The last part of the multi-part series examining common food-label claims used by companies.
"Made in..." (Country listed)
What does it mean?
This simply means that the product is assembled in the country listed.
What to watch out for
"Made in" and "From" are completely different labels here. For example, a pizza may be made by a local company in a factory down the street, but all of the ingredients to actually make said pizza may actually come from countries all over the world.
"Product of..." (Country listed)
What does it mean?
This is probably what people think of when they view the label from the previous point. This means that all major ingredients, processing and labor used to make the product are from the country listed.
What to watch out for
This is usually just seen on fruits and vegetables that are produced locally as it is becoming more and more common for multi-ingredient products to be assembled with products from all over the world. These are great products to purchase to support your local economy and farmers.
"Natural"
What does it mean?
Products have not have been changed in any way. Nothing has been added or removed (with the exception of water).
What to watch for
Consumers seem to mistake the term "Natural" with "Healthy". For whatever reason, people are tricked into this term time and time again. One of the most common I see day in and day out is "Natural Sea Salt". I see more and more companies jumping on this bandwagon, referring to their product as being "Seasoned with All-Natural Sea Salt!" Unfortunately, there is no difference between digging the salt out of the ground or drying it from sea water, they can both increase blood pressure equally!
"Organic"
What does it mean
A way of farming that avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives such as antibiotics.
What to watch out for
Many countries, counties, states and provinces may have different guidelines as to what "Organic" really means so some companies may slap this label on their products to try and cash-in. Also, many scientific studies have failed to show any significant health benefit from consuming organic products over non-organic.
-Tyler Robbins
B.Sc. PTS
Showing posts with label Food Label Claims. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food Label Claims. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Food Label Claims Part 3
Part 3 in a series of posts detailing common product label claims and what to watch out for.
"Low in Salt"/"Low in Sodium"
What does it mean?
Generally this means that the food contains 140mg of sodium or less per serving.
What to watch out for
Again, I don't mean to sound like a broken record here, but really keep an eye on the serving size listed in the Nutrition Facts on the packaging as you can really rack up the salt here by going over your suggested serving size. A diet low in sodium can reduce your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and even kidney stones. Keep in mind however, that if you have been diagnosed with something like high blood pressure, a high-salt diet may not be the only thing to blame as factors such as obesity and diabetes can also play a part here. Generally, the recommended daily dose of sodium should not exceed 2,300mg (about 1 teaspoon) per day whereas many adults consume 3,000mg or more every day!
"Reduced Salt"/"Reduced Sodium"
What does it mean?
This is generally an indication that the product contains at least 25% less salt per serving when compared to its "regular" counterpart.
What to watch out for
Just because something is "reduced" in anything does not mean much if the original product was extremely high to begin with. Companies may also pull a bit of a fast one on you similar to "Low-Fat" options when reducing salt. Similar to fat, salt can be tasty and when it is reduced or removed from a product, something else may go into it to make it taste better so keep an eye out for that. Keep in mind that companies are only going to make products that people like and enjoy so that they will be repeat customers!
"Multigrain"
What does it mean?
Includes more than one grain, which may or may not be refined. Seeds and legumes may also be counted in the multigrain count even though they are not actually cereal grains.
What to watch out for
Believe it or not, this one is especially important to watch out for. The terms "Multigrain" or "Whole Grain" aren't that tightly regulated so you can't be completely certain as to the number of grains you are actually getting in your intended food. The main thing to remember though is that refined (white) grains are the unhealthiest choice as they have been stripped of majority of their nutritional benefits so you are far better off choosing multigrain or whole grain counterparts. Of those two, whole grains are an even better choice as they generally contain more of the actual grain itself such as the germ, bran and endosperm which heightens its levels of fiber, vitamin E and protein.
"No Sugar Added"/"Without Added Sugar"
What does it mean?
No honey, fruit juice, sucrose or other type of sugar was added to the product.
What to watch out for
Keep in mind that just because something hasn't had any sugar added to it, doesn't necessarily mean that it didn't include sugar already. Fruit juices can be especially bad in this regard as fruits are very sugary, and when they are made into juices, they are stripped of their fiber causing faster digestion and higher insulin spikes.
"Unsweetened"
What does it mean?
Meets the "No Sugar Added" criteria from the previous point as well as no artificial sweeteners added.
What to watch out for
Overall, I find it best to try and avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible as they can, in some cases, be worse for you than natural sweeteners. This has been under debate as of late as the idea that artificial sweeteners are useless within the body, so the body produces insulin in anticipation of something sweet which in turn just causes insulin dips causing cravings for more sugar.
-Tyler Robbins
B.Sc. PTS
"Low in Salt"/"Low in Sodium"
What does it mean?
Generally this means that the food contains 140mg of sodium or less per serving.
What to watch out for
Again, I don't mean to sound like a broken record here, but really keep an eye on the serving size listed in the Nutrition Facts on the packaging as you can really rack up the salt here by going over your suggested serving size. A diet low in sodium can reduce your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and even kidney stones. Keep in mind however, that if you have been diagnosed with something like high blood pressure, a high-salt diet may not be the only thing to blame as factors such as obesity and diabetes can also play a part here. Generally, the recommended daily dose of sodium should not exceed 2,300mg (about 1 teaspoon) per day whereas many adults consume 3,000mg or more every day!
"Reduced Salt"/"Reduced Sodium"
What does it mean?
This is generally an indication that the product contains at least 25% less salt per serving when compared to its "regular" counterpart.
What to watch out for
Just because something is "reduced" in anything does not mean much if the original product was extremely high to begin with. Companies may also pull a bit of a fast one on you similar to "Low-Fat" options when reducing salt. Similar to fat, salt can be tasty and when it is reduced or removed from a product, something else may go into it to make it taste better so keep an eye out for that. Keep in mind that companies are only going to make products that people like and enjoy so that they will be repeat customers!
"Multigrain"
What does it mean?
Includes more than one grain, which may or may not be refined. Seeds and legumes may also be counted in the multigrain count even though they are not actually cereal grains.
What to watch out for
Believe it or not, this one is especially important to watch out for. The terms "Multigrain" or "Whole Grain" aren't that tightly regulated so you can't be completely certain as to the number of grains you are actually getting in your intended food. The main thing to remember though is that refined (white) grains are the unhealthiest choice as they have been stripped of majority of their nutritional benefits so you are far better off choosing multigrain or whole grain counterparts. Of those two, whole grains are an even better choice as they generally contain more of the actual grain itself such as the germ, bran and endosperm which heightens its levels of fiber, vitamin E and protein.
"No Sugar Added"/"Without Added Sugar"
What does it mean?
No honey, fruit juice, sucrose or other type of sugar was added to the product.
What to watch out for
Keep in mind that just because something hasn't had any sugar added to it, doesn't necessarily mean that it didn't include sugar already. Fruit juices can be especially bad in this regard as fruits are very sugary, and when they are made into juices, they are stripped of their fiber causing faster digestion and higher insulin spikes.
"Unsweetened"
What does it mean?
Meets the "No Sugar Added" criteria from the previous point as well as no artificial sweeteners added.
What to watch out for
Overall, I find it best to try and avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible as they can, in some cases, be worse for you than natural sweeteners. This has been under debate as of late as the idea that artificial sweeteners are useless within the body, so the body produces insulin in anticipation of something sweet which in turn just causes insulin dips causing cravings for more sugar.
-Tyler Robbins
B.Sc. PTS
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