5 False Food Label Claims

What looks like a healthy choice on the outside isn’t always all it’s wrapped up to be on the inside

By: Paige Greenfield

How to Make the Healthy Choice

Photo Credit: Peter Crowther

As a cyclist, you probably consider yourself a health-savvy shopper. Be warned: A study in the Journal of Marketing reports that those who pay the most attention to food labels are more likely to be duped by false claims.  To make the healthiest choices, scrutinize the nutrition facts and ingredient ­panels, says Joy Dubost, PhD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Here’s how.

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"Made With Real Fruit"

What you see: Made with real fruit

What you get: “There are absolutely no regulations around this claim,” Dubost says. Consider Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars Mixed Berry. Sounds like a solid preride bite. But the made-with-real-fruit filling contains puree concentrate (more like sugar than actual fruit) of blueberries, strawberries, apples, and raspberries.


The solution: The lower a fruit is listed in the ingredients, the less the product contains. “If you want to increase your fruit intake, rely on whole fruits,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, author of Read It Before You Eat It.

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"Lightly Sweetened"

What you see: Lightly sweetened

What you get: Unlike “sugar-free” and “no added sugars,” this claim isn’t regulated by the FDA. It’s easy to be fooled: Wheaties FUEL, a cereal that’s marketed specifically to athletes and carries the lightly sweetened label, contains more sugar per ¾-cup serving (14g) than the same amount of Fruit Loops (9g).


The solution: Check the nutrition facts panel. The American Heart Association recommends that women keep added sugars below 24 grams per day and men aim for less than 36g.

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"Gluten-free"

What you see: Gluten-free

What you get: To make this claim, a product must be made without wheat, barley, or rye. But there have been reports of cross-contamination with gluten-containing grains during growing or manufacturing, says Pamela Cureton, RD, a dietitian at the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.


The solution: Look for a seal from the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, the Celiac Sprue Association, or the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, which test products to ensure they have no gluten.

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"Added Fiber"

What you see: Added fiber

What you get: Though products with this claim do actually pack additional fiber—often listed as polydextrose, inulin (derived from chicory root), or maltodextrin—it’s unknown whether consuming them has the same benefits, such as lowering cholesterol, as the fiber found naturally in whole foods, says Dubost.

The solution: It’s okay to consume added fiber (often found in cereal, yogurt, and energy bars), but too much can cause a ride-derailing bellyache. “Aim for 14 grams per 1,000 calories,” Dubost says.

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"Wild Rice"

What you see: Wild rice

What you get: “True wild rice comes from a plant that’s indigenous to certain lakes and rivers in the Midwest and Canada,” says Peter David, wildlife biologist at the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission in Wisconsin. “Most people eat the kind produced out of California, which may be treated with chemicals.”


The solution: Look for the plant name Zizania palustris on the ingredient list. It packs four times the amount of protein, 73 times the potassium, and 12 times the fiber per serving as its impostor.