Food marked with health labels is not necessarily good for you. These labels are not supervised certificates, like in organic food. The best way to ensure the products you buy are sufficiently healthy is to read ingredient lists and nutrition facts of the food items. At first, it may seem like a lot of effort, but soon you notice that you have learned what everything listed is. Usually, the fewer ingredients, the better.
Sometimes ingredients are listed with misleading names to distract people from understanding what they are buying. You do not want additives, chemicals, preservatives, trans fats, dyes, fillers, and artificial sweeteners.
Typical health labels
- Sugar-free
- Low fat
- Keto friendly
- Low carb
- Vegan
- High protein
- Gluten-free
- Low calorie
- Cholesterol free
For example, Sugar-free- products can have unhealthy artificial sweeteners and additives.
Labels offer important information to people with celiac disease or diabetes etc., but still, these labels are not a guarantee that products are healthy. Products labeled like the list above are often full of chemicals and artificial flavors to make them taste better. These products are often high in calories and contain bad quality ingredients like trans fats to maximize profits. Healthline has an explanatory article about trans fats.
Products that are promoted as healthy, but have unhealthy ingredients, can cause inflammation, fatigue, bloating, and numerous other symptoms.
Low-fat products
About 40 years ago, the decision was made that fat is dangerous to human health. The low-fat movement started, and food companies started to develop and produce low-fat and fat-free food. To compensate for the lack of taste in those new products, they added sugar and chemicals. These ultra-processed products promote insulin resistance which is the cause of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Some examples
- Veggie chips – marketed as a healthy alternative to potato chips. Veggie chips often are high in sodium, bad fats, and additives. Some products have only a tiny part of other vegetables than potato or corn.
- Protein bars – often contain high fructose syrup and/or sugar. Many of the products are high in calories.
- Vitamin waters and sports drinks – usually contain artificial dyes and high amounts of sugar or/and artificial sweeteners.
- Vegan meat substitutes – often a lot of additives, preservatives, fillers, and bad fats.
- Trail Mix – often contains a lot of sugar and sodium.
There are relatively healthy options too, and it’s worth the trouble to find good quality products, that make everyday life smoother. Consumers just need to be aware of what food products contain.
Go read our Toxic Carb Carousel– post.