Nutritional Label Innuendoes
In a nutritional whirlpool of claims - low fat! high in fiber! helps prevent disease! - it’s hard to know what to believe and what to pass by. Some of these packaging remarks are regulated by the FDA, or another reputable source, while others companies can use at their will.
In an old, summer 2006 issue of Shape magazine this morning I read an interesting article about some of these claims. Just as I thought, if a product is bragging about being low in one kind of fat, such as trans, then you should check the label: it likely increased other fats to balance the total fat content. Here are some warnings to heed about other such claims:
* “Good source of…” and “Excellent source of…” are actually specifically regulated by the FDA. “Good” means that there is at least 10 percent of your recommended daily intake; “Excellent” means at least 20. Regardless of what the label says, the FDA considers 5 percent of you daily needs to be a low amount and 20 or more to be a significant amount.
* To boast whole wheat, a food product only has to have whole wheat somewhere on the ingredients list. This means that it could be the last item listed, after lots of white, refined flour. The higher an ingredient is listed, the more prevalent it is.
* Nine grain, wheat, and all of those other white flour alternatives are better than the worst, but are no match for true whole wheat.
* Not every company feels the need to over advertise their product’s nutritional benefits. A brand the brags about being a good source of fiber may not have any more fiber than the unlabeled brand next to it.
* And, of course, nothing beats fresh, organic, local produce - labeled or not.
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