Fortified? Gluten Free? Heart Healthy? More about Labels…

I was going to just share this as a link on Facebook and Twitter, but I thought it was worth drawing just a little more attention to it.  It’s another article about labels.

Labels on food drive me crazy.  Misdirection, deception, half-truths – labels are full of them.  Your best bet is to stop looking at slogans and claims and actually read the ingredients – although often these even hide the truth.

I’ve written about food labels before, and probably will again.  But in the mean time, there are some great things to think about in this article from Lifehacker – What the Common Grocery Store Product Labels Mean and When They Matter.  It written from a US standpoint, but should be useful to you wherever you are in the world, because the same tricks are pulled all over the world.  Some things you’ll read about:

• What’s the difference between fortified and enriched?
• Is "gluten-free" gluten free enough?
• Why "fat free" can make you fat
• Will a "zero calorie" drink really help you lose weight?

I would have liked to see them talk more about how misleading these labels can be – for example, when a whole grain food contains more refined flour and sugar than whole grain, or when trans-fat free food isn’t really trans-fat free.

Still, it’s worth reading and you’ll probably think about some things you’ve never bothered to think about before. 🙂

Here’s the link to Lifehacker again.  And while you’re at it, don’t miss The Migraineur’s Quick Guide to Reading Food Labels