What Nutritional Labels Don't Tell You
Reading a Food Label
A food label usually lists ingredients and information required by law on the back of products, while putting the brand name and marketing information on the front. Typically, there are buzzwords included in the marketing information, such as gluten-free, natural, organic, or low fat. These are written to hook the growing number of consumers who are health conscious.
Are Food Labels Trustworthy?
Although it may seem that government officials require food labels to be completely honest, food manufacturers actually only have three primary goals:
- Sell the product in high quantities
- Produce their product inexpensively
- Be compliant with government labeling regulations
Creative Spelling
Companies can use creative spellings to dodge the truth. The government requires that food contains chicken or fruit if it says it does on the label. However, if it is spelled in a creative way such as chik'n or froot, the product does not actually have to contain these ingredients. Creative spelling is one way that food labels may be deceiving.
Order of Ingredients
The more of an ingredient that is included in the product, the closer it must be to the top of the ingredient list. However, there are a few ways to work around this. For example, because sugars are deemed unhealthy, manufacturers might include several types of sugar in a product so that none of them by themselves is a top ingredient. Also, some ingredients that are listed towards the bottom of the list, meaning they are only included in small amounts, but may still be harmful.
"Organic" and "Natural"
The word "organic" is a legally defined word with very little wiggle room. However, some labels display “contains organic ingredients” rather than “100% organic." The first typically means that a few of the ingredients included in the product are organic, which is very different from "100% organic."
The word "natural" has no real meaning. If a product came from nature in any way and was processed many times, it is still legally "natural."
Serving Sizes
Food labels have to list the fats, carbs, and calories, but manufacturers can define their serving size. You must look closely at a label to see how many serving are in one package. While it may seem intuitive that one bag equals one serving, often there are two or more servings per container.
Desirable Ingredients
A label might say that a product is “made with olive oil” or that is "contains honey." If you look closely at the ingredients list, however, it might show that, while the ingredient is included, it is one of the last on the list, which means only a minuscule amount is there.
Fats and Oils
Labels fail to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy fats and oils. They also do not disclose how an oil has been processed. Some oils become toxic when they are exposed to high heat, which is not included on a label. While they have to list the amounts of fat and oil, they can still say that no trans fats are in the product if the level of trans fat is under a certain percentage per serving. These small amounts add up, however, over different foods consumed per day, as well as multiple servings of each food.
Food product labels can be very useful, but often, the best and healthiest foods are those that require no label. Fresh produce, grains, and beans, as well as homemade goods, can always be easily monitored for health.
About the Author
Dr. Donna Sergi is a leading Nutrition Response Testing Practitioner and Chiropractor in the Brooklyn NY area. Learn more about holistic healing by visiting her website at: http://www.healthieruny.com
Comments
Post a Comment