I believe most people make an effort to eat healthy food, at least some of the time. Some shoppers are vigilant about making the healthiest food choices and carefully read the nutrition information of every food label. Others take a more casual approach to healthy eating simply by adding vegetables, fruits and lean protein to their diet. Even people who overindulge on less healthy "junk food" generally report that they would like to start eating a healthier diet.

Even if you are striving to have a healthy diet, it can be a challenge to determine which foods are the healthiest choices. The vast array of information available can be confusing to most shoppers. The marketplace bombards us with new diet plans that have very different theories about the types of foods we should be eating. I remember years ago "smart dieters" opted for very low fat diets in favor of higher carbohydrate choices. We bought "low fat" cookies that ended up having far more sugar (and more calories) than the original version of the cookies. The Atkins Diet took the opposite approach, promoting a low-carbohydrate, high-fat approach. The South Beach Diet took the middle road by emphasizing a low-carbohydrate, lower-fat approach. Programs like Weight Watchers advocate a more flexible eating plan that includes a moderate amount of all food groups. Still other diet plans advocate choosing organic and natural food to avoid undesirable chemicals and pesticides. Trying to keep up with the definition of "healthy eating" can wear out even the most health-minded shoppers!

To further confuse shoppers, food manufacturers change their food labels frequently to keep up with the latest trends. During the South Beach and Atkins diet crazes, many food products began to carry the "low-carb" label. Even products that had always been low in carbohydrates (such as salad dressings that are high in fat) began to tout their low-carb attributes. More recently, hundreds of food manufacturers changed product recipes and began labeling their products with the "zero trans fat" label as we learned that trans fats are very unhealthy. Two years ago I had never even heard of trans fats!

So it came as no surprise to me when I read recent consumer behavior findings collected by Kraft Foods. Irene Rosenfeld, an officer of Kraft Foods, reported at a food industry conference held in January that consumers are so confused by rapidly-changing food health claims that they are ignoring them altogether, and resorting to common sense. The sheer volume of food health claims not only confuses them, but the fact that many food health claims are later refuted by new research forces them to ignore health claims completely. As a result of conflicting messages, shoppers begin to think that all food health claims are fads and are not worth following. Rosenfeld's recommendation to industry peers was that companies needed to work together so that clear and consistent information is presented on packages, in stores and in advertising messages. Consumers can then make informed choices about whether they wish to consume a certain product.

I would take her recommendation a step further and suggest that shoppers become more educated from other health information sources, taking the food companies' claims with a grain of salt. Understandably, food companies will use health claims that favor their products and will leave out the unhealthy details of their products. For example, if a product is a low-carbohydrate product, the label will tout that fact, but will probably not mention that it is a high fat product. Many "diet" frozen entrees display low calorie counts prominently on the front label, but high sodium contents are in fine print on the back label. As smart shoppers, we need to take the time to read the fine print, as well as the prominent health claims, to make sure we are buying products that meet our dietary goals.

Stephanie Nelson shares her savings tips as a regular contributor on ABC News' "Good Morning America." You can find more of her savings tips in her book "The Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom" and on her website at www.couponmom.com. She can be reached at shoppingmom@unitedmedia.com.