The importance of reading labels cannot be emphasized enough. No matter how unhealthy a product is, it will be marketed as healthy, natural or has less of this and more of that.

It’s unfortunate that as consumers, we have to research before buying some things found at the grocery store.

For example, Greek yogurt has been all the rage for the past few years. It wasn’t good enough to just keep the thick, white stuff in containers. Companies have found ways to reel in customers by touting Greek yogurt in other products, such as cereal.

Now, true Greek yogurt is naturally a healthy food. It has twice the protein of regular yogurt and contains less sugar (if unflavored). The problem is, if added to other foods, while you might get the protein of the yogurt, you’re also getting the fat, salt and sugar of whatever it was added to. If you want the benefits of real Greek yogurt, just buy real Greek yogurt. But watch out for flavored versions, which have tons of sugar. Also, look out for fake versions, which look and feel like Greek yogurt, but really aren’t. Brands that have live cultures and describe it as Greek-strained, such as Fage, a real-life Greek company, may be a better choice.

It can be tiresome to weave through all of the packaging claims such as the many green checks or green boxes, which display nutritional information. (Is the color green intended to evoke the idea of healthy?)

In addition, we hear every day of something that is not real, at least as real as marketers have advertised. For example, honey, olive oil, ground beef, orange juice and many others are sometimes mock versions of the real stuff. If you can’t find the ingredients or its origins from the labels, ask the grocer or the butcher.

Then there’s coconut water. Naturally, it’s a good alternative to sodas and sports drinks, with less sodium than sports drinks and more potassium than a banana. But it has a bigger price tag. And just like pomegranate juice in previous years, it’s being marketed as a wonder drink. It is a tasty treat, but again, you have to watch out for flavored versions, which have a lot of added sugar. Basically, coconut water shouldn’t replace regular water.

The point is to seek information on the labels and figure if it will fit into your lifestyle. It’s not enough to be drawn in by the fad miracle food of the day or slick packaging promises.