By Staff Writer: Eliza Bengala

Walking down an aisle in any grocery store, you’ll pass by colorful, creative packages all competing to grab your attention. Packages are decked out in big words exclaiming that the product inside is “Low Fat”, “Fat Free”, “0g. Trans Fat”. And while the packaging may advertise itself as being healthy, in reality, it’s lying to you. Here’s why.

Low Fat:

According to The Journal of Marketing Research, ‘Low fat nutrition labels lead to obesity.’ The average low fat product contains 59% less fat than its original counterpart, but only about 15% fewer calories. As hungry people, we often underestimate how much fat and calories is truly in what we’re eating, causing us to consume more fat and calories than we would have if we had just stuck with the original product.

A way to avoid the overeating and overconsumption of fat and calories, read the serving size on the label. If the serving size is half of a cup, measure it out and only eat that. Never eat straight from the bag.

Trans Fat Lies:

In the United States, if a product contains less than 0.5g. of trans fat per serving, it can legally be advertised as containing 0g. of trans-fat. And if you’re someone who never sticks with the recommended serving size, eating two or three servings of those trans fat free Cheetos means that you’ve just consumed about a gram or so of trans fat. This is a scary and misleading fact for those of us who are desperately trying to avoid the unhealthy substance.

The obvious way to avoid eating excess trans fats is to, once again, stick with the serving size. Another way is to read the list of ingredients at the bottom of the nutrition label. According to shape.com, if the words “partially hydrogenated oil”, “hydrogenated vegetable oil”, or “shortening” are listed anywhere with the ingredients, the product will contain trans fat no matter what the advertisement says.

Sugar Free:

Like trans fat, if a product contains 0.5g or less of sugar per serving, it can be advertised as sugar free, which means that when you eat that entire package of cookies, you’re consuming over 4g. of sugar. And, according to mensjournal.com, sugar free foods can contain different types of carbohydrates, which can raise a person’s blood sugar the same way that regular sugar would. Along with the carbohydrates comes sugar alcohol, which still contains almost as many calories as refined sugar, and usually contains more fat.

Once again, the solution to avoiding the tricky labeling is the same. Read the nutrition label. Eat the recommended serving size, and compare things such as fat content and the amount of calories to the full sugar alternative product.  If the word sugar is replaced with the words artificial sweetener, lactitol, sorbitol, or xylitol, it is more than likely that the product is no less fatty or healthier than its full sugar counterpart.

All Natural:

In the United States, the FDA has no set definition for the term All Natural, allowing food companies to twist the term and use it however they want. According to health.com, food companies will inject foods with substances, such as high fructose corn syrup for example, and still advertise it as all natural on the claim that since the syrup comes from corn, it’s healthy. Most all natural chicken breasts in the United States are also injected with a saline solution to increase its weight, and because of the lack of a definition for all natural foods, no legal action is able to be made against the FDA for the misleading advertisements.

If you’re really big into trying to eat a diet with truly all natural food, the only way to guarantee what you are eating is truly natural is to not eat any foods that are processed or come in any type of packaging. This includes fresh fruits, vegetables, and farm fresh products that can be bought at farmer’s markets or even raised yourself.