Many dieters gravitate towards foods that claim to be 'low fat' or 'low in sugar', but they may not be as healthy as they sound.
According to new research by Consumer Reports, food packaging can be misleading, with products labeled 'low-fat', 'low sugar' or 'natural' often no better for you than the original.
Foods that claim to be 'reduced fat', for example, often make up for it with an excess of sugar - like Jif Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread, which contains four grams of sugar while the full fat version has just three grams.
Deceptive labels: According to new research by Consumer Reports, food packaging can be misleading, with products labeled 'low-fat', 'low sugar' or 'natural' often no better for you than the original
Hidden sugar: Kraft produces a Ranch dressing that is 'fat free' (right), but it does have three grams of sugar per serving, which is an incredible three times the amount of sugar found in the full-fat version (left)
According to Consumer Reports, shoppers would do better to look at a food's total calories and ingredients list, to avoid being duped by deceptive packaging.
Peanut butter isn't the only product that makes up for its lack of fat with an abundance of sugar, carbohydrates or calories.
Kraft produces a Ranch dressing that is 'fat free', but it does have three grams of sugar per serving, which is an incredible three times the amount of sugar found in the full-fat version.
A lot of dieters also fall for foods that are labeled 'reduced sugar', 'no sugar added' or 'low sugar', assuming these are healthier than their full-sugar alternatives.
In reality, a lot of these foods contain an abundance of artificial sugar instead.
Dannon Light & Fit Greek yogurt, for instance, is only 80 calories per pot, but it has three varieties of artificial sweetener: acesulfame potassium, fructose and sucralose.
Other ingredients: Dannon Light & Fit Greek yogurt is only 80 calories per pot, but it has three varieties of artificial sweetener: acesulfame potassium, fructose and sucralose
Artificial: Del Monte No Sugar Added fruit cocktail is another product that contains a significant amount of artificial sweeteners, even while it is pegged as a low-calorie food
Del Monte No Sugar Added fruit cocktail is another product that contains a significant amount of artificial sweeteners, even while it is pegged as a low-calorie food.
Many foods these days are labeled 'natural', which would lead one to believe they don't contain artificial ingredients.
But in reality, a lot of 'natural foods' - and a whopping 80per cent of processed food sold in North America - actually contain genetically modified organisms.
While more than 62 countries worldwide require foods with GMOs to be labeled as such, there is no such rule in America, where it is done on a state-by-state basis.
Misleading: Foods that are labeled as 'no high fructose corn syrup' - like Sara Lee 100per cent Whole Wheat bread (left) and Hunt's no-HFCS Ketchup (right) are often packed with artificial sweetener or sugar
The article points out that a lot of processed foods that contain soy, canola, corn sugar or high fructose corn syrup are also likely to contain GMOs.
To avoid consuming GMOs, you can look for the 'Non-GMO Project Verified' label features on some products including Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
Trans fat is a fat known to raise your 'bad' cholesterol levels and increase your risk of heart disease.
As such, many food brands have a 'zero trans fat' label on their products to assure customers it won't negatively affect their health.
Surprisingly, though, a lot of the foods labeled 'zero grams trans fat' actually do contain trans fat - just not a large enough trace to have to be claimed according to the FDA.
Sidestepping regulation: A lot of the foods labeled 'zero grams trans fat' actually do contain trans fat - just not a large enough trace to have to be claimed according to the FDA
This is because the FDA says foods that contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fats per serving must be labeled as containing zero grams.
Cheetos, for example, claims zero trans fats, but it still contains plenty of saturated fat; in fact, 90 of its 150 calories per serving come from fat.
Another product that manipulates the labeling rules is Coffee-mate Original. While one serving (one tablespoon) contains a negligible amount of trans fat, if a person has more than that they will be consuming more trans fats.
Other ingredients that are often hiding in 'healthy' foods are high fructose corn syrup, sodium and nitrates.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2459492/Whats-REALLY-diet-foods-How-low-fat-low-sugar-mean-calories-artificial-ingredients.html#ixzz2hkjMLwnR
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