HOW PRODUCTS PRETEND TO BE HEALTHY Karlynn Griffin
If you are feel like you’re digging yourself in a hole when trying to eat healthy, it might be because you are being deceived. Businesses have sneaky strategies to persuade people into buying their products by creating eye candy packaging. In this article we are going to focus on how labelling and design attracts customers to unhealthy foods.
The Labelling Loophole
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What’s the first ingredient that comes to your mind when there’s a decrease in energy? Processed white sugar! Companies will get rid of white sugar in their foods but replace it with different types of sweeteners. By doing that, food corporations can label their packaging to say sugar-free, no sugar added, diet, or even low-calorie. These labels trick consumers into assuming the companies will use healthy sugar like sugar cane juice or no sugar at all. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case; processed sugar is replaced with low-calorie/artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Sadly, some of these low-calorie sweeteners, like aspartame, aren’t entirely safe. According to an article on Cancer.org and Healthline (reviewed by Natalie Butler, who is registered and licensed dietitian), aspartame can be very toxic if you have a condition called phenylketonuria (PKU).12 For others who don’t have PKU, aspartame symptoms can result in people feeling dizzy, sleepy, and developing a headache.²
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There are artificial sweeteners that are safe to eat, such as sucralose, but they’re often still unhealthy. In a Harvard T.H Chan: School of Public Health article, many sweeteners are linked with type 2 diabetes, increased blood sugar, insulin levels, and appetite.3
So, it’s true that companies aren’t using sugar, but they’re replacing it with something that’s still unhealthy. No wonder people have trouble accomplishing their fitness goals. Advertising sugar-free isn’t the only strategy companies are using. Labeling food fat-free, low fat, or no-fat insinuates that they are healthier, but that is often a lie! There are “good” fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and “bad” fats like trans fats. When looking at nutrition facts on the back of the packaging, the “good” fats are usually higher percentage and also higher in calories compared to the “bad” fats. Some companies take out the natural fats from foods and sub in sugar, palm oil, or hydrogenated oil. These sub-ins , such as, hydrogenated oil, can affect your heart health, increase inflammation,4 strokes, heart attacks, and cause you to develop Type-2 diabetes. ³ 5 The nutrition facts can be very misleading. It’s important to look at the nutrition values, but also check the ingredients because you never know what you’re absorbing.³ Another strategy is that food corporation’s label “natural” on their packaging. What does that really mean? An article from Green City Blue Lake, claimed that “Food labeled "natural," according to the USDA definition, does not contain artificial ingredients or preservatives and the ingredients are only minimally processed. However, they may contain antibiotics,
