| Written by Doug Gibson, on 14-07-2008 16:22 |
Sensible Fitness: Making Sense of Food Jargon
Glucose, lactose and fructose, oh my! A reader asks our fitness guru to detangle the confusing web of food labels and terminology.
Question:
Food manufacturers seem to mislead people into believing that their products are healthier than they really are. How does an average person cut through the crap? —Jodean
Answer:
You have a very valid point Jodean. While our government is supposed to stand up for the people and protect us, at times it seems that they allow us to be misled and this is certainly true with food advertising. I can help give you "the skinny" so you don’t lose your girlish figure.
First of all, the “ingredients” list of a food label is very important. Manufacturers must list ingredients in descending order (most to least). You will be amazed at how many products have sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or some other sweetener listed in the top five ingredients. I have seen many products, especially those for kids, that have three of the first five ingredients be sugar or other sweeteners.
A real popular promotion with foods is labeling them "whole grain." While "whole grain"or "whole wheat" is typically healthier, it is better to look for "100% whole grain/wheat." Only then are you getting the health benefits of the entire grain versus something made with whole grain flours, which does involve processing and loss of grain bran and germ. Always chose 100 percent whole grain when able.
And how many of us know the difference between "calorie-free," "low-calorie," "reduced calories" and "light"? How about "fat-free," "low-fat" and "reduced fat?" The same terminology can be applied to sugar, cholesterol and sodium. It is easy for manufacturers to use this terminology to mislead you into thinking you are making the healthiest selection, but unless you know the rules regarding the use of this terminology, you might not be making the best choice. To help you with this terminology, I have included a Label Dictionary at the end of this article.
Lastly, I would like to touch on the topic of sugar and food labels, as many people make the same common mistake when reading a label. Sugars are listed under the "total carbohydrate" section of a label, and many people focus on how much sugar is in the product. Natural sugars that are found in dairy and fruit are listed as "sugars"and this should not necessarily scare you away. Yogurt for example, will have a significant amount of sugar (lactose and fructose respectively) from the dairy and fruit that it contains. This is not as much a concern as sugar that is added to the product. To find the added sugar, we turn to the ingredient list mentioned above and see if sugar or other sweeteners were added. If you do not see other sweeteners, the sugar it contains must be from the natural ingredients.
I hope this helps you make wiser choices for you and your family!
Check out our Decoding Health Labels article to learn more about demystifying food label jargon.
Label Dictionary
Just like the Nutrition Facts, nutrient content claims are defined for one serving. For example, that means that a high-fiber cereal has 5 or more grams of fiber per serving.
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