The “All Natural” Lie

Many fruit snacks have product labels that feature the words, “All Natural,” but they are misleading. After all, consider this: even a fruit snack that’s loaded with sugar can be considered all natural because sugar is technically a natural ingredient. To get a true idea of how healthy a fruit snack is, look at its nutrition information and let the figures speak for themselves.

Other claims often found on fruit snack labels that you should take with a grain of salt include, “Contains Real Fruit Juice.” Many times, fruit snack manufacturers will put this statement on their product labels even though the amount of fruit juice that the snack contains is laughable. Generally, these products only contain a small amount of concentrated grape juice or apple juice, both of which are made up of mostly carbohydrates and sugar. So, although the words, “Contains Real Fruit Juice,” may make you feel like you’re eating a healthy product, the truth is that fruit snacks with small amounts of concentrated juice do not contain anywhere near the amount of fiber you’d get in a piece of real fruit.

Avoid Fruit Snacks with Artificial Ingredients

Many highly processed fruit snacks contain a variety of unhealthy ingredients, including high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavorings, artificial dyes, and preservatives. In order to be considered healthy, fruit snacks must be as close to the real thing as possible. This means that they shouldn’t contain any artificial ingredients and should be made up entirely of pure fruit.

Parents, Be Careful

Parents need to be particularly cautious when they’re shopping for healthy fruit snacks. Many parents buy fruit snacks thinking that they will be a healthy snack for their children, and children are lured by the fruit snacks’ sweetness and colorful appearance. Processed fruit snacks cannot be considered a replacement for real fruit, however. Eating them is pretty much the same as eating candy.

Benefits of Healthy Fruit Snacks

Healthy fruit snacks, or fruit snacks that are made with pure fruit and contain no additives whatsoever, are naturally low in fat and calories, hence their popularity with health conscious consumers. If you want to find more ways to incorporate fruit into your diet without having to eat more fresh fruit, healthy fruit snacks are a great choice. Healthy fruit snacks are convenient and have a much longer shelf life than fresh fruit. Because of their “grab it and go” appeal, healthy fruit snacks make a great addition to your pantry. Stock up on them, so there’s always something healthy to munch on in your home.