From the HUFF POST:
After overindulging during the holidays, many of us have resolved to eat a healthier diet in the new year. But doing so means choosing the right foods, and too often misleading food labels prompt us to purchase items that we think are good for us but really aren’t. Here are 10 common labeling tricks to be aware of as you beef up your diet in 2012.
NO TRANS FAT: On labels anything less than 0.5 grams of trans fat — a “bad” fat that’s been linked to heart disease and other conditions — can be legally rounded down to zero. That means if you eat several servings of a so-called trans fat-free food — or a few such foods a day — you can wind up consuming measurable amounts of trans fat. To avoid it, check ingredient labels and steer clear of anything containing partially hydrogenated oils.
MULTI-GRAIN: A growing array of products from bread to potato chips proudly proclaim themselves to be “multigrain.” While this may appear to be a synonym for “whole grain” or “whole wheat” — which is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and digestive problems — it’s not. It simply means the food is made from several grains, which may be whole or refined. Labels such as “12 grain” and “made with” whole wheat can be equally deceptive. To make sure the food is rich in whole grains, check the ingredients. The first one listed should contain the word “whole.”
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