A handful of studies have indicated that slightly more than half of Americans actually read the nutrition facts and ingredients lists on processed foods while at the grocery store. It is very unlikely that you are lucky enough to eat processed foods without reading ingredient labels while eating healthy, nutritious foods. With more than 35% of U.S. citizens at least 35 pounds above a healthy weight, I'm not surprised so few people actually read what's in their food.
Have you noticed the ingredients list on a food package has the smallest font in the history of printing? Food industry groups have pushed back against advocacy groups and the FDA, who are trying to increase the size and prominence of this important information. The food industry has a powerful lobby and they would rather you not pay much attention to the healthiness of their food or the chemicals they pump into it. They're much happier if you focus on their huge, bogus marketing claims plastered on the front.
The Nutrition Facts panel, which was designed and is required by the FDA, informs consumers about serving sizes and provides per serving information on calories, a variety of fats, sodium, cholesterol, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. It also shows the serving size's percentage of said nutrient that is recommended for daily intake. Always check serving sizes to see if they are reasonable compared to what you are actually going to eat. 100 calories or 5g of fat may seem fair, but if you are going to eat seven servings, it's not a realistic measure and is misleading.
This is based off of a 2,000 calorie diet and only helps you understand what the recommended daily amounts are for this calorie level. If you eat more or less than that, you have to adjust. Many people misunderstand this point and think the percentages represent the fat, carbs, or proteins percentage of the total nutritional value. If you take a 100 calorie meal that has 5g of fat, the product is 45% fat while the RDA % will show only 7%. The smaller the serving size, the more you have to be careful of this issue.
While it is not always perfect, eyeballing the number of ingredients on a package can often help you understand how clean and healthy the food is. If you are going to eat processed foods, typically you will find that the healthier items have fewer ingredients. That being said, you actually need to read the ingredients list because longer lists could be all organic while shorter lists could still have dangerous chemicals or unhealthy ingredients. It's also worth paying attention to the order in which ingredients are listed, which always starts with the biggest contributors down to the smallest.
With the growth in usage of processed foods, due to convenience and lower costs, there are so many chemicals in our food today, often ones the average person knows nothing about. It pays to do your homework about every ingredient you ingest. If you're in a bind, a good rule of thumb is if you don't know what it is, can't pronounce it, and you or your spouse wouldn't buy it separately to make a home-cooked meal, it's probably best to avoid.
There is often little oversight on food marketing claims on food labels. Furthermore, the definitions of those claims often have significant loopholes and don't necessarily mean what the average person thinks. A no-sugar product can have sugar in it. All natural can have chemically-created ingredients. It pays to take the time to read and understand what is in your food. Your health depends on it, so read your food labels.
Have you noticed the ingredients list on a food package has the smallest font in the history of printing? Food industry groups have pushed back against advocacy groups and the FDA, who are trying to increase the size and prominence of this important information. The food industry has a powerful lobby and they would rather you not pay much attention to the healthiness of their food or the chemicals they pump into it. They're much happier if you focus on their huge, bogus marketing claims plastered on the front.
The Nutrition Facts panel, which was designed and is required by the FDA, informs consumers about serving sizes and provides per serving information on calories, a variety of fats, sodium, cholesterol, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. It also shows the serving size's percentage of said nutrient that is recommended for daily intake. Always check serving sizes to see if they are reasonable compared to what you are actually going to eat. 100 calories or 5g of fat may seem fair, but if you are going to eat seven servings, it's not a realistic measure and is misleading.
This is based off of a 2,000 calorie diet and only helps you understand what the recommended daily amounts are for this calorie level. If you eat more or less than that, you have to adjust. Many people misunderstand this point and think the percentages represent the fat, carbs, or proteins percentage of the total nutritional value. If you take a 100 calorie meal that has 5g of fat, the product is 45% fat while the RDA % will show only 7%. The smaller the serving size, the more you have to be careful of this issue.
While it is not always perfect, eyeballing the number of ingredients on a package can often help you understand how clean and healthy the food is. If you are going to eat processed foods, typically you will find that the healthier items have fewer ingredients. That being said, you actually need to read the ingredients list because longer lists could be all organic while shorter lists could still have dangerous chemicals or unhealthy ingredients. It's also worth paying attention to the order in which ingredients are listed, which always starts with the biggest contributors down to the smallest.
With the growth in usage of processed foods, due to convenience and lower costs, there are so many chemicals in our food today, often ones the average person knows nothing about. It pays to do your homework about every ingredient you ingest. If you're in a bind, a good rule of thumb is if you don't know what it is, can't pronounce it, and you or your spouse wouldn't buy it separately to make a home-cooked meal, it's probably best to avoid.
There is often little oversight on food marketing claims on food labels. Furthermore, the definitions of those claims often have significant loopholes and don't necessarily mean what the average person thinks. A no-sugar product can have sugar in it. All natural can have chemically-created ingredients. It pays to take the time to read and understand what is in your food. Your health depends on it, so read your food labels.
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You can learn more at my website Food Labels or my blog at why artificial sweeteners are bad
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