“100% natural, organic, low-fat,” are some buzzwords we automatically assume as healthy and consider as must-haves when trying to lose weight. We look for them everywhere, on supermarket aisles, online grocery stores, because they seem to have a health halo around them with multiple benefits, especially those that come with the “low calorie” and “low fat” tags. Food companies tend to cash in on this hype and attach such fancy tags to their products to appeal to the consumers. The “halo effect” was originally coined in the 1920s by Edward Thorndike, a reputed psychologist, who associated “halo effect” with a person based on their appearance and dressing style rather than their behavior. The food industry takes inspiration from here and markets their products with glorious tags to give an impression that their product is good and healthy without much evidence to back their claim. In this post, we have 14 such foods with a health halo around them, but then they aren’t exactly good for weight loss.
What is Health Halo Effect"
To assume a food product/ingredient is healthy, often falling for the heavily-advertised claims, without no concrete evidence to prove its benefits, and overestimating its health benefits, defines a health halo effect. People pick such products without much thought, automatically assuming it’s the best bet for them, and often indulging in overconsumption of such food.
14 Foods wi...