Can the onslaught of low-fat, fat free or otherwise “healthy” foods that continue to appear on grocery store shelves be partly to blame for rising obesity rates? Some researchers say yes.

It’s called the health halo effect. Simply put, the health halo effect leads people to overestimate the overall healthfulness of a food based on a health claim. Health halos are proven to cause people to eat more food than they intended. For example, studies have shown that people eat far more low-fat foods than they do traditional versions.

So, how do you not fall prey to the hype? The following tips should help.