How the food industry plays with your palate

The food industry spends trillions of dollars to persuade you to buy and eat — and eat and eat — their products. Here’s the disturbing history behind their tactics, plus how to read between the labels

Malky was on a mission. As she rolled her shopping cart down the aisles of her local supermarket, she carefully scanned the rows of brightly colored products. I’m not getting duped this time, she told herself as she deftly avoided the snack aisle and started reading labels in the cereal section.

The past few nights, Malky had been up late reading about how food corporations spend trillions of dollars to keep you buying food that’s better for their bottom line than for your health, and making it deliberately difficult for consumers to select healthy choices. Forewarned is forearmed, but it didn’t feel that way to Malky as she faced the swarms of labels.

Which ones are legit and which are misleading? she wondered. If the label says natural, is it better? Do I need to buy organic? Is sugar-free really a good thing?

Malky walked away from the so-called healthy cereals and headed toward the granola. But then she felt stumped again. What’s better to eat for breakfast… granola with yogurt, or oatmeal with nuts and berries?

Think you’re more health-smart than Malky? Help her pick the best choice below:

Caesar salad or grilled chicken salad with olive oil and vinegar?

Organic veggie chips or carrot sticks with hummus?

Vitamin water or fruit-infused water?

Fat-free frozen yogurt or dark chocolate with almonds?

We’ll get to the answers soon, but here’s the critical point: Picking healthy foods is harder than you think, especially when you’re flooded with a dazzling array of flavorful products in packaging designed to make you buy, eat… and keep eating.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 944)