Here we go again.

It seems every few years an unhealthy consumer gets the brilliant idea to sue a food company for false advertising. This time, the target is Fruit Roll-Ups.

, claiming the company failed to mention that the product contains partially hydrogenated oil, which makes it unhealthy. The woman, Payton McClure, of Manhattan, claims the company misled her and other consumers by portraying the sticky fruit snacks as nutritious. She is seeking $5 million in damages for false advertising, breach of warranty and unjust enrichment.

Where is the personal responsibility? If you are truly stupid enough to believe that Fruit Roll-Ups, or any other fruit snack for that matter, actually contain fruit and will enhance your diet, it is your own fault. Try reading a food label. Or better yet,

and purchase some fresh produce.

I always wonder if the people behind these lawsuits really believe that they have been taken advantage of or if they’re just looking to make a quick buck. But considering

and

have all been in the line of fire, I suspect the people who sue for nutrition-related reasons are the same ones who devour mass quantities of fast food, chased with diet coke, and wonder why they’re fat. They probably also count French fries as a vegetable or believe that frying actually enhances the nutritional value of vegetables (I truly heard someone claim this once).

I’ll admit I may have an advantage when it comes to these tricky matters. I didn’t grow up eating fruit snacks or sugary cereals, and I still shy away from most of it today, fearful of the lengthy lists of ingredients I can’t pronounce.

But even if your diet contains a steady stream or laboratory-designed food, there are some indicators to help you make healthier choices. The spelling alone should be the tip-off that Froot Loops may not actually contain any cherries, oranges or lemons. And though their names can be a bit misleading, Apple Jacks and Cherry Coke aren’t nutritious either. For that matter, even homemade desserts such as carrot cake, coconut cream pie and blueberry cobbler have far more sugar than they do fruit.

I’ll break it down for anyone who’s still confused. Unless you’re eating an actual piece of fresh or dried fruit, you can’t count it toward your nine-a-day, or however many servings of fruits and vegetables are now recommended in the

.

If in doubt, rely on common sense.