Many people worry about their health and want to eat healthy. A lot of foods might seem healthy, but the words being used to convince you they’re good for you might not mean anything at all \u2014 at least legally.<\/p>\n
Many people worry about their health and want to eat healthy. A lot of foods might seem healthy, but the words being used to convince you they\u2019re good for you might not mean anything at all \u2014 at least legally.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is an organization that can check if your product is organic or not, but when you write \u2018all natural,\u2019 legally, that doesn\u2019t mean anything,\u201d said Luca Cian, a marketing professor at the University of Virginia\u2019s business school.<\/p>\n
Labels on food that read \u201call natural\u201d get consumers to think that a product is \u201chealthier than a non-natural product,\u201d Cian said. \u201cSometimes, they\u2019re using labels and words that try to convey healthiness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another example is when a food product is listed as 90% fat free \u2014 which technically means it still has 10% fat, Cian said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you use \u201890% fat free,\u2019 then people are always thinking that the product is much leaner than if you say 10% fat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cClean eating\u201d is another term that\u2019s becoming trendy \u2014 but in terms of legitimate standards, there is nothing that actually defines what \u201cclean\u201d is. Anything from a salad to a red velvet cupcake can be labeled \u201cclean\u201d and face no repercussions.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtein\u201d is another word that can be used to trick you.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you emphasize the amount of protein that a product has, then people tend to think it\u2019s healthier,\u201d Cian said.<\/p>\n
Food packaging that says \u201ca good source of protein\u201d influences consumers to think it\u2019s a healthier option than food that doesn\u2019t have that label, because \u201cnow we associate protein with something healthy and gym related,\u201d Cian added.<\/p>\n
He also said research has found that labels that are green or feature fields and flowers, or foods that are rounder or softer shaped, can also make you think something might be healthier than it is.<\/p>\n
Your best bet is to look at the label on the side or back of the container and measure calories, fat, protein and sugar to decide how healthy something might be. Terms like \u201czero sugar\u201d or \u201clow fat\u201d don\u2019t always mean low calorie.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust comparing the label itself can give you an idea what is healthy versus what is not healthy,\u201d Cian said.<\/p>\n