It's another form of selling sickness. Now more than ever, food marketers are pushing items that fit within the dietary constrictions of various chronic illnesses.

Sick people are the ultimate demographic with more than 70 million suffering from heart problems, 21 million managing diabetes, and two-thirds of American adults struggling with obesity. Low-fat, low-sugar, and other specialty items (don't forget low carb, no salt and dairy-free products) are filling grocery aisles.

Though it is still possible to eat a diet that is naturally low in fats and processed grains and sugar, heading to the “Heart Healthy” or “Gluten-Free” sections of the supermarket entices consumers with convenience. Instead of controlling the amount of fat in your soup by whipping up a homemade batch, you can pop open a can of Progresso's Beef Barley 99% Fat Free. Preservatives? Sure. Sodium? Most definitely. But dinner's on the table in five minutes.

The backlash is inevitable: eating Snackwells cookies or Baked Lays potato chips does not promise instant results. “You don’t drop two pounds in two days. You don’t see your cholesterol cut in half,” says Cornell University marketing and nutrition professor Brian Wansink. “It sets these foods up for failure when people don’t see immediate cure-all benefits.”

[via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]