Made with whole grain. You can take a trip down nearly any aisle in the grocery store and see this phrase splashed upon unlikely products like sugary cereals, white bread, and chocolate-coated cereal bars. Or how about a package of licorice that's labeled "Cholesterol free?" Call me crazy, but I don't think licorice ever contained cholesterol, did it?

As health becomes more of a focus in the face of the obesity epidemic, food manufacturers are starting to get on board with healthier products. Some are also making tricky nutritional claims (like cholesterol free licorice) that are true statements, but can trick a consumer into thinking they're getting something better for their health when all they're really getting is junk. General Mills, Kellogg, and Pepsi-Co are just a few of the companies that are producing healthier versions of popular products and/or adding new healthier products to their line-up. But are these products truly healthy? It takes a savvy consumer to know the difference.

Take the box of Cocoa Puffs sitting in my cupboard (I know, I know... it's terrible. I bought them as a special treat for my son.) The front of the box has a label that says "with whole grain" -- is it true? Yes, the first ingredient on the label is "Corn (Whole Grain Corn, Meal)." But I don't know how many whole grains there actually are per serving; it's safe to say there isn't the 51% per serving required for it to be considered a good source of whole grain. That's why the label says "with" in small letters and " whole grain" in a bigger font -- "with" is one tiny little preposition that can cause a big mess of confusion. The box also has an icon of a running kid with the words "12 Vitamins and Minerals," an icon of a glass of milk saying "Good Source of Calcium," and an icon showing its 110 calories per serving. All true statements. What they don't advertise on the front of the box is the 12 grams of sugar per serving. So is this box of Cocoa Puffs healthy? Absolutely not. The only thing it's healthier than is the former version of Cocoa Puffs that General Mills used to manufacture.I think it's great that some companies are starting to change the formulas of their products to make them a bit healthier. Reduced sugar varieties, lowered fat content, and whole grain products are certainly better than their super sugary, fatty, and refined grain counterparts, but consumers still have to be wary. It's important to read the nutrition facts label on the packages of any processed food. Check the label of your diet frozen meal -- what's the sodium content on that? Check the fat content on reduced sugar products. You might be surprised to see your "healthier" products really aren't healthy at all.