A walk down the grocery aisles will yield a cartful of food descriptions: Fat-free, low fat, reduced fat, “good source of…” light, cholesterol-free, sugar-free, high fiber… the list goes on. Food manufacturers are so determined to trumpet the wholesomeness of their foods that the federal Food and Drug Administration actually had to develop an official definition for “healthy.” The key question is whether such terms help or hinder the conscientious shopper.
Just what does “healthy” mean these days, officially, when you read it on a package? The food inside must be low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol while containing at least 10 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance of one or more of the following: vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, protein or fiber.
The FDA has since ruled that fresh produce can also make such claims without necessarily meeting the 10 percent requirement. Frozen and canned produce manufacturers successfully petitioned the FDA for a similar exemption.
The FDA has made impressive progress in standardizing terms allowed (see box at right) on food packages, but confusion is still a major ingredient.
Such descriptions are “technically honest,” said Colleen Pierre, a Baltimore nutritionist and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, but she advises a closer look.
“For example, `reduced-fat’ foods can still be unhealthful,” Pierre said. “There’s no substitute for looking at the Nutrition Facts chart and list of ingredients.”
All packaged foods have the standardized “Nutrition Facts” chart that was made law in 1994. It is a useful, no-nonsense per-serving breakdown of calories, protein, carbohydrates, sugars, fiber, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. It makes comparison shopping easier, and can be as basic or sophisticated as the individual shopper sees fit. Just one proviso: The package “serving size” and the amount you regularly consume might be entirely different.
One improvement is less evident to consumers: Foods advertising their low levels of cholesterol must have similarly reduced levels of saturated fat, which has been identified as highly destructive to the cardiovascular system.
Pierre recommends a simple strategy: Look at the fiber content of all foods. In general, the more highly processed a food is, the less fiber it retains. Eating a diet of fresh produce and whole grains is ideal, but a desire for convenience can lead to the frozen, canned and prepared foods sections of the grocery store. Again, the emphasis should be on whole foods, not processed.
Frozen and canned produce is “certainly a preferable option to not eating any fruits or vegetables,” Pierre said.
Although many terms are now clearly defined, there is still room for interpretation when a product calls itself “natural.” The FDA by law is much less active in regulating the herbal products and dietary supplements industries, and that extends to “natural” food items.
” `Natural’ is a buzzword that makes people more comfortable with a food selection,” said Christine Palumbo, a Naperville dietitian. “Yet `natural’ is not necessarily better for you in all cases.”
Her example: The soft-drink shelves include items with “natural fruit juices.” Many of those drinks contain as much sugar as regular colas, and some certainly fall short of plain old water as a way to replace fluids.
When a product calls itself natural, it should prompt you to ask yourself, “What is the motive for this manufacturer to claim the product as natural?” The answers may not always be positive.
“The real `natural food aisle’ at the grocery store is up front, in the produce section,” Palumbo said, “not the aisles with soft drinks or potato chips and other processed snacks.”
What those words mean
Calorie free: Fewer than 5 calories per serving
Light/Lite: 1/3 fewer calories or no more than 1/2 as much fat of higher-calorie, higher-fat version. If related to sodium content, can contain no more than 1/2 the original sodium.
Fat free: Less than 0.5 grams fat per serving
Low fat: 3 grams of fat or less per serving
Reduced fat/Less fat: At least 25 percent less fat per serving than higher-fat version
Lean: Less than 10 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving
Extra lean: Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving
Low in saturated fat: 1 gram saturated fat or less per serving and not more than 15 percent of calories from saturated fat
Cholesterol free: Less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving
Low cholesterol: No more than 20 milligramsof cholesterol and 2 grams of saturated fat per serving
Reduced cholesterol: At least 25 percent less cholesterol than higher-cholesterol version, and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving
Sodium free/No sodium: Less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving, and no sodium chloride among ingredients
Very low sodium: 35 milligrams or less perserving
Low sodium: 140 milligrams or less per serving
Reduced sodium/Less sodium: At least 25percent less sodium per serving than higher-sodium version
Sugar free: Less than 0.5 grams of sugarper serving
High fiber: 5 grams of fiber or more per serving
Good source of fiber: 2.5 to 4.9 grams of fiber per serving
High in … : 20 percent or more of Recommended Daily Allowance for a particular vitamin, mineral or other nutrient. Other terms allowed are “excellent source of …” or “rich in …”
Good source of … : 10 to 19 percent of RDA. Other terms allowed are “contains” and “provides.”
More: 10 percent or more of RDA. But not to be used for meat or poultry. Other terms allowed are “enriched,” “fortified” and “added.”
Sources: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association.
