15 Seductive Phrases Food Brands Use To Trick You
Just like when we're pursuing a potential new romantic partner, food product packaging tells us exactly what we want to hear. And just as we will ask around to get a feel for who our new flame really may be, we should do the same when it comes to food products.
It may sound silly in writing, but the reality is that when you're deciding to purchase one product over another, you really do pay attention to the package. And that's exactly why manufacturers use seductive phrases to help sell their products over the ones they share shelf space with. Wouldn't you choose the all natural sweetener over just plain old sugar?
Unfortunately, the FDA doesn't regulate these marketing phrases that come across as nutrition claims. And that gives companies plenty of wiggle room to bend the rules. Take a look at the phrases below that we found while taking a stroll down the grocery aisles. We share the seductive phrases below, and how they convince you a product is more healthy than it seems. It doesn't just happen in supermarkets. Stay healthy while eating out with these 35 Tips to Eat Healthy at Restaurants.
"Lightly Sweet"
Teas' Tea Organic Pomegranate Blueberry Green Tea
Teas' Tea may seem especially enticing when you see "lightly sweet" if you're trying to cut back on the sugar. But once we looked beyond the label and onto the nutrition facts we were so disappointed to see 20 grams of sugar! Does that sound lightly sweet to you? I don't think so! Looking to drink tea and still lose weight? Don't miss these 21 Best Teas for Weight Loss.
"Skinny Girl"
Skinny Girl Wine
A line designed for women trying to lose a few — Skinny Girl is not very promising. The wine is said to have fewer calories, letting women believe they can "go wild." That, however, is not the case, these bottles average at around 100 calories per 5-ounce serving while your typical 5-ounce serving of white averages about 115 calories. If you're really looking to shed a few, drop the booze.
"No Sugar Added"
Naked's Mighty Mango
Though it may be naturally sweetened, "healthy" juices like Naked's "Mighty Mango" are not a free pass to drink with abandon. They're also not an excuse for consuming nearly 60 grams of sugar! That's likely eating 22 Hershey Kisses!
"Personal Pizza"
Digiorno Traditional Crust Small Size
You're down in the frozen section deciding which pizza to buy for your last minute dinner. You pick the personal sized pizza, relatively low cal and said to have a "traditional crust." Did you bother looking at the nutrition size or ingredients list? Not only is the nutritional information for half the pie, but ingredients like methylcellulose (which is more commonly used as a laxative) definitely do not belong in "traditional crust."
"Veggie Straws"
Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws
With the nutrient promising name, you'd think vegetables would get to play a lead role in these chips ingredient list. Sadly, the form of powdered vegetables just doesn't do it for us. Labeled as if you're getting veggies, but instead, you're getting starch filled potatoes, coated in oil and salt.
"Sweetly Seductive"
Skinny Cow Divines
At least Skinny Cow knows you'll be coming back for more with these "simply indulgent" candy treats. The issue is just one serving of these treats is 140 calories and has 14 grams of sugar. Who will really cut themselves off after a few quick bites? Not to mention these "naturally flavored" treats show no signs for raspberries anywhere on their ingredients.
"Special Dark [Chocolate]"
Hershey's Miniatures Special Dark Chocolate
Sure, dark chocolate can be "special," but that's not the case when it's cocoa processed with alkali. This defeating agent strips away all antioxidants you may be getting from your sweet bite. Not too mention these little treats are far from low-cal.
"Slim Fast"
Slim Fast Shakes
Who are they kidding? "Packed with nutrients to help you lose weight without feeling like you're on a diet." The addition of high fructose corn syrup adds up to an astonishing 19 grams of sugar. Along with a few chemicals and an ingredient list over twenty, were not too sure how these products make you feel slim, fast.
"Yogurt Bars"
Quaker Chewy Yogurt Granola Bar
Don't be fooled by these so-called yogurt bars. With the word "yogurt" printed largely on the label, you're set up to miss flavored coating below it. You're better off eating Greek yogurt and adding your own toppings.
"ThinkThin"
Think Thin Chunky Peanut Butter Bar
Now with the help of wonder woman Gal Gadot, Think Thin bars are being geared towards women more than ever. But let's think again. Loaded with saturated fat and fake fibers, we're not too sure how we feel about these weight-loss assisting, protein-providing bars. A key factor to losing weight is consuming enough fiber, we were disappointed to only see 1 gram on their Chunky Peanut Butter Flavor.
"Smart Start"
Kellogg's Smart Start Strong Heart Antioxidant Cereal
The best way to start your day does not include tons of sugar and little-to-no protein. No there's just nothing smart about that at all. Instead, you're better off eating eggs over a nice piece of whole grain toast.
"Whole Grain is Our 1st Ingredient"
Stroehmann Dutch Country 100% Whole Wheat
Yes, we always recommend looking for a bread with whole grains. But, you have to look at the real ingredients. Expressions like these often cover for the ingredient list which can contain loads of cheap additives. Additives like diglycerides are added to prolong flavor, enhance texture, and increase size. What does that mean for you? This "whole-grain" bread is likely to contain carcinogenic byproducts and similar traits to FDA banned trans-fats. To pick a better bread, don't miss Eat This, Not That!: Store-Bought Breads.
"Cage-Free"
Cage-Free Eggs
If you really care about the quality of life your chickens are getting be sure to do a little research on your product. Unfortunately, cage-free isn't very free at all. In order to be cage-free hens must have a minimum of 120 square inches. And while this may be a step up from chickens in battery cages, these "cage-free" hens rarely get exposure to the outdoors.
"With Real Avocado"
El Sabroso Original Guacachip
No way! Weight-loss supporting avocados in a chip? Hand it over! Unfortunately, this product dishes you a load of disappointment you skim the ingredients to find "Avocado Powder." Thought you were getting avocados benefits in a crunch? Think again.
"Made with Real Fruit"
Welch's Fruit Snacks
It' time to look at the nutrition labels. Snacks like these often get to use the preferred labels "made with real fruit." The biggest issue is that the FDA doesn't implement a standard as to how much real fruit must be used for companies to use this marketing claim. So what does that mean? "Fruit snacks" alike often are made with more artificial flavorings and sugars than they are with real fruit itself. These aren't the only misleading fruit product. Check out these 14 "Health" Foods Worse Than a Donut.
