Feb 13, 2015 10:59 AM EST
Food Label Claims That You Need To Watch For

 

Are you food label addict? Wait until you read this. Not all you see in the food label means true.  If a food you picked is labeled fat-free or all-natural, check the ingredients before you put that into your cart.

"I think it's really unfortunate that we have this situation where every aisle of the supermarket is preying on us," Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, a doctor who specializes in weight loss and nutrition told CBC Marketplace co-host Erica Johnson.

"We shouldn't be forced as consumers to study nutrition labels to see if the claims on the front are accurate," he says.

Don't be a victim of false food label, examine and be aware of the food label information before you buy another item in the supermarket.

Gluten-free

If you buy something with food label like Gluten-free, don't think that it is healthier than those which are not labeled with the tag.  Think about potato bread that is gluten-free. It doesn't contain fiber and is considered a refined carbohydrate while a whole wheat bread that has gluten has more nutrients.

 All Natural

If you think that foods label such as all natural are not processed commercially or has no artificial ingredients, then think twice.  All foods containing no meat or poultry are not regulated by the Food and Drug administration. So if you see label of all-natural to cookies, candies and chips, you know what it means.

Made With Whole Grains

Made with Whole Grains foods label doesn't always indicate that all the contents are 100 percent whole grains.  Most of the times, in a 30-gram whole grain food, there is only about 5 grams of whole grain in the content.

Good Sources of Vitamins

Do you see food label with good sources of vitamins? Bear in mind that fortified foods doesn't mean nutritious. When a food is fortified, it also misses a lot of nutrients that are found in foods that are not fortified.

Cholesterol-free

Are you buying foods with food label, "Cholesterol-free?" If you check a product labeled with cholesterol free that should mean that it is not made of animal food sources.  Cholesterol comes from animal and if it is made of plant sources, and still labeled "Cholesterol-free" then it's just part of the marketing.

 

 

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