Label Reading
I tend to think of myself as a pretty savvy label reader. I always check the serving size first and the servings per a container second. I usually look at the sugar, protein, and fat content and skim over the micro-nutrients. Recently however Vitamin Water reminded just how sneaky advertising can be.
I was drinking a Vitamin Water Fruit Punch flavor which on the front of the bottle advertises to be full of B-Vitamins and Potassium (an electrolyte). I mostly just got the bottle because I like that flavor but I thought “electrolytes, okay cool”. Later I was bored so I started reading the ingredients section of the label. I was a little shocked to find that the drink contained “less than 1% potassium”. The front section of the label (you can see above) clearly makes a consumer feel they are purchasing a drink full of potassium which is going to help revitalize you. I could have got more potassium from eating a banana, or a class of milk, than from this Vitamin Water.
Now I’m not going around looking for ways to add more potassium to my diet I simply pointed this out because I know food/beverage companies can be very sneaky about what actually is or isn’t in their product. Always take time to the read the labels and the ingredients to know what you are putting in your body. The first ingredients listed are the most abundant in the product and they are listed in decreasing order from there. Remember you can’t always trust what is printed on the front of the package!
