Many Americans are obsessed with products labeled “low fat,” “low carb,” “sugar free.” and “low calorie.”

Supermarkets appear to carry just as many products labeled with healthy terms, as they do typical caloric faire. 

The problem with these “healthy” products is that many of them are actually unhealthy for you.

Consumers may be fooled into thinking that 100 calories of Nutter Butters can be a healthy weight-loss snack.

Undoubtedly, eating fewer calories will induce weight loss, but at what price?

The obese population in America, and the Western world for that matter, doesn’t need any more misinformation about proper diet and nutrition swirling around to cause confusion.

Less than healthy products that appear to appeal toward the health conscious consumers are misleading and doing a great disservice to Americans who are attempting to buy healthy foods.

Sure, people can lose weight by eating foods labeled with phrases like “sugar free, fat free,” but this is detrimental to long-term health, both inside and out.

Some of the worst offenders I’ve seen are low fat mayonnaise, low fat yogurt and sugar-free sweetened coffee creamer. Products such as these are incorporated into everyday diets.

Slathering a sandwich in low fat mayonnaise as opposed to full fat is a step in the right direction, but by no means healthy. Many low fat yogurts found in the dairy aisle are loaded with sugar to make up for the loss of fat. And sugar free coffee creamer is a mix of corn syrup, vegetable oil and preservatives.

Often, when the fat is taken out of a product, it’s replaced with sugar, or visa versa.

Many “light” products contain chemicals to make-up for the loss of flavor from the fat or sugar.

No matter what is done to alter their nutrition label, some foods are destined to remain unhealthy.

However, not all low fat products are horrendous. Some can be found without preservatives or added calories. But walking through the supermarket and inspecting every label to judge whether the claim on the front of the box indicates a healthful product is time-consuming, although worthwhile.

Some food businesses are marketed as “healthy choices” too.

This summer Elk Grove, and the Sacramento area, saw an increase in the number and popularity of frozen yogurt shops.

I appreciate the daring business owners who decided to open a yogurt shop in this economy. Many of them market their yogurt as a treat, complete with candy toppings. One yogurt shop that’s yet to make it to the Sacramento area is Pinkberry where yogurt is served with fresh fruit toppings. Making Pinkberry slightly healthier than the average shop, but, nonetheless, it’s still sugary yogurt.

Jamba Juice is another shop whose products taste great, but are marketed as healthy. I guess that depends on what they’re being compared to- fast food? Hands down, Jamba Juice would be labeled the healthiest.

I recently went to one Jamba Juice in Elk Grove only to realize that many of the smoothies have yogurt or sherbet mixed in, which was fine. I enjoyed the smoothie as a dessert.

There is too much misinformation about health and nutrition getting in the way of the truth.

However, many products and companies are getting wise to the growing population of health conscious consumers who know how to read labels.

But some consumers are quick to believe the convenient idea, like the Atkins diet. It makes eating healthy seem easy. But really it’s no simple task. With today’s food options, companies should be more aware of how they market products.

Labels that indicate healthy products should be more strictly regulated so consumers can differentiate between a low-fat product containing extra sugar and preservatives, and one that simply contains less fat or oils with nothing extra added.

Copyright © 2009 Herburger Publications, Inc