Yesterday morning I was in line for coffee with a friend when I noticed the “healthy” cookie on display. The packaging was deceptive to give it a wholesome look that would make you believe the snack was a healthy one.

I flipped it over and read the ingredients: Refined flour. Refined sugar. Additives. Loads of simple carbs and sugars.

There was nothing remotely healthy about it!

A snack like that causes weight gain and further poor food choices…and yet people are being fooled into thinking that it’s healthy and good for them.

Looking around the coffee shop I realized that the new trend is to present processed snack foods in packaging that suggests that it’s healthy. The one or two benefits of the product are displayed prominently so that we forget to check the rest of the ingredients…

“Gluten Free!” (but filled with other refined grains AND sugar)
“Organic!” (but filled with refined sugar)
“Vegan!” (but filled with unhealthy fats and refined sugars)
“Sugar Free!” (but filled with artificial sweeteners)

What really upsets me about this deceptive marketing is those good people who truly want to make healthy choices are being duped. They are eating these packaged foods with the misconception that it’s healthy and beneficial, when in reality they may as well be eating the cheaper packaged snacks from a petrol station. The weight gain and nutritional hazards are the same.

Big food knows that we want to eat healthier, so their marketing is getting more clever than ever to keep us coming back to purchase their packaged, processed toxic foods. And we pay the price in kgs gained, and in health diminished.

Pass by the packaged snack foods, no matter how enticing and comforting the words on it may be.

ALWAYS read the ingredient list of foods you purchase.

Stick with real, whole foods instead of processed foods.