What is an example of the health halo effect? Understanding the bias behind food choices

December 23, 2025 •

5 min read

According to a 2025 study published in The Organic Halo Effect, participants perceived organic-labeled food as having lower calorie content than conventional food, despite nutritional similarities. This cognitive bias, which is a prime example of the health halo effect, demonstrates how a single attribute can mislead us into believing a product is healthier overall. This article explores how to recognize and avoid such psychological tricks when grocery shopping and dining out.

Quick Summary

The health halo effect is a cognitive bias where a single positive attribute of a food misleads consumers into overestimating its overall health benefits, often resulting in increased consumption.

Key Points

Plant-Based Burgers: A clear example is perceiving plant-based burgers as inherently healthier than beef, despite often having similar fat and sodium content.
Marketing Buzzwords: Terms like "organic," "natural," and "low-fat" are common triggers used by marketers to create this cognitive bias.
Hidden Calories: Overloaded salads with creamy dressings exemplify the health halo, where the presence of vegetables creates a false sense of overall health.
Undercounting Calories: Consumers often underestimate the calorie content of meals at restaurants perceived as healthy, leading to increased consumption.
Ignored Labels: The health halo can cause consumers to overlook important nutritional information on food labels, focusing only on the single positive claim.
Critical Thinking: To avoid the health halo, focus on the full nutritional label and be skeptical of vague, positive-sounding marketing claims.

The Psychology Behind the Health Halo

The health halo is a mental shortcut, or heuristic, our brains use to simplify complex decisions, especially when faced with overwhelming choices in a grocery aisle. Instead of meticulously analyzing every detail on a nutrition label, our brains latch onto a single, appealing health claim and apply a positive 'halo' to the entire product. This causes us to make assumptions that are often inaccurate. The cognitive process works like this: an intuitive, fast system reacts to a cue like the word 'organic' or 'natural,' creating a positive emotional response. This initial feeling can be so strong that it overrides the slower, more analytical part of our brain, making us less likely to scrutinize the full nutritional information. Food marketers are well aware of this bias and strategically use it to their advantage, employing various buzzwords and packaging designs to create an illusion of healthfulness.

Common Triggers Used by Food Marketers

Several terms and visual cues are particularly effective at triggering the health halo effect. Recognizing these triggers is the first step toward making more conscious choices:

Organic: The term "organic" is often associated with purity and a lack of pesticides, leading many consumers to assume the product is inherently healthier, lower in calories, or more nutritious. However, organic cookies are still cookies, and organic sugar is still sugar.
Natural: This term is largely unregulated and has little nutritional meaning. Brands use it to suggest a product is unprocessed and wholesome, but it can still be high in sugar, fat, or sodium.
Gluten-Free: For those without celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, "gluten-free" offers no inherent health benefits. In fact, many gluten-free products use more sugar and fat to improve flavor and texture, potentially making them less healthy than their gluten-containing counterparts.
Low-Fat: This label is a classic health halo example. Consumers often confuse "low-fat" with "low-calorie," leading them to overconsume the product. Manufacturers often replace fat with added sugars to compensate for lost flavor, meaning the product might have a similar or even higher calorie count.
Protein-Fortified: Seeing "high protein" on a label can create an overall perception of health, leading consumers to believe the product also has more fiber or is lower in sugar than it actually is.

A Prominent Example: The Plant-Based Burger

One of the most clear-cut examples of the health halo effect today is the plant-based burger. Many consumers purchase these alternatives assuming they are making a significantly healthier choice, but the reality is often quite different. While appealing from an environmental or ethical standpoint, the nutritional profile of a plant-based burger is frequently comparable to that of a beef burger, especially in terms of calories, fat, and sodium. The simple 'plant-based' claim casts a powerful halo, giving consumers permission to overlook other nutritional details and potentially leading to overconsumption or the addition of extra toppings and sides. The consumer is less likely to scrutinize the label because the 'plant-based' cue has already satisfied their intuitive brain's desire for a 'healthy' choice.

Other common instances of the health halo in action

The Overloaded Salad: A salad is typically seen as a healthy meal. However, once loaded with crispy chicken, bacon bits, cheese, and a high-calorie creamy dressing, its nutritional value can rival or even surpass a standard burger.
Smoothies with Added Sugar: Many pre-made or restaurant-made smoothies marketed with buzzwords like "antioxidant-rich" are actually sugar bombs. While they contain some fruit, they are often blended with sugary fruit juices, sweeteners, and large portions that negate any perceived health benefits.
Restaurant Reputation: Studies show that when people eat at restaurants they perceive as healthy (e.g., Subway), they tend to underestimate the meal's calorie and sodium content. This can lead them to add higher-calorie side dishes, drinks, or desserts, often doubling the total calorie intake.

Plant-Based vs. Beef Burger: A Nutritional Comparison


Feature	Plant-Based Burger (e.g., from a major chain)	Traditional Beef Burger (e.g., from a major chain)
Calories	Often similar, can be higher due to processing additives	Varies, but often comparable in standard fast-food versions
Saturated Fat	Can be similar or higher, using ingredients like coconut oil for flavor	Varies, can be high depending on the cut of meat and preparation
Sodium	Often higher, as salt is used to enhance flavor and texture	Varies, often high in fast-food preparations
Protein	Contains protein, but overall profile is not necessarily superior	Provides a significant source of protein
Primary Health Halo Cue	"Plant-Based"	N/A

How to Avoid the Health Halo Trap

Making informed food choices requires a conscious effort to look beyond the surface. To counteract the health halo effect, you must engage your analytical thinking rather than relying on quick assumptions.

1. Read the nutrition label, not just the front of the package. The detailed information on the back or side of the package is what truly matters. Pay close attention to serving sizes, calories, saturated fat, sodium, and most importantly, added sugars. For example, some 'organic' snacks might have high levels of added sugar despite their 'healthy' image.

2. Think about the whole food, not just one attribute. Consider all the ingredients rather than focusing on a single, positive-sounding one. Just because a product contains a 'superfood' like chia seeds or kale does not automatically make the entire product healthy if it's packed with sugar and unhealthy fats.

3. Be wary of ambiguous buzzwords. When you see terms like "natural," "wholesome," or "farm-fresh," recognize them as marketing tools rather than nutritional guarantees. Since these terms are often unregulated, they tell you very little about the product's actual healthiness.

4. Practice mindful eating. Pay attention to what and how much you are eating. The perception of a food being healthy can sometimes lead to guilt-free overconsumption. Acknowledging that all foods, even those perceived as healthy, contain calories can help manage portion sizes more effectively.

Conclusion

What is an example of the health halo effect? From plant-based burgers to 'organic' snacks, countless examples demonstrate how a single positive attribute can create a misleading impression of overall healthfulness. The health halo effect is a powerful cognitive bias that influences our perceptions and purchasing behaviors, often leading us to make suboptimal dietary choices. By understanding the psychology behind this mental shortcut and learning to critically evaluate marketing claims, consumers can move past the deceptive 'halo' and make truly informed decisions about what they eat. Relying on facts from nutrition labels and focusing on the overall nutritional profile are the most effective strategies for navigating a food landscape filled with marketing tactics designed to create these powerful illusions. For more information, read the study on the organic halo effect by the National Institutes of Health.

Frequently Asked Questions

The health halo effect is a cognitive bias where a single positive attribute of a food, such as being labeled 'organic' or 'low-fat,' leads consumers to mistakenly believe the product is healthier overall than it actually is, often leading to increased consumption.

A plant-based burger is a prime example because it is often perceived as a healthier alternative to a traditional beef burger simply due to its 'plant-based' nature. However, many plant-based burgers contain similar, or sometimes higher, levels of fat and sodium, and are highly processed.

Marketers use buzzwords like 'natural,' 'organic,' 'gluten-free,' and 'low-fat,' and visual cues like green packaging or rustic imagery to create a halo of healthiness around a product. This distracts consumers from reading the full nutrition label and encourages them to make purchasing decisions based on a single, potentially misleading, claim.

No, the term 'natural' is often vaguely defined and largely unregulated, so it does not guarantee a product is healthier. For instance, 'natural' sugar is still sugar, and a product labeled 'natural' can still contain high levels of sugar, fat, and sodium.

Yes. When people perceive a food as healthy, they are more likely to underestimate its calorie content and may consume larger portions or add more high-calorie items. This can lead to a higher overall calorie intake than intended, especially at restaurants perceived as healthy.

Consumers often confuse these two terms due to the health halo effect. While a product may be 'low-fat,' manufacturers might replace the fat with high levels of sugar to improve taste, meaning the item is not necessarily 'low-calorie' and could be equally or more detrimental to health goals.

To avoid this bias, focus on reading the full nutrition label, including serving size, calories, fat, and sugar content. Be skeptical of front-of-package claims and understand that a single positive attribute doesn't guarantee a product's overall healthfulness. Conscious, analytical thinking is the best defense.

No, the health halo can also affect perceptions of fresh foods, restaurants, and menu items. For example, a restaurant's reputation for being healthy can lead diners to underestimate the nutritional impact of their meals.

No, an 'organic' label refers to the farming practices used, not necessarily the food's nutritional value. While organic foods may have different benefits, their basic nutritional content (like sugar and fat levels) is often similar to their conventional counterparts.