San Mateo Daily Journal: Sofia Noyes with PHI’s Center for Wellness and Nutrition Shares Tips for Healthy Shopping at Grocery Stores

“With social media and marketing attracting consumers to buy products that aid with weight loss, health experts urge consumers to read food labels and inspect ingredients to avoid falling victim to misleading food packaging. Whether you desire a summer-ready body, have a fitness goal or strive to change your diet, learning about food contents could help you track food intake and achieve daily nutritional requirements.

Ankita Tandel is the director of Public Health Nutrition at San Mateo County. She leads the county’s Women, Infants and Children program, which provides nutrition education and assistance to pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum moms with children under 5 years old.

In her years as a registered dietitian, her advice to parents has always been “to ignore the front and focus on the back” of food packaging so they can learn more about the ingredients of food products and whether they are nutritious.

“If you look at any food label or look at any food product, it could be so confusing,” Tandel said. “And marketing does such a wonderful job at making things seem and appear to be healthy or fresh or using bright colors.”

When it comes to food packaging, health experts point out that certain food labels may have “buzzwords” like “light,” “zero” and “low” to entice people to believe that food products are more nutritious. However, these terms often divert attention from the enhancers or chemicals that enhance the shelf-life or taste of products.

Before working in her current role as a program coordinator, Sofia Noyes was a health educator for the Center for Wellness and Nutrition — Bay Area, which is a nutrition education program under the Public Health Institute. For her, seeing beyond the package design and understanding the ingredients list would make a difference in eating healthy.

Instead, she urged consumers to “shop the perimeter of the store” to prioritize sections where fresh and less-processed items such as protein, produce and dairy are stored and refrigerated.

She pointed out that food with unpronounceable ingredients may be a nutritional red flag, as these products either have an additive or are “ultra-processed.” Other than this guideline, Noyes advises against believing most common food labels are accurate.

• Natural or organic: Consumers might find this a better choice, but items with this label may offer the same nutritive value, only sold at a higher price.
• Sugars and hidden sweeteners: Added sugars might account for more calories and ingredients that end with “-se,” like fructose, usually means syrups or sweeteners
• Serving size vs. per container: Checking this label will give you more control over portions and the per-serving amount.