February 10, 2012
Know your food labels
Published 03/19/2010 12:00 AM
Do you know what you are eating? Silly question? I don’t think so.
If you are like many Americans you believe the glossy front of packages that allude to a better life just by eating whatever they are manufacturing. But what is the truth behind those claims? Here are some things to be wary of:
• "Natural" must mean that it is good for us – The FDA has no definition of what the term "natural" means. Recently they asked that foods be free of artificial or synthetic substances, including high fructose corn syrup. The problem is simple, lack of artificial substances doesn't equate to a healthy food choice.
• "Zero" grams of trans fat – Look for the word partially hydrogenated fat, if it’s in the ingredient listing it has trans fats. The FDA allows foods that have less than .5g trans fat per serving to be listed as zero so many manufacturers have decreased the portion sizes of the food to bring it to that acceptable level.
• "Good" source – Foods only have to provide 10% of a certain nutrient to be labeled as "good" source. That hardly meets what is recommended daily of some nutrients.
• "Made with" fruit, whole grains, etc. – This is a meaningless term that doesn’t tell you how much there really is in the product.
• "Less" – The term less refers only to a comparison of the original product. For example, less sodium may mean that there is less than the original but still more than you are bargaining for.
• Unsubstantiated claims – The FDA has very specific guidelines about what labels can say in relation to a food preventing a disease. Be careful of foods that claim to help your digestive tract or prevent heart disease, most times it is nothing more than a clever marketing trick.
• "Real chicken, turkey, beef, et." – Have you ever heard the term mechanically separated meat? If not, do some research? I’ll make you a bet that those turkey hotdogs will lose their appeal pretty quickly.
What can I believe on the label?
• Cholesterol-free: Less than 2 mg of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
• Fat-free: Less than .5 gram of fat per serving.
• Low calorie: 40 calories or less per serving.
• Low cholesterol: 20 mg or less of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fatty acids.
• Low fat: 3 grams of less per serving.
• Low sodium: 140 mg or less per serving.
• Very low sodium: 35 mg or less per serving.
• Sodium or salt-free: Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving.
• Sugar-free: less than .5 grams per serving.
• Less or reduced: At least 25% less of a nutrient or calories than a compared food.
• Light: 50% less fat or one-third fewer calories than the food it is being compared to.
If you are like many Americans you believe the glossy front of packages that allude to a better life just by eating whatever they are manufacturing. But what is the truth behind those claims? Here are some things to be wary of:
• "Natural" must mean that it is good for us – The FDA has no definition of what the term "natural" means. Recently they asked that foods be free of artificial or synthetic substances, including high fructose corn syrup. The problem is simple, lack of artificial substances doesn't equate to a healthy food choice.
• "Zero" grams of trans fat – Look for the word partially hydrogenated fat, if it’s in the ingredient listing it has trans fats. The FDA allows foods that have less than .5g trans fat per serving to be listed as zero so many manufacturers have decreased the portion sizes of the food to bring it to that acceptable level.
• "Good" source – Foods only have to provide 10% of a certain nutrient to be labeled as "good" source. That hardly meets what is recommended daily of some nutrients.
• "Made with" fruit, whole grains, etc. – This is a meaningless term that doesn’t tell you how much there really is in the product.
• "Less" – The term less refers only to a comparison of the original product. For example, less sodium may mean that there is less than the original but still more than you are bargaining for.
• Unsubstantiated claims – The FDA has very specific guidelines about what labels can say in relation to a food preventing a disease. Be careful of foods that claim to help your digestive tract or prevent heart disease, most times it is nothing more than a clever marketing trick.
• "Real chicken, turkey, beef, et." – Have you ever heard the term mechanically separated meat? If not, do some research? I’ll make you a bet that those turkey hotdogs will lose their appeal pretty quickly.
What can I believe on the label?
• Cholesterol-free: Less than 2 mg of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
• Fat-free: Less than .5 gram of fat per serving.
• Low calorie: 40 calories or less per serving.
• Low cholesterol: 20 mg or less of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fatty acids.
• Low fat: 3 grams of less per serving.
• Low sodium: 140 mg or less per serving.
• Very low sodium: 35 mg or less per serving.
• Sodium or salt-free: Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving.
• Sugar-free: less than .5 grams per serving.
• Less or reduced: At least 25% less of a nutrient or calories than a compared food.
• Light: 50% less fat or one-third fewer calories than the food it is being compared to.
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