10 Lies the Food Industry Wants You to Believe



When it comes to your health, the food industry is not your partner. Their job is to bring in as much profit as possible, getting consumers to buy, no matter what the consequences might be to your health and diet.

And they are really, really good at it.

Your job is to do your research and make your choices based on facts, not clever marketing based on buzz words and fads.



1. Fat free foods won’t make you fat. Too many calories will make you fat, period. While fat is a particularly efficient calorie delivery mechanism, your body converts excess sugar and protein into fat, too. In fact, many products that are engineered to be fat free contain more calories, most of them from sugar, than the original versions.

When looking for low fat foods, look for those that are naturally low in fat like produce, whole grains, beans and lean meats. Not for food that’s been processed and tweaked in a lab.

2. Carbohydrates should be avoided. While it’s a good idea to limit your intake of processed “white” carbohydrates in favor of whole foods there is absolutely no need to buy snack foods that are processed to have low or no carbs. These foods are expensive and not nearly as tasty as the foods they are replacing.

 Save your money unless you have a specific dietary need to avoid carbohydrates.

3. Made with whole grains means made with exclusively whole grains. Of course, they don’t outright lie and claim 100% whole grain on the package, but it pays to read the label closely to see how much of the product does come from whole grains. Keep in mind that grams of whole grain doesn’t equal the grams of fiber you’ll be getting from a serving.



4. Contains Miracle Fruit of the Month. Whether it’s pomegranate or acai, food manufacturers are quick to jump on bandwagons. Read the labels carefully though and you might find that you are paying premium prices for products that might be made up mostly of apple or grape juice.

 When possible, go for the whole versions of these so-called super foods and don’t pay out the nose for having a tiny bit added to your juice, yogurt or snack bars.

5. 100 calorie packs are a great diet tool. They might or might not be, I have my doubts. What I do know is it’s an awful lot of packaging for a very small amount of food. Practice portion control by measuring and dividing the food yourself or by choosing snacks that are naturally low in calories like carrot sticks. Or my favorite – go to the finest chocolate store in town and buy just one exquisite piece!



6. Our serving sizes are realistic. Of course, it’s true that Americans suffer from excessively large portions; however the labels on many foods would seem to indicate otherwise. Make sure you find out exactly what is meant by a portion by the manufacturer and adjust as necessary to reflect the amount you actually ate.



7. 0 grams of trans fats. This goes hand in hand with absurdly small portion sizes – if food has below a half a gram of fat per serving it can be labeled as having 0 grams of trans fats a serving. This may seem like a trivial amount but keep in mind that it’s recommended that people get less than 1% of their calories from trans fats. For a 1,500 – 2000 calorie a day diet, that’s only 1.5 to 2 grams of trans fats. Eat 4 servings of food with .4 gram of trans fat per serving and you’ve already exceeded that if you’re on the low end of calorie requirements.



8. If it’s made with fruit, it’s wholesome. Fruit is indeed a wonderful foodstuff, but not everything that contains a bit of fruit juice or pulp is good for you. Many fruit snacks marketing towards children have very little nutritional value and are basically candy. Save those for special treats and give your children whole fruits to snack on, not processed snacks.



9. Sugar free foods are better for you. There are many excellent reasons to cut down on sugar, but foods that have added sugar removed and replaced by artificial sweeteners might not be a diet bargain. Many of these foods contain a shockingly long list of artificial ingredients. There is also evidence that consuming artificial sweeteners can trick the body into craving even more sweet foods and making the body’s reaction to insulin less efficient.

 There is a place for artificial sweeteners, especially for those with diabetes. If possible, consider alternatives to sweets that don’t contain these ingredients.

10. Organic foods are inherently good for you. Organic foods can be a great choice, both for personal health and the environment. However, every food wearing the organic label is not necessarily a health food and should not be approached as one. Organic potato chips, toaster pastries, candy and sodas should all be considered sometimes treats and not healthy choices.

Remember to eat mostly whole foods with minimal processing and you’ll avoid the worst of these food industry traps. Do your research and be skeptical of any claims that any one food is a miracle food. Pay attention to labels and base your decisions on how much you actually eat, not what the suggested portion sizes.

The food industry has its own interests to look out for, make sure you remain mindful of your own.

Tracy O’Connor is the mother of 5 boys and a ghostwriter who knows her way around a supermarket. Follow her on Twitter.

photo credit: ©istock/maunger