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Deborah Kotz
When choosing among the hundreds of products on supermarket shelves, many of us use labels as a guide, selecting an "all-natural" cereal over one that's not, or the mouthwash that promises to remove plaque and promote healthy gums--perhaps even saving us a trip to the dentist--over one that merely freshens breath. Unfortunately, many of these labels exaggerate health benefits or are downright deceptive.
The
"We're starting to see a government crackdown on products with misleading labels," says
Oddly enough, some of the labels on supermarket products have strict legal definitions, such as "organic," while others, such as "all-natural," don't. You'd need to read the label, for example, to know whether an "all-natural" tomato sauce really has no artificial ingredients.
Here's a guide to common label claims and whether they're likely to be deceptive:
"Supports immune system" or "for brain development."
These are medical claims that the
Last year, the
"Good source of vitamins."
Any product, regardless of its sugar, salt, and fat content, can carry a vitamin claim if it contains a certain amount of fortification. "Excellent source" means a product has more than 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance of that vitamin; "good source" means it has more than 10 percent but less than 20 percent; and "fortified" means it has at least 10 percent, according to the
"Zero trans fats."
This doesn't mean a product is completely free of trans fatty acids, a type of fat known to be the worst kind for your heart. It just means that a product can't contain more than half a gram of trans fats per serving.
"The kicker is that many of us eat more than a serving at a time," says Silverglade, like that large blueberry muffin that contains two or three government-standardized servings. "We also see products high in saturated fat that are labeled 'no trans fats,' and this is misleading, since saturated fats are nearly as bad for your heart as trans fats," he says. Bottom line: Read the label to check for saturated fat content and scan the ingredient list for partially hydrogenated oils, which are trans fats.
"All-natural."
This is supposed to mean that a product contains no artificial ingredients and is minimally processed, but that's not always the case. Products with the "all-natural" label that contain meat or poultry are legally required to meet this definition, says Silverglade, since they're regulated by the
"Organic."
Because the government has established a single legal definition for "organic" that applies to all food products, this is a "trustworthy" label, says Silverglade. It means a product can't be manufactured from synthetic ingredients that involved the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, animal drugs, or genetic engineering. The methods used to produce the product must minimize pollution from air, soil, and water, and generally be environmentally safe. That doesn't mean that an organic cookie is more nutritious than a non-organic one.
"Light."
To use the "light" label, the
Available at Amazon.com:
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder
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Health - How to Decipher Product Labels