As I write this, I am snacking on Nature’s Path Organic Frosted Toaster Pastries, Brown Sugar and Maple Cinnamon Flavor. I am just one of many Americans who looked at the beautiful label and felt healthier just for buying the product over the more common brand of Pop-Tarts.

However, a study presented this week at the Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, California found that people who ate cookies labeled as “organic” believed that their snack contained about 40% fewer calories than the same cookies presented without a label.

Study co-author Brian Wansink, professor at Cornell Food and Brand Lab and author of the book Marketing Nutrition said, “An organic label gives a food a ‘health halo.’ It’s the same basic reason people tend to overeat any snack food that’s labeled as healthy or low fat. They underestimate the calories and over-reward themselves by eating more.”

Take my toaster pastries, as an example. One serving contains 210 calories, the very same amount that a frosted Pop-Tart of the same flavor has. However, remember that toaster pastries are among those foods whose labels give somewhat misleading advice. Only one pastry is included in a serving, but two are included in a sealed package. Most people don’t only eat one, therefore consuming over 400 calories.

Believe it or not, my organic toaster pastries had less sugar than Pop-Tarts. The Kellogg’s item contains 16 grams of sugar while Nature’s Path has 20 grams. According to a recently released report by the Institutes of Medicine, people who ate more added sugar were more likely to have higher risk factors for heart disease. Added sugars not only include sucrose — ingredients such as “organic evaporated can juice,” “organic brown sugar,” “organic dextrose,” “organic molasses,” and “organic honey” all constitute as added sugars.

My organic product also has other misleading information on the label. Although the description boasts “whole wheat,” fiber content is only 1 gram — only slightly more than regular Pop-Tarts. Another complaint I have is that the product boldly boasts that it is “Vegetarian,” but it contains milk. It also does not list allergy information on the ingredient list.

So while I may have saved my body from the undue health effects of synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers, I spent extra money on a product that does my weight-loss diet any real benefit.

This post was included in All Things Eco Blog Carnival #100 and All Things Family Blog Carnival.