The old adage, “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away” doesn’t seem as applicable as it did when I was younger.

After all, the definition of “healthy food” has changed tremendously over the years and the FDA recently acknowledged this fact.

Take granola for example, which is considered a tremendously healthy food packed with fiber, nutrients and minerals. Yet, when I was young, I never saw the word “healthy” printed on any granola packaging. At the time, the FDA banned companies from printing any health claims on food packaging.

That changed when Congress passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, which ostensibly opened the floodgates. Seemingly overnight, grocery store shelves were inundated with all types of packaging that promoted healthy food.

Marion Nestle is a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. She indicated that since the passage of the law, food companies have stretched the definition of healthy.

"All the pressure ever since has been to enlarge the definition of healthy to include whatever product food manufacturers happen to be selling," said Nestle to the Los Angeles Times.

As a result, there is a great deal of confusion regarding the actual nutritional value of foods that claim to be healthy. In fact, the FDA announced in September that it will tackle this very issue, because “public health recommendations for various nutrients have evolved.”

There's a gap between what the general population views as healthy and what nutritionist believe is actually good for you. According to the New York Times, here are a list of foods that many people consider nutritious, but most professionals advise against consuming:

• Granola bar
• Coconut oil
• Frozen yogurt
• Granola
• Slimfast shake

Items on this list are often considered completely healthy. According to the experts that may not be the case. As a result, it can be difficult to locate genuinely beneficial fuel while strolling the aisles of your local grocery store.

Ultimately, you need to determine for yourself which foods are best for you to consume. However, in an attempt to clear up some of the confusion, here are some recommendations you can use to determine if you want to consume a particular food:

Check the serving size first

First, always make sure to check the serving size listed on the back of the packaging. This is the key to understanding the rest of the labeling information. 

The label often will indicate that the serving size is only fraction of what is actually packaged. In other words, the granola bar may be 12 ounces, but the serving size is only four ounces. This means you have three full servings contained within one small granola bar.

Always examine the ingredients

Before you decide to purchase any food, make sure to turn the packaging over and review the ingredients. First, you want to determine if there is anything that you may be allergic to.

Further, examining the ingredients will allow you to determine if there are certain components you want to avoid. Here are some examples:

• added refined sugars
• partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils
• chemicals you cannot even pronounce

Examine the amount of sugar

Many people unwittingly consume large amounts of sugar, even though they believe they went out of their way to avoid it. Sticking with the original analogy, instead of choosing a candy bar, they choose the granola bar under the mistaken belief it is a healthy alternative.

Unfortunately, many granola bars – as well as other seemingly healthy foods – often have more sugar than candy.  Men's Health published an interesting comparison of seemingly healthy foods and the results are shocking.

Determine the total calories

The total calories contained within a particular food item can only be determined by knowing the serving size. After all, the total number of calories is important to know, especially if you are attempting to lose weight.

These are just some simple introductory steps that will allow you to better understand what you are consuming.

Keep in mind that Kind Bar, a well-known and pervasive granola bar, successfully argued against an FDA mandate to remove the word “healthy” from its packaging. The company reasoned that having the word on the packaging does not refer to the food within the packaging, but instead describes the culture and philosophy of the company.

In other words, never judge a book by its cover, or in this case a granola bar by its packaging.