Sugary food
A number of seemingly healthy foods contain sugar that exceeds the amount found in several Krispy Kreme doughnuts Reuters/David Bebber

When a product is labeled "Sugar Free," consumers should not equate it to healthy and nutrition. Artificial sweeteners can actually cause more harm than good especially in large quantities. Learn how to read ingredient labels more carefully before purchasing food items.

1. They are artificial sweeteners, most likely

When a food product is tagged "Sugar Free", it is likely that artificial sweeteners replaced regular sugar. In a report by The Sugar Association, artificial replacements are chemically manufactured molecules, so people might be safer taking natural sugar than these. The better approach is to check for products that are tagged "No Refined Sweeteners."

2. Look out for sugar replacements

When a product is labeled "Sugar Free", check the ingredient label if there are artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame potassium or acesulfam K, sucralose, saccharin and neotame. Some of these contain zero calories but mimic the taste of sugar. USA Today reported, however, that these can lead to sugar cravings and poor eating habits.

3. These do not make people thinner

People should adopt a low-fat, low-sugar diet if they truly intend to lose weight. Sugar-free treats should not be used as a substitute to full healthy meals. Eating these will not make people lose weight and overconsumption can actually lead to weight gain.

4. The dangers of frequent consumption

A study at Purdue University that frequent consumers of artificial sweeteners are at a higher risk for developing health conditions like type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Individuals can become overweight or obese due to frequent consumption of "Sugar Free" treats.

5. Check for synonyms

Sometimes, food companies will mask the truth by using enticing words like "Sugar Free", "Without Added Sugars" or "No Extra Sugar". These do not equate to healthy food products. The best approach would be to read food labels and determine whether white sugar and chemically made sweeteners have been eliminated, based on a blog post on DoctorOz.com.