-
zero trans fat
While these labels are attractive, ‘multigrain’ usually refers to refined grain, ‘low fat’ is partnered with adding more sugar, and ‘zero trans fat’ means less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. So, if the serving sizes are misleading, it could still contain trans fat.
Choose companies that are transparent about their ingredients.
At Julia Belle’s Seasonings, we list all of our ingredients with no misleading claims or misrepresentations. Browse our products and you’ll see seasonings and herbs like cayenne pepper, yellow mustard seed, and smoked paprika at the top of our ingredient lists. Our recipes originated straight from the kitchen of the mother of founder Tanya Green. Find peace of mind knowing that with Julia Belle’s, what you see is what you get. Practice being a conscious consumer today!