Dieters could be sabotaging their health regimens by falling for calorie-laden foods that masquerade under deceptive labels.
Potato chips labelled as veggie chips and milkshakes sold as smoothies are common traps for health-conscious consumers, who are easily swayed with the simple swap of words, revealed a study from The Journal of Consumer Research.
When researchers at the University of South Carolina asked consumers to rate a bowl of vegetables, pasta, salami, cheese and lettuce under two different names — salad and pasta — the health-conscious consumers rated the same dish healthier when it was labelled a salad and less healthier when it was labelled as a pasta. And, as another experiment in the same study suggests: it can lead dieters to consume larger quantities of a food they mistakenly believe is healthy.
When researchers gave candies to students watching a nine-minute movie — those who were told they were ‘fruit chews’ ate more than those who were told they were ‘candy chews’.
Meanwhile, a separate study found that 62 percent of participants reported using the nutrition facts panel printed on packaged foods covers and 52 percent read the list of ingredients when deciding on a food product. .
Decode the labels
Here are simple guidelines to understand the hidden meaning behind what’s written on the labels.
Decode the labels
Here are simple guidelines to understand the hidden meaning behind what’s written on the labels.
A product is considered:
High fat: More than 20g of fat per 100g
High levels of saturated fat: More than 5g of saturated fat per 100g
High sugar: More than 12.5g of sugar per 100g
High salt: More than 1.5g of salt per 100ga