It's a fact of the grocery store that the most healthy food often has the least marketing muscle behind it. The best source of fiber and vitamins are fresh vegetables and fruit, and yet it's the processed, packaged junk food fortified with vitamin and fiber powder that screams for attention. The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently published a comprehensive report on the subject, a persuasive indictment delicately called "Food Labeling Chaos."

Like listening skeptically to a politician speak, however, you can often decipher the truth amid the lies and misdirection by carefully reading food labels. Here are some of the most common ways food labels lie, so you can prepare before your next trip to the grocery store.

Made With Real Fruit

Hey wow! That candy has real fruit in it. It must be good for my kid.

One of the world’s premiere auto shows, the North American International Auto Show in Detroit just finished up its 2010 edition January 24. This year’s show featured a 37,000 square foot exhibit on the Cobo Center’s main floor called Electric Avenue. No, this was not a Motown tribute to the Reggae/Ringbang singer and songwriter Eddy Grant. Electric Avenue was a showcase of the next generation of ‘green’ cars and it was telling that this technology was displayed on the same floor that had formerly hosted Hummers and the other big boys of the SUV family.

You've probably been hearing a lot lately about the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA. That's the chemical that's found in some hard plastics and in the linings of most canned food products. BPA is an an environmental estrogen that is tied to concerns about breast cancer, early puberty, male infertility and even obesity.

What's really messed up about this is that all the studies done on this topic seem to conflict. Health and environmental groups say it's a problem; industry groups seem to suggest it's just fine. A couple of years ago the Food and Drug Administration said it was safe, now the FDA is saying there may be some reason for concern.

When was the last time you sat down to a home-cooked meal made with  locally produced foods? Never? Well, you might do well to buy a copy of a cool new book, called True Food: 8 Simple Steps to a Healthier You,  published by National Geographic. The book was written by three women, Annie B. Bond, Melissa Breyer, and Wendy Gordon, who think it's a good idea to eat local foods, eat a wide variety of foods..aim for organic, and eat lower on the food chain.

They explain that this is not only healthier for you...it's healthier for the planet. When foods don't have to be trucked (or flown) in from parts afar, the carbon footprint is lower, and the earth smiles, just a little.

Okay, I'm making the book sound a bit goofy, but actually it's a great resource if you've ever thought about gardening (it gives you some eco-friendly tips to keep away critters). If you ever wanted to can or freeze your garden's bounty instead of buying crappy veggies in the middle of the winter, it tells you how to do it. Can't afford to buy all organic produce? The book lists which ones are most often contaminated by pesticides. (I learned that I should really make an effort to buy these from the organic section: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots and pears).

What are “energy vampires” or “phantom loads”? First, they are not the monsters hiding in the closet to drain your energy and make really cheesy movies.

Energy vampires are devices that use electricity when you think they are off. They are the cell phone and iPod chargers that are left plugged in, the computer that is left in sleep mode all day, or the TV that comes on instantly when you press the button on the remote. Electronics like this never really turn off. There is always some power going to them. This allows things like clocks on DVD players to still function while off, or for the TV to come on instantly with a remote control. Phantom load accounts for 64 million megawatts (or 64,000,000,000 kilowatt hours) of power and $4 billion a year in the United States.

During the cold winter months, we're more likely to stay inside our homes..but did you know there could be an invisible danger lurking there, while we sit on the couch all bundled up in our Snuggies?

This potential problem is completely invisible, colorless and odorless and also happens to be cancer-causing. This problem is radon gas, which comes from the natural radioactive breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. It can seep into houses through cracks, sump pumps and other openings in basement floors and walls. About two thirds of the radon test results received by the Environmental Health Division of Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) in 2007 were above the level at which the EPA suggests certain actions be taken.

The EPA estimates that radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year in the U.S. About 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked. If you do smoke and your home has elevated radon levels, your risk of lung cancer greatly increases.