to your health?

Some of today's eating trends only seem like something to raise a glass to. Here, our experts sort through the hype and steer you to foods that are truly nutritious.

- KAREN ANSEL, R.D.N.

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT STARTING YOUR DAY WITH an oat milk latte or a green juice that just feels virtuous. Or maybe a plant-based chicken sandwich for lunch or gluten-free pasta for dinner seems like a healthier choice than the meaty or wheaty version. Welcome to the land of health halos, a place where clever marketing and scientific-sounding nutrition claims intersect to make certain foods and drinks appear considerably better for you than they are.

Now, that's not to say that all trends are nutritional hooey. "Some of these foods truly are healthy, but others work hard to convince you they're healthy," says Kristin Kirkpatrick, R.D.N., a dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Department of Wellness & Preventive Medicine and the author of Regenerative Health: Discover Your Metabolic Type and Renew Your Liver for Life. "The more health claims a product makes, the deeper you have to dig into the nutrition facts to confirm that it will work for you."

Of course, it's a fine decision to eat whatever you like every now and then it just may not be nutritionally superior to the alternative, or even close. "The fact that something is gluten-free, plant-based, or high in a certain nutrient doesn't mean it's guaranteed to foster better health," says Kirkpatrick. Take a closer look and you'll find that many of the foods generating the biggest buzz are laced with hidden sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, while others are surprisingly low in key nutrients.

Here are some common foods that have often unearned health halos.

Oat Milk

THE HYPE: Beloved for a taste as creamy as that of cow's milk even though it is made from plants, oat milk is suddenly everywhere. In 2018, U.S. sales were $156 million, and from 2020 through 2028 they're expected to increase by more than 15% per year.