Fat?Low fat?Fat free?Cholesterol-free?Sugar free?Light?Whole milk, 2%, 1%, skim, fat free? How do we brave the confusing world of food labels? What?s more important?low fat? Low sugar? Cholesterol? Fortunately, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has guidelines to help define these terms.
The FDA is responsible for assuring that foods sold in the United States are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act are the Federal laws governing food products under FDA?s jurisdiction. The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), which amended the FD&C Act, requires food labels that make certain health claims to comply with specific requirements. If you?re interested in reading the requirements and guidelines, go to www.fda.gov and type ?food labeling? in the search field; or simply read this article, in which we condensed the information for you.
Sugar:
If you are counting calories, keep in mind that No Sugar Added doesn?t always mean the product is lower in calories than the same product with sugar. You need to take in the total amount of carbohydrates in the product, as it may contain natural sugars such as maltodextrin (a food additive produced from starch). If the label says Sugar Free, check for total carbs and calories. Sugar-free products may not use sugar, but they do use sugar alcohols, such as manitol, which are lower in calorie compared to sugar. Federal regulations state that ?no sugar added? claims are allowed if no sugar or sugar-containing ingredient is added during processing. The regulation states the product must contain less than 0.5 grams of sugars per labeled serving size. Watch your serving size to make sure those 0.5 grams don?t add up to a full serving of sugar.
What about ?High Fructose Corn Syrup? (HFCS)?
Perhaps you have seen commercials stating that HFCS is ?just like sugar? and ?your body can?t tell the difference.?? In fact, HFCS is a type of corn syrup that has undergone enzymatic processing to convert some of its glucose into fructose to produce sweetness. You find it in processed foods and beverages (check the label!). HFCS became popular in the 1990s; however, critics of the extensive use of HFCS argue that the highly processed substance is more harmful to humans than regular sugar, contributing to obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Critics also are concerned that the extra sweetness of HFCS affects normal appetite functions. The Corn Refiners Association disputes these claims and maintains that HFCS is comparable to table sugar. The FDA has a different opinion and recently denied the Association the right to change ?High Fructose Corn Syrup? to ?Sugar? on food labels.
Calories:
The FDA also has specific guidelines about calorie count. ?Calorie-free? foods must be less than 5 calories per labeled serving size. ?Low Calorie? means 40 calories or less per labeled serving size. ?Reduced Fat,? ?Light? or ?Lite? must contain at least 25% fewer calories than the labeled serving size of a regular-calorie referenced food.
Fat:
The regulations for total fat content of foods state that foods marked Fat Free contain less than 0.5 grams of fat per labeled serving size; food marked Low Fat must contain less than 3 grams per labeled serving size, and have to limit the content of saturated fat to 1 gram or less per serving; Reduced Fat foods must contain 25% less fat than the standard (regular) serving of that food.
It?s no secret that trans fat is the ?bad? fat that we want to avoid. However, just because a label says ?0 trans fat? doesn?t mean that there isn?t any of in the product. As noted above for sugar, it simply means that there is less than 0.5 grams per labeled serving size. If you eat more than one serving, the trans fat content goes up. Eat too many servings and you are getting an unhealthy dose of this bad kind of fat. To find the ?hidden? (i.e. less than half gram) trans fat in a product, check the ingredients for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.
Cholesterol:
Cholesterol is a substance made by the liver so we find it in animal products like meat, dairy, eggs, and butter. Current medical guidelines recommend a total cholesterol count of less than 200. If yours is high and you want an easy way to lower the number, make small changes to your diet. One easy way is to lower the fat content of your food.
The American Heart Association recommends a daily consumption of less than 300 mg of cholesterol per day. If you are a milk drinker and normally drink whole milk, switch to 1% or skim (fat free). Whole milk contains 3.25% fat, while 2% milk contains 2% fat?not that big of a difference from whole. Switching to 1% or skim can help reduce your cholesterol.
As far as claims made on food labels, here are the regulations for cholesterol:
Cholesterol Free must contain less than 2 mg (milligrams) per labeled serving size.
Low Cholesterol must contain 20 mg or less per labeled serving size.
Reduced Cholesterol must contain 25% or less per labeled serving size.
Wrap Up:
You may have noticed a lot of references to ?labeled serving size.? While products may be labeled ?fat free? or ?sugar free,? a good determinant for whether or not to eat the product is the serving size. Most people tend to eat at least twice as much as the labeled serving size, and may not remember to double or triple the calorie/nutrition amounts to correspond with what they eat. Some products have a serving size of half cup?not a lot of food. Before you decide to eat something, make sure the serving size you are going to eat and the calories in it are worth the effort.
In summary, the best way to eat healthy is to read the labels, and eat a wide variety of foods in moderate amounts. And remember, fresh is always best!
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Disclaimer
The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or care. Further, it is not intended to be a substitute for physician?s advice. Always see the advice of a licensed physician concerning any question you have regarding any content obtained from this blog and any medical condition you believe may be relevant to you or someone else. Always consult with your physician or other qualified health care provider before embarking on a new treatment, diet, or fitness program.
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Tags: diet, health
Source: http://driverwellness.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/clarifying-food-label-confusion/
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