Fortified foods: Too much of a good thing?

Then again, you may be buying a product promising benefits you're not getting.

Beverages containing herbs often don't state how much echinacea or ginseng, for instance, they actually contain. And universities and medical centers rarely take two groups of people, give one a certain food and withhold from the other to see the difference in outcomes, Sass says.

Iron might be added to your food, but in some forms it's insoluble and the body will flush it out without getting anything from it, Clydesdale says. You have to question whether the additive is able to be absorbed by your body.

That said, if a product makes a health claim, e.g., "calcium may reduce the risk of osteoporosis," there has to be science behind it to get the Food and Drug Administration's approval.

An eye on calories
But that may not make a trip to the grocery store any less confusing.

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While Sass thinks it's great that consumers are getting the link between nutrition and health, she suggests people keep in mind the USDA's research-based dietary guidelines when considering changing the way they eat.

"I'm more for getting (nutrients) from the original source if you can," she adds.

Of course, not everyone buying these foods and beverages is purposely seeking out a health benefit.

When 3 p.m. rolls around on any given weekday, people tend to feel tired and a little hungry. They may turn to coffee, tea or an energy drink for that boost, says Steve Haley, CEO and president of Celsius Holdings, which offers green tea-enhanced Celsius — "the earth's first calorie-burning soda." In 2006, the company saw more than $1.5 million in revenue and expects to blow past the figure this year.

Haley notes that if we all ate balanced diets, exercised regularly, drank plenty of water and got enough sleep, we wouldn't need these kinds of products. But since nobody's perfect, maybe some extra fortification isn't a bad thing.

While a small clinical research study presented at the 2005 International Society of Sports Nutrition conference supports Celsius' claim that the soda raises the metabolism for up to three hours after consumption, the company doesn't make weight-loss claims or promote it as an alternative to exercise. Instead, it encourages people to drink the product as part of a healthier lifestyle, a point nutrition experts echo.

"What consumers need to be wary of with all of these healthy, functional foods out there is that they still need to keep an eye on calories, especially with the obesity and overweight problems we have," says Lori Hoolihan, registered dietitian and nutrition research specialist with the Dairy Council of California's Functional Food Task Force.

"Don't assume you can have as much as you want," she says, "because it's considered healthy."

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