Beware the Fine Print on “Healthy” Foods

May 5, 2009: 01:04 PM EST

Eating healthily is simpler than many food manufacturers would have us believe. "Try to buy foods as close to their natural state as possible," says Bonnie Taub-Dix, a nutritionist and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. The fine print on food labeling is often hard to find – and it may be misleading, says Melinda Beck. Even products marketed as “all natural” may have added ingredients. “Plumped” chickens, for example, are filled with water, salt and sometimes a seaweed extract. The salt boosts the sodium content from 45-60mg per four-ounce serving to 200-400mg. Some salt substitutes have high amounts of potassium, potentially bad for people on heart and liver medications. Many artificial sweeteners can cause diarrhea in susceptible people and raise blood pressure in diabetics. Even products labeled as containing zero trans fats, calories, fats or carbohydrates may contain up to 49mg per serving, because food regulations allow “rounding down”. “Added fiber” may mean it is in a powdered form, considerably less effective than natural fiber. Yogurt, super water and omega-3 also don’t necessarily pack the punch that manufacturers claim. For example, one three-ounce serving of salmon has as much omega-3 as 45 eight-ounce glasses of milk fortified with 32mg of omega-3.

MELINDA BECK, "The Fine Print: What's Really in a Lot of 'Healthy' Foods", Wall Street Journal, May 05, 2009, © Dow Jones & Company, Inc

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