Top 10 Food Label Tricks to Avoid in 2012

After overindulging during the holidays, many of us have resolved to eat a healthier diet in the new year. But doing so means choosing the right foods, and too often misleading food labels prompt us to purchase items that we think are good for us but really aren't. Here are 10 common labeling tricks to be aware of as you beef up your diet in 2012.

Robert J. Davis, PhD, is an award-winning health journalist whose work has appeared on CNN, PBS, WebMD, and in The Wall Street Journal. He is founder and editor-in-chief of Everwell.com, and teaches at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. He's the author of "Coffee Is Good for You: From Vitamin C and Organic Foods to Low-Carb and Detox Diets, the Truth About Diet and Nutrition Claims" and also the author of a previous book, "The Healthy Skeptic: Cutting Through the Hype About Your Health."

 

 

 

Comments

[NAOMA]

02:30 AM on 01/13/2012

READ EVERY INGREDIENT of everything you buy. It does not take that long. Avoid anything you cannot pronounce! Yes, you will eliminate a lot of products, but you will have better health for your "research."

[NAOMA]

02:28 AM on 01/13/2012

I am really SICK of the ads for the "whole grain cereals" -- they have the nerve to show the box that has the FIRST INGREDIENT as "whole grains." Second ingredient SUGAR. Why do cereals have to contain SUGAR? If you want SUGAR, add it yourself.

[theroundearth]

12:58 AM on 01/06/2012

It is completely absurd that -- while it would be fraudulent to label margarine as butter -- it is allowed to call "butter" the substance obtained by triturating peanuts. It's NOT butter.

[Ossit]

09:07 PM on 01/05/2012

Now, can someone tell me why an independent thought, separate from the herd mentality is considered right wing? I'm not at all conservative. Hey I've got a grand idea! Why don't we just respect each others' opinions instead of inventing some politics around them and understand we're not always going to be of a same mind. I'm tired of people considering me of "right wing thinking" because I don't say what I'm 'supposed' to according to their political thinking. I'd sure have a whole lot less removed comments if people were just civil to each other. If you don't understand what I'm getting at, just ASK instead of having to insult!

[Karl Wilder]

01:04 PM on 01/05/2012

Good article until the point where you defend HFCS. Who paid you for that one?

[TaurusRose]

02:36 PM on 01/05/2012

It wasn't even that good before the HFCS defense that neglected the bit of info on how the chemistry of HFCS is very likely addictive and one of the major contributors to obesity.

[jopelama]

09:13 AM on 01/07/2012

HFCS has also been linked to an increased incidence of Gout, and is one of the ingredients to be avoided per the Mayo Clinic, and Cleveland Clinic.

[ohlalamomala]

07:50 PM on 01/05/2012

Oh, you beat me to it!!! EXACTLY!

[teapot90]

11:42 AM on 01/05/2012

Thanks for this article but it leaves out the most important trick on food packaging - telling us who distributes the product, but not telling us WHERE it was packaged. Tons of companies avoid this information because they don't want us to know that the box of chips, crackers, cookies, etc we are eating actually came from Chine or mexico. The FDA only requires them to tell us where four food groups come from - meat, fish, produce and peanut butter. Anything else, including everything from toothpaste to vitamins to delicious cheese crackers to dog food - we are kept in the dark, oblivious to the fact we are taking grave risks in our health by eating food that may have been processd in unsanitary conditions, or using tainted or less than fresh products because those countries don't have anywhere near the government regulations and quality inspections required here in the US.

[Ossit]

11:33 AM on 01/05/2012

Better eating means better living is a crock. It all depends on the latest 'study' and health 'expert' as they change constantly. If people have to be told what to eat every five seconds, I'm surprised people actually do eat enough. Nor is it misguided to realize that the health industry makes a lot of profit trying to change how people eat instead of minding their own business.

[Alan Roettinger]

10:05 AM on 01/05/2012

A noble effort, but there are some potentially dangerous inaccuracies. To name just two:

HFCS is indeed higher in fructose, which unlike glucose is not metabolized as fuel in cells throughout the body, but goes straight to the liver, where it is turned into triglycerides and pumped into the blodstream (MUCH worse than table sugar, even in equal quantities). True, HFCS is only about 5% higher in fructose, but because it's so cheap to produce, it's become the sweetener of choice for virtually every processed food--think 5% times thousands of servings!

Omega-3 fats can be obtained from plant sources (that's where the fish get them). These fats are very fragile, and are easily damaged by exposure to heat, light, and oxygen. This means that unless you're eating your fish raw, you're getting damaged omega-3 fats--which can be a lot worse than none at all. Add to that, the fact that the ocean's pollutants are concentrated in fish tissue, exposing frequent eaters to unhealthy levels of mercury and other toxic chemicals--not to mention that overfishing is a serious problem that will only get worse as more people turn to seafood for their "healthy" fats.

[ohlalamomala]

07:51 PM on 01/05/2012

I am so glad we are smarter than the paid for "news."

[Mariah Dailey]

09:45 AM on 01/05/2012

Is not the point of this story title that they can lie and say there is zero trans fat if it is a very low amount, and in doing so they leave it off the ingredient list so we assume there is none? Then why bother saying to avoid it check the ingredients!? Am i missing something?

[mlaiuppa]

02:59 AM on 01/05/2012

You can avoid a lot of this by cooking from scratch and following Pollan's Food Rules.

[TaurusRose]

02:45 PM on 01/05/2012

Pollan is NOT the one i would follow.

[ohlalamomala]

07:52 PM on 01/05/2012

Yes, I would follow him. An Environmentalist for sustainability, good idea.

[SWLinPHX]

02:19 AM on 01/05/2012

If weight loss is your concern, check out the calorie content. You can avoid everything else on the front or back. Done.

[stjoshy]

01:29 AM on 01/05/2012

Hey FDA... wake up. revise the rules so we dont have to beon our toes on everything. ..oh you say you dont want to because the kickbacks you get will be goneif you do?? oh i see..

[yileyi]

07:58 PM on 01/04/2012

They didn't mention that HFCS is one of the leading causes of type 1 diabetes and obesity in kids...
But hey, it's no worse than table sugar, right?
Bah!

[BluebirdofUnhappiness]

08:38 PM on 01/04/2012

Actually, it's probably not any worse. But people will believe what they want to regardless of the preponderance of science. I suspect it's poor diet (too much sugar, empty carbs and fried and fatty foods) combined with lack of exercise.

[CRZY I]

10:01 AM on 01/05/2012

Type I diabetes is caused by non-functioning pancreas...most often caused by an autoimmune response. While corn-syrup and sugar are culprits in obesity, combined with lack of exercise, they do not cause type I diabetes.

[TaurusRose]

02:50 PM on 01/05/2012

link please for the pancreas connection.
Also, how about a link disassociating HFCS from diabetes.

[CRZY I]

03:51 PM on 01/05/2012

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000305.htm
link to causes of Type I diabetes, also I am a Type I diabetic.

[irinalaw]

07:46 PM on 01/04/2012

I tend to spend more time in the grocery store than I need to because I wind up trying to find healthy food among the piles of unhealthy stuff. The sick thing is that all the grocery specials and coupons have no nutritional value to the food they represent. People are just eating themselves to death because there is more junk food than ever. The only thing I can suggest is just drinking water not soda, using real organic butter, real sugar not substitute, avoiding chips, candies, frozen foods,and try to cook your own meals so that you have control of the ingredients.

[billschmidt114]

07:09 PM on 01/04/2012

Remember what Mom always told you.
Everything in moderation