Beware the Healthy Halo
All of that cheese makes this less healthy than we might hope.
This week I’ve read a few articles that discuss one of the more popular food marketing gimmicks – the healthy halo. Essentially, food marketers are attempting to trick consumers into purchasing their products by using healthy food claims on packaging for less than healthy food items. An easy example is fruit snacks for kids – they’re loaded with sugar, artificial colorings and flavorings, but by tossing in vitamin C and promoting that prominently on the package, parents believe they’re buying a healthy snack for their children – NOT.
Another example is granola. It sure sounds healthy and natural – in fact labeling someone “granola” implies that they are the natural type – unadorned, kind of crunchy, dry, and I suppose healthy. In reality, most commercially sold granola is loaded with fat and sugar, making it more of an indulgence than a healthy meal item.
Salads are another example. Vegetables, fruits, chicken, what’s not to love and feel good about a salad? In truth, the abundance of dressing, cheeses and nuts sometimes place salads in competition with a cheeseburger for a less than healthy choice.
There are other healthy buzzwords used as new product flavors, because they’re associated with ingredients that scientists have recently touted as healthy. For example, pomegranate and green tea have become the flavors du jour because of the health claims. However, the underlying food may be as unhealthy as before, whether it’s a sugar filled dessert or a fat laden beverage.
The lesson here is not so much that you should never eat these foods if you like them. Rather, don’t choose them only because you’ve been tricked into believing they are healthy. Read labels and nutrition facts in restaurants (on their websites if necessary) before you decide what to eat. Then make an informed decision knowing whether the item is truly healthy, or just sounds that way. You may realize that since the health benefits aren’t really there, you may as well order that cheeseburger after all!
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