Understanding what food labels mean can help you nix unhealthy choices. But for some, reading labels can be daunting due to misleading terms.
If you think food labels are hard to understand, you’re not alone
Healthy, all natural, trans fat-free and other health food claims are hard to understand if you don’t know what they mean. Just because the label says sugar free doesn’t mean it’s low calorie and fat free.
In the health.com article, “16 Most Misleading Food Labels,” a Nielsen study reported that more than 50 percent of people get confused when reading food labels.. Such confusion can cause shoppers to make hasty, unhealthy choices.
The Basics
There are two basic terms you can instantly check to determine the nutritional value of a food item. Start with these:
Calories – Depending on your overall calorie intake, you need to determine how a food item fits into your meal schedule. Is it a snack? Is it part of a meal? Make sure to look at the calorie count per serving size. . Determine how many servings the food contains and how many servings you will eat.
Fat – Labels contain such terms as calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat and trans fat. The amount of calories listed already contains the calories from fat. Total fat is all the fat contained in the food. Your fat intake depends on your overall weight goals. Saturated fat and trans fat are contained in the total fat amount. When you are following a healthy diet, limit fat and eliminate trans fat.
Industry hype terms
Marketing tactics can leave many people thinking they are getting a good deal. But, it’s best to know what you’re really getting despite certain claims. Here are some terms from the health.com article, “16 Most Misleading Food Labels,” that will help you make sense of food labels.
Fat free or low fat. The most common terms we see used on food packaging are not all they claim to be. Food can still contain a high amount of sugar and calories while not having any fat. Compare products to see if the fat-free or low-fat version contains more or less calories than the food with fat.
All natural. When we hear or read the words “all natural” we think home grown, no additives, and natural ingredients. But what exactly does the term “all natural” mean? No added color, synthetics or flavors, according to health.com. So, packages of meat can contain growth hormones that were injected into the animal when it was alive. Adding sodium for flavor is also not restricted.
No trans fat. In 2006, results from studies on the effects of trans fat resulted in the Food and Drug Administration requiring trans fat to be included on food labels. A petition filed by Center for Science in the Public Interest claimed trans fat increased the amount of LDL cholesterol or “bad” cholesterol, thus increasing the risk of heart disease.
According to the FDA, “If a serving contains less than 0.5 gram, the content, when declared, must be expressed as 0 g.” In other words, a food can say it has 0 g trans fat if each serving contains less than .5 g trans fat. Eat two servings and you might have consumed 1 g trans fat.
Sugar free. Despite this claim, certain foods can still be high in calories, fat and carbohydrates, according to health.com. It’s best to compare products and determine which one has fewer calories, carbohydrates, fat and sugar content. If one product contains 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 23 grams of carbohydrates, and 12 grams of sugar, compared to a product that contains 300 calories, 20 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbohydrates but is sugar free — how are you benefitting? Removing high amounts of sugar from your diet is a good idea, but doesn’t help much if you are still consuming food high in calories and fat.
Multigrain. While this term sounds healthy, it’s best to go with products containing whole grains or 100 percent whole wheat, according to health.com. Multigrain means it contains refined grains. These types of grains lose much of their nutritional value in the refining process, according to fitday.com.
When it comes to food labels, take the time to read what you are putting in your shopping basket and eventually into your body.
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