My hometown newspaper (and my employer, I work in their advertising dept.), the Star Tribune, had an article this morning about misleading nutritional claims on processed foods. If you weren’t born yesterday, there will be no shockers here. Really, do people not know this stuff? Am I overestimating the intelligence of the general public?

Then again, it’s all relative. We all know an apple is better for us than a candy bar. But if I’m dying for something sweet, and I have to choose between licorice and a Snickers, isn’t the licorice the relatively-less-bad choice?

Your everyday choices are more important than what you might do occasionally, for example, on a road trip.  We always indulge in a little bit of junk food when we’re driving through places like North Dakota. I don’t think the occasional naughtiness is going to kill any of us.

The one part of the article that hit especially close to home was the part about Vitamin Water. The New Home Economics approach to bottled water is very simple: carry a bottle with you and refill it at a tap. A filtered tap if you can find it. This method hits three sweet spots: my wallet, my health, and the environment.

Anyway, here is the article if you wish to learn about how cocoa puffs are not actually a health food.  It is a good reminder of how misleading labels can be.