Beiruting News

When you're grocery shopping, some products seem to be begging you to buy them. And they just might be-food manufacturers are looking to get our attention by including attractive health claims that make us believe that the products we are purchasing can make miracles.
But don't be fooled!all natural doesn't mean all that much. The Food and Drug Administration doesn't define it, although food makers won't get in trouble as long as so-labeled food doesn't contain added colors, artificial flavors, or "synthetic substances." 
That means there's room for interpretation. 
So a food labeled natural may contain preservatives or be injected with sodium, in the case of raw chicken.
Companies exploit this with 'health haloes' on front labels, which can lead us to overestimate how healthy a food is, based on a single claim. Unfortunately they can discourage us from reading the nutrition detail on the back label. It's important to know what these claims actually mean so we can make informed decisions about what we eat.
Keep in mind that a 'trans fat-free' food product isn't necessarily good for you, and it doesn't mean it's completely fat-free. It may still contain loads of saturated fats and the calories that come along with them. Look at the Nutrient Facts label on the back or the side of the product to see how much fat and calories are in each serving.
Light or Lite: For a food to be considered 'light' it has to have 1/3 fewer calories, fat or sodium of the regular version of that same product. Look at the Nutrient Facts labels to find out exactly how many calories, fat or sodium you're really saving.
Compare one brand of chocolate ice cream with the light version. There's less than half the fat in the light version, but it only has 30 fewer calories per 1/2 cup serving. A big bowl of the light ice cream will still rack up the extra calories quickly.