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I believe most of us who strive to be healthy know the importance of reading the labels on the food
products we put into our bodies. But with words like "partially hydrogenated" and "fractionated," it's
hard to know if that's good or bad. And with marketing companies getting more deceptive in their wording,
we need to educate ourselves to what is good, and what we should avoid.
I'm going to show you two different food labels and the ingredients for a protein bar. Pay close attention to the descriptions of the contents
of each product in terms of the fat, carbohydrates and protein, and notice how many grams of each are in the
product.
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hi
This first label is from a product that I bought before I learned
how to read labels. Notice the label says that this is a 10% fat
product. This would lead me to believe that it's 90% lean. However,
this statement has to do with weight. It is all one product, but
while part of it is fat weight and the other is lean muscle weight,
the muscle is much denser than the fat. So, if you were to put this
on a scale, only 10% of it by weight is fat, but when you read the
ingredients it says, "calories per serving: 200 and fat calories:
100." For years I thought I was serving my family a lean food, when
in fact 50% of the calories in this product come from fat.
Here is another label, taken from a product that is advertised as "low fat."
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The point here, is that it is low fat, but it is full of sugar. Of the 130 calories, 68 of those are from
sugar—it is over half sugar! It is products like these that have contributed to our challenges with
obesity. We may think we are making healthy choices by eating low fat, but the high sugar content of many
foods can totally sabotage out efforts.
The following information includes some of the ingredients in a protein bar-something we all may believe to be healthy.
Well, that's not necessarily true. We can be doing our best to eat a balanced, nutritious diet, or simply
eat a protein bar and think that it's good for us. Then, we learn that the food contains some of the very
things that can hinder our weight loss and affect our health.
Soy protein nuggets (isolated soy protein, rice flour, malt, salt), corn syrup, yogurt coating (dehydrated
cane juice, fractionated palm kernel oil.)
Among the ingredients is "fractionated palm kernel oil," which is just another form of trans fat.
[Read more about fats]
FDA Specifications for Health Claims and Descriptive Terms
The FDA provides guidelines about the claims and description manufacturers may use in food labeling to
promote their products:
Requirements that must be met before using the claim in food labeling
Fat-Free |
Less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, with no added fat or oil
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Low fat |
3 grams or less of fat per serving
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Less fat |
25% or less fat than the comparison food
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Saturated Fat Free |
Less than 0.5 grams of saturated fat and 0.5 grams of trans-fatty acids per serving
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Cholesterol-Free |
Less than 2 mg cholesterol per serving, and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
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Low Cholesterol |
20 mg or less cholesterol per serving and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
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Reduced Calorie |
At least 25% fewer calories per serving than the comparison food
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Low Calorie |
40 calories or less per serving
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Extra Lean |
Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram)
serving of meat, poultry or seafood
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Lean |
Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 g of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram)
serving of meat, poultry or seafood
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Light (fat) |
50% or less of the fat than in the comparison food (ex: 50% less fat than our regular cheese)
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Light (calories) |
1/3 fewer calories than the comparison food
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High-Fiber |
5 grams or more fiber per serving
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Sugar-Free |
Less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving
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Sodium-Free or Salt-Free |
Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving
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Low Sodium |
140 mg or less per serving
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Very Low Sodium |
35 mg or less per serving
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Healthy |
A food low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and contains at least 10% of the
Daily Values for vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or fiber.
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"High", "Rich in" or "Excellent Source" |
20% or more of the Daily Value for a given nutrient per serving
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"Less", "Fewer" or "Reduced" |
At least 25% less of a given nutrient or calories than the comparison food
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"Low", "Little", "Few", or "Low Source of" |
An amount that would allow frequent consumption of the food without exceeding the Daily Value
for the nutrient — but can only make the claim as it applies to all similar foods
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"Good Source Of", "More", or "Added" |
The food provides 10% more of the Daily Value for a given nutrient than the comparison food
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Low Carbohydrate
Industry and consumer groups have called on the FDA to not only provide a definition for low-carb claims
but also address the use of implied low-carb claims and "net carb" counts on product labels.
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