These are five popular foods that are healthy, but aren’t

It’s not just juice – many other foods and drinks you buy at the store are now considered highly processed. Despite being packed with labels pointing to their health benefits. Dr. Federica Amati, a medical scientist and public health nutritionist, says that this “halo effect“. “We use that term when ultra-processed foods (UPF) and other packaged foods are labeled as ‘a good source of vitamin D,’ or ‘high in fiber’ to make it seem like an option they are healthy,” she explains.

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“Examples include ‘low fat’ or ‘low calorie’, and even naming products so that they are better with ‘light‘ to add to the name. This is by no means an unprocessed food: you will never see a can of beans labeled ‘good for the gut’, or cucumbers with ‘low calorie’. Really healthy food doesn’t have to market itself as healthy. Research shows that these tactics affect our behavior,” said Amati. “We are more likely to select results that indicate, for example, that they are ‘light‘ than for items that are not.”

False labels

It’s not the customers fault. The purpose of food marketing is to sell them to us, so it is in the manufacturers’ interest to package foods with these labels, however misleading they may be. “The research is also very recent and some people think that the difference between these foods is not clear,” says Amati. “Most studies on UPFs (which likely support these health claims use) are associated with significantly worse health outcomes.”

She recommends looking past the labels and focusing on the ingredient list to understand exactly what you’re buying (and consuming). My personal tip: If a food or drink has some ingredients listed that you’ve never heard of (or that strong chemical), chances are it belongs in the UPF category. You may see additional sugars and sweeteners on this list, which help us make more informed decisions about what we eat. “Cardboard is low in fat, calories and sugar and is also vegan and gluten-free,” says Amati. “But I wouldn’t recommend eating it. “

Below, Doctor Amati shares the top five foods and drinks that are healthy, but often aren’t.