Why Food Labels can be Deceiving

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CLEVELAND - From flashy buzzwords to health claims, food labels can be deceiving.

With this in mind, it’s important to take a closer look at what you’re buying at the grocery store.

“The best thing you can do is turn the product around and look at the nutrition facts label and ingredient list. That’s where the real details are, and what truly tells you what’s in the product,” explained Teresa Eury, RD, a registered dietitian for Cleveland Clinic.

Eury stresses manufacturers often use terms like natural or organic on the front of products to make them seem healthier.

But when you turn the package around, you may see in some cases that the food has a lot of added sugars and saturated fats.

That’s why she recommends focusing on the nutrition facts label and ingredient list over any claims on the front of the box.

In general, foods with fewer ingredients tend to be healthier, and you want to pay attention to things like the amount of calories per serving.

Eury said grocery stores offer many different options of the same product, and there’s always a healthier choice.

“Grab two options of the same product and compare the nutrition labels, especially for sodium, added sugar and saturated fat. That way you can make the better choice based on what you’re trying to limit,” Eury said.

She suggests starting by comparing a few of the things you typically buy at first and then trying to make more of a habit of it from there.