Sell me health.

Last night, I sat down with the founder of HealthStart Foundation to begin a deep dive into their communication and messaging strategy. During our discussion about the message and value of HealthStart, the founder said "There are no good foods, or bad foods, there is only fuel for your body. Some foods fuel you better."

Food as fuel. Fuel is food. Brilliant.

You may have noticed that fresh foods (like fruits and vegetables in the produce section) don't have labels. They don't have tiny stickers that say "Antioxidants and Fiber!" or "Now with more more Vitamin D!". Why? Because they don't have to convince anyone that they are healthy. In fact, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff of Weighty Matters says, "Ultimately if a food needs to convince you that it’s healthy, it’s probably not" in his guest blog found here.

The food industry uses nutrition buzz words as a marketing tool. That's no surprise, but marketing to consumers who are seeking healthy products is important. It's important because it has consequences for their wallets and their lives. So, when those health claims are false, it's bad news for consumers and the food industry.

Consumers have little knowledge of what low-fat, Vitamin A, D, or antioxidants actually mean. They just know they sound nutritional. They don't think in terms of how their body uses those nutrients or what those nutrients really mean. "Dr. Brian Wansink that refers to the phenomenon of eating more, liking more, or buying more of an item due to its perceived healthfulness" as the health halo. So, because a pack of Oreo's is labeled as reduced fat, consumers may eat more, like more, and buy more often. Clearly, marketers and the food industry are not educating consumers. They are selling to their want for healthfulness without providing for their need for healthfulness.

So, what if, marketers of foods (fresh and otherwise) started thinking in terms of fuel. What if marketing educated consumers about how their body uses the food they put in it. What if everyone knew your brain needs water to think straight. That soda is a treat. And that a mango helps lower your cholesterol (LDL). Wouldn't that push the food industry to think differently? Wouldn't that cause consumers to think differently?

While food that isn't 100% healthy certainly has it's place (I sort of love ice cream sandwiches). So do educated consumers. So does exceptional marketing. So does fuel for our bodies, not just our stomachs.