Day 65- Deciphering Food Labels

Organic? Natural? Calories? Fat? Serving size? Fiber? Sugar? Carbohydrates? Cholesterol free? Low fat? Sodium? Fortified? Fresh? Local? Good source? Natural flavor?

Grocery stores can be so overwhelming; boxes and boxes of food containing labels with a ton of information. But what does all this information mean? How can you avoid the temptations that surround you and walk out with only healthy choices? How do you decipher the foreign language of the food label?

"When it comes to processed foods, if it says it's natural, ignore the claim. It means nothing. If it says it's organic, it doesn't have to be 100% organic unless it says it is. Remember processed foods can be labeled organic if only 80% of the ingredients are organic. And organic junk is still junk food." - Organic Lifestyle Magazine

In 2006, a survey was taken on more than 1,000 adults. It found that:

• 80% of Americans read labels for things like calories, fat, sugar, and salt, but 44% buy food products, regardless of what the label says
• 65% of women read labels, compared to 51% of men
• 39% of young people (ages 18 to 29) said they look at calories on food labels, but 60% of them buy them, regardless of the label

To help you win the battle over food labels here are some guidelines to keep in mind next time you are at the grocery store.

• Although a package may be labeled "fat free," it is usually higher in sugar and carbohydrates that their counterparts.
• Make sure you notice the serving size, because although a label claims to contain 200 calories per servings, the box may contain 4 servings, and if you eat the whole box, that ends up being 800 calories.

• If you are allergic to any foods, make sure you learn any alternative names for that food. For example, if you are sensitive to dairy, it can be hidden in foods that have "casein" or "caseinate" listed on the label.
• When looking at the list of ingredients, the ingredients will be listed based on the amount contained in the product. For example if the first item is sugar, then you know that the product contains more sugar than the other ingredients listed.
• If you can't pronounce a ingredient on the label- AVOID it, most likely it is an additive and processed.
• Focus on the list of ingredients, too many people only focus on the calorie count that the label contains, but as you know not all calories are created equal. Whole foods contain much more nutritional benefits than a items from a fast food restaurant although the calorie content might be the same.
• Even though sugar may not be #1 in the list of ingredients it could still be the top ingredient, if other forms of sugar are listed as well.
• Beware of claims that state, "all natural ingredients," or "no artificial preservatives," these statements are unregulated and are more used to market and draw attention to the product.
• Keep in mind the longer the list of ingredients on a label the more likely it is highly processed.

The following are a few examples of food additives to watch out for in your ingredient list:

• High fructose corn syrup
• MSG- (click to see the hidden sources of MSG)
• Artificial sweeteners- such as: Aspartame, saccharin,equal, sweet'n low, splenda and sucralose
• Trans fatty acids- also called "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil"
• Artificial coloring- with the worst being Blue dye 1 and 2, Green dye 3, Red dye 3, and Yellow dye 6
• Propyl gallate- a preservative found in soups, vegetable oils, meat products, gum, etc.
• Sodium nitrite/nitrate- a preservatives in processed meats
• BHA and BHT- can be found in baked goods
• Potassium Bromate- an additive found in bread, has been banned worldwide except in Japan and the United States

Deciphering what some labels "really" mean:

• Fat Free- less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving
• Low Fat- 3 grams of fat or less per serving
• Lean- Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat and no more than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving
• Extra- Lean- less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat and 95 mg of cholesterol per serving
• Low in saturated fat- 1 gram of saturated fat or less per serving and not more than 15% of calories from saturated fatty acids
• Reduced or less fat- at least 25% less fat per serving than the higher-fat version
• Reduced cholesterol- at least 25% less cholesterol than the higher-cholesterol version and 2 grams of less of saturated fat per serving
• Cholesterol free- less than 2 mg of cholesterol or 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving
• Sugar free- less than 1/2 gram of sugar per serving
• Reduced sugar- at least 25% less sugar per serving when compared with a similar food
• Calorie free- fewer than 5 calories per serving
• Low calorie- 40 calories or less per serving
• Light- 1/3 less calories or no more than 1/2 the fat of the higher-calorie, higher-fat version
• Light in sodium- no more than 1/2 the sodium of the higher-sodium version
• Sodium free- less than 5 mg of sodium per serving and no sodium chloride (NaCl) in ingredients
• Low Sodium- 140 mg or less per serving
• A food source of fiber- 2..5 - 4.9 grams of fiber per serving
• Good source of- contains 10-19% of the Daily Value (DV) per serving
• High, Rich in, Excellent source of- contains 20% or more of the DV per serving

The problem with these claims is that the FDA does not require foods to be laboratory tested for nutritional content. The foods are checked to make sure that a label is present, but does not double check accuracy. Average values for things like, fat, protein, carbohydrates may be estimated based on a standard list of ingredients; allowing for a 20% margin of error. If you think about this, eating 20% more fat and sugar can add up over a period of time. On top of the legal 20% for margin of error for food labels, the government food labs have a 10% margin of error as well. "An item labeled as having 400 calories can legally have up to 480 calories, and the 10% margin of error can bring it up to over 500 calories." - Mercola

In an article written by Dr. Mercola, he mentions a study done in 2008 by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) which found that about 24% of food labels were inaccurate. Also in 2008, Good Morning America hired a lab to test a dozen packaged food products to see if the nutrients matched the labels, and all 12 products exceeded what was claimed on the label, in one way or another (primarily fat, sugar, and sodium).

Of course the obvious choice is to avoid foods that have a food label (minus a few essentials), but sticking to fresh produce instead of boxed, canned, or frozen options is easier and healthier. In the words of author Michael Pollen, "If food came from a plant, eat it, if it was made in a plant, do not."

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP