Most people know the difference between healthy food and junk food. Potato chips versus carrots? Pretty obvious. A donut versus oatmeal? No-brainer. But in between the extremes of junky and healthy lies a vast spectrum of foods, and the distinction between good and bad isn’t always clear. Food manufacturers reel you in with claims like “heart healthy” and “whole grain.” While some of these statements might be technically (and marginally) true, many of them — thanks to quirks and loopholes in labeling laws — can hide or skew the truth.
When these alluring claims appear on foods that already carry a healthy reputation, like granola or yogurt, it’s easy for the public to be duped. Here’s a look at some common foods that appear more nutritious than they really are.
Granola bars. The variety of supermarket granola bars is staggering, and they’re all packaged to come across as hearty and wholesome. Take Quaker’s yogurt dipped granola bar with strawberries. Sounds pretty nutritious, doesn’t it, with oats, yogurt, and fruit? The package even says it contains, “12 grams of whole grains” and is a “good source of calcium.” But look closely, and you’ll see there are more grams of sugar than whole grains, and the “yogurt” is actually yogurt-flavored coating (i.e. icing.) The “fruit” is dried strawberry bits with added sugars, potato starch, and thickeners. And of course there are artificial colors and flavors — there has to be with all those fake ingredients.
It’s a given that granola bars have sugar; plain rolled oats are, after all, plain. But if your goal is to buy a semi-healthy snack and not dessert, look for a bar with a relatively short ingredient list. Steer clear of yogurt and chocolate coatings, and skip add-ins like vanilla chips. Pass on the fruit bits, too, unless they’re real dried fruit with no artificial colors or flavors.
For an alternative with less sugar and more protein than a granola bar, try a nut and seed bar. KIND brand makes versions of these, and even Nature Valley makes the Simple Nut Bar (in a simple tan box), with nuts, seeds, honey, tapioca syrup, and salt — that’s it! Each bar has about half the sugar of a granola bar, and the nuts and seeds provide high-quality protein and healthy fats.
Yogurt covered pretzels and raisins. The yogurt coating isn’t real yogurt; it’s sugar, oils (often junk oils), whey, and yogurt powder. A new marketing trick is to add a little culture and call them “probiotic yogurt raisins.” However, there’s no guarantee you’re getting a viable dose of probiotics. And pretzels are just one more bleached, refined flour product we already eat too much of.
Pita Chips have an ethnic vibe, and sound especially healthy when the package says “multi-grain,” “baked,” or “garden veggie medley.” But look closely — the first ingredient is enriched, bleached flour. And the garden variety’s “real tomatoes” are a sprinkling of tomato powder. Pita chips aren’t the worst thing you could eat, but you’re better off with a 100 percent whole grain cracker.
Gatorade. Gauging by the acres of shelf space occupied by this sports drink in grocery stores, the public obviously thinks that if they’re exercising, they need Gatorade. Sure, the drinks have electrolytes. But unless you’re working out for hours in intense heat, you don’t need these sugar-laden, artificially colored, and flavored drinks. The fruit punch flavor doesn’t contain a drop of fruit juice. Each bottle has about 52 grams of sugar (that’s 13 teaspoons), but the company fools you by calling each bottle two and a half servings.
Fruit Roll Ups, Fruit Gushers, etc. The makers of these products want you to believe you’re giving your kids real fruit, but these products are junk. They start with fruit puree (usually pears from concentrate), then add a bunch of sugars, three or four artificial colors, and partially hydrogenated oil, also known as trans fat — absolutely the most harmful fat you can ingest. The labels all read “0 grams trans fat” because a loophole allows products with less than a half gram of trans fat per serving to round down to zero.
There are healthy fruit leathers on the market, found at health food stores, Trader Joes, and even some supermarkets, located, ironically, in the produce section.
Flavored yogurt cups. The yogurt aisle is like the granola bar aisle — full of an overwhelming variety of options, many of which are laden with sugar, artificial colors, and junky add-ins. Unless you choose plain yogurt, the product will be sweetened, especially if your choice comes with candy or cookie toppings. Yoplait’s YoCrunch with M&Ms tops out at 26 grams of sugar per single-serving cup.
Look for products with live probiotic cultures and healthy toppings like nuts. Or buy plain yogurt and add your own fruit and a little sweetener to taste.
Supermarkets are full of dozens of other foods, including snack crackers, veggie chips, frozen yogurt, and frozen fruit bars that appear more wholesome and nutritious than they really are. For the real truth, look past the flashy claims on the front of the packages and read the labels. The ingredients don’t lie.
