Are You Eating More Because of Health Claims on Food Labels?
By: Dean Anderson,
SparkPeople Blogger
3/2/2010 6:10 PM
: 73 comments
: 10,132 Views
Low fat. Reduced calorie. Zero trans-fat. All natural. Organic. Is it possible that choosing foods advertising these and other similar health claims can actually increase overeating and lead to unhealthier food choices?
Apparently so, according to a growing body of research.
The concept of “health halo” has been around for several years now. Basically, the idea is that packaging that makes health claims about food items (or brands, restaurants, etc) often results in people eating more total calories, and more unhealthy foods, than they otherwise might.
As you can see from this article, there are several ways that health halos can lead to undesirable effects. One is that people tend to seriously underestimate the number of calories actually in a food item that’s labeled “low-fat” or "reduced calorie." This may lead people to increase the portion size they think is appropriate, or to add additional items to their meal, as when someone orders a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a bacon double cheeseburger, but then adds a large soda and a desert because they assume they can “afford” these extras and still come out ahead on calories. Either way, the research indicates that many people often end up eating up to 50% more total calories when choosing foods with health halos.
Another potential problem is that a health-oriented claim like reduced calorie, transfat free, cholesterol free, or organic/ all natural can lead people to select foods, especially snack items, without paying much attention to whether these foods are really a good nutritional deal, or mainly empty calories. The virtuous image created by the health claim seems to somehow short circuit the normal process of evaluating food choices, even for people who are nutritionally knowledgable.
How and why health halos end up leading to higher calorie intake and/or poorer nutritional choices isn’t completely clear. Some studies have found that low-fat or other health claims on food packaging, especially for snack foods, reduce the amount of guilt people feel about eating that item and lower inhibitions enough to lead to calorie overload. Or maybe the health halo triggers a lapse into “mindless mode” and we don’t even stop to wonder whether those transfat-free cookies are really what we need. Or maybe we get so obsessed with or confused by the complexities of trying to figure out which foods are “good” and which are “bad” that we set ourselves up for being overly influenced by the claims made on food packaging.
In any case, experts suggest that one good way to protect yourself against these effects of the health halo is to get in the habit of automatically challenging any health claim you see on food packaging, menus, etc. For example, you could respond by asking yourself “So what?” whenever you see one of these claims. Then you can stop and check the food label for other nutritional info before you determine whether that food is a good deal for you.
Or you could make things even simpler, as Michael Pollan has suggested, and figure that, if the packaging seems to be going for the “health halo effect,” that’s probably a good reason to suspect that what’s inside is really not such a good deal at all.
What do you think about this? Do you think you’re sometimes influenced by the health halo effect? Do the advantages of packaging that advertises certain healthier characteristics of a food outweigh the disadvantages? What do you do to minimize the risk of negative consequences?
Apparently so, according to a growing body of research.
The concept of “health halo” has been around for several years now. Basically, the idea is that packaging that makes health claims about food items (or brands, restaurants, etc) often results in people eating more total calories, and more unhealthy foods, than they otherwise might.
As you can see from this article, there are several ways that health halos can lead to undesirable effects. One is that people tend to seriously underestimate the number of calories actually in a food item that’s labeled “low-fat” or "reduced calorie." This may lead people to increase the portion size they think is appropriate, or to add additional items to their meal, as when someone orders a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a bacon double cheeseburger, but then adds a large soda and a desert because they assume they can “afford” these extras and still come out ahead on calories. Either way, the research indicates that many people often end up eating up to 50% more total calories when choosing foods with health halos.
Another potential problem is that a health-oriented claim like reduced calorie, transfat free, cholesterol free, or organic/ all natural can lead people to select foods, especially snack items, without paying much attention to whether these foods are really a good nutritional deal, or mainly empty calories. The virtuous image created by the health claim seems to somehow short circuit the normal process of evaluating food choices, even for people who are nutritionally knowledgable.
How and why health halos end up leading to higher calorie intake and/or poorer nutritional choices isn’t completely clear. Some studies have found that low-fat or other health claims on food packaging, especially for snack foods, reduce the amount of guilt people feel about eating that item and lower inhibitions enough to lead to calorie overload. Or maybe the health halo triggers a lapse into “mindless mode” and we don’t even stop to wonder whether those transfat-free cookies are really what we need. Or maybe we get so obsessed with or confused by the complexities of trying to figure out which foods are “good” and which are “bad” that we set ourselves up for being overly influenced by the claims made on food packaging.
In any case, experts suggest that one good way to protect yourself against these effects of the health halo is to get in the habit of automatically challenging any health claim you see on food packaging, menus, etc. For example, you could respond by asking yourself “So what?” whenever you see one of these claims. Then you can stop and check the food label for other nutritional info before you determine whether that food is a good deal for you.
Or you could make things even simpler, as Michael Pollan has suggested, and figure that, if the packaging seems to be going for the “health halo effect,” that’s probably a good reason to suspect that what’s inside is really not such a good deal at all.
What do you think about this? Do you think you’re sometimes influenced by the health halo effect? Do the advantages of packaging that advertises certain healthier characteristics of a food outweigh the disadvantages? What do you do to minimize the risk of negative consequences?
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Comments
Overeating is overeating regardless of the fat content. I felt really bad for her that she had this mentality and eventually she had bypass surgery to lose weight. Don't know how she is today, heard she was a very sick woman after the surgery. - 9/1/2010 7:39:24 AM
The automatic spark menus were disappointing. So much cooking sprays, eggbeaters, and fat-free pudding. After years of eating the real stuff, avoiding frozen dinners and fast food, none of this tastes good anymore. I'd much rather have a diet that uses real food, even if that means eating less dessert and more fruits and veggies. I'd much rather fill up with fruits and veggies than fat-free, sugar-free imitations. - 5/29/2010 12:33:15 AM
about label reading. and i agree with sassi spring about eating at the table.
sometimes you just can't. and people without a room with table to eat at
they emprovise as best they can. - 3/6/2010 5:40:22 PM
I'm a huge skeptic now, and eschew most things with labels (or read and understand what the actual ingredients/nutrients are and/or aren't), especially if they refer to "natural," "heart-smart," "fat-free," "high in fiber" or "made with whole grains." If you have to advertise the nutritional content of a food item, it's likely not exactly as advertised. - 3/4/2010 8:30:41 AM
Now... I buy healthy food. Yup.
And a treat now and then. Balance, balance.
Too many of the 'diet food' halo wise, leave me unsatisfied, so I eat more, just cause they taste like crap.
Hooray for healthy, vital, home cooked stuff!
Hooray for an occasional Godiva!
I do read the 'this is really good for you' stuff at my stores... and keep in mind that they are trying to sell stuff. Still, they have led me to adding flax pre Spark, so sometimes it pays off. - 3/3/2010 10:41:06 PM
I wish that would include potassium in the "have to post numbers" so I can keep a better handle on balancing sodium and potassium levels.
Oh, that's right! TMI might confuse poor, old, fat John Doe (or Jane). Just keep them as dumb as we can. . . . - 3/3/2010 4:00:05 PM
I truly believe that the nutrition education I've received from SparkPeople has taught me many lessons and lead through my a-ha moment with eating empty calories, and I'm forever grateful to you guys! (and gals!) - 3/3/2010 1:20:42 PM
I don`t buyéeat any of that grocery store crap. - 3/3/2010 12:26:37 PM
It's called moderation. - 3/3/2010 12:12:30 PM
Now I buy the "real" thing, but eat less of it. Usually I don't buy prepared foods, although I do buy "low salt" canned vegetables (the regular canned vegetables have WAY too much salt). Mostly I buy unprocessed foods - foods the way nature made them and then combine them myself. I can control sugar, fat, and sodium to my requirements and increase fiber, protein, or other macronutrients as I desire or need.
- 3/3/2010 12:00:45 PM
The true information is on the back of the box/can/bag. The ingredients list tells me a whole lot more than the "health claims" on the front. - 3/3/2010 11:54:39 AM
Most of those so called health halo foods, are really not good for you at all! - 3/3/2010 7:34:07 AM
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