The Saturday Evening Post » food labels http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com Home of The Saturday Evening Post Tue, 21 May 2013 20:09:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 The Politics of Food Labels http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2012/05/15/health-and-family/medical-update/the-politics-of-food-labels.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-politics-of-food-labels http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2012/05/15/health-and-family/medical-update/the-politics-of-food-labels.html#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 13:30:23 +0000 Wendy Braun http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=57413 Think that “whole grain” breads deliver a healthy dose of fiber? Guess again! Food manufacturers have plenty of room for creativity on front-of-package labeling, says food exert Marion Nestle.

The Politics of Food Labels The Saturday Evening Post

]]> Front-of-package (FOP) labeling is the latest dustup between food manufacturers, the government, and consumer nutrition advocates. But first things first: Fiber is a single component of whole grain, so the terms (and amounts) are not interchangeable. “If the bread wrapper says ‘100% whole grain,’ a one-ounce slice should provide 2 grams of fiber,” says Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University and an expert on the U.S. food system. “But the FDA—which does regulate FOP health and nutrition claims along with symbols indicating nutritional value—has no binding rule for labeling whole grain, so manufacturers have plenty of room for creativity.”

The bottom line: All whole grain breads are not created equal. To check a product’s actual fiber content, flip to its nutrition facts label and check the dietary fiber amount. (Best choices have at least 5 grams of fiber per slice with no added sugars.) Whole grain should also top the ingredient list. Otherwise, the bread could be enriched with nutrients but not fiber. “The FDA is slowly attempting to clean up front-of-package symbols and may get to this one eventually,” says Nestle. “The Whole Grain Council promotes a ‘100%’ certification stamp for whole grains and a ‘Basic’ stamp on products made from white flour and added bran or germ. For now, however, consumers who want to know about fiber in bread are stuck with reading nutrition facts labels.”

Dr. Nestle’s latest book, Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics*, provides more information to help consumers sort through food labels and evaluate claims served up by industry promoters. Co-authored by nutrition scientist Malden Nesheim, chapter titles include: What is a Calorie?, Today’s “Eat More” Environment, and More Calorie Confusion: Portion Distortion, Health Halos, and Wishful Thinking. Follow Dr. Nestle on Food Politics.

*Published by University of California Press: available online and at local stores.

The Politics of Food Labels The Saturday Evening Post

]]> http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2012/05/15/health-and-family/medical-update/the-politics-of-food-labels.html/feed 0 Read Your Way to Weight Loss http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2010/11/10/health-and-family/medical-update/read-weight-loss.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=read-weight-loss http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2010/11/10/health-and-family/medical-update/read-weight-loss.html#comments Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:30:19 +0000 Wendy Braun http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=28919 With scrumptious holiday meals just around the corner, now is the perfect time to add a new no-sweat twist to your exercise program. Here's how.

Read Your Way to Weight Loss The Saturday Evening Post

]]> Read your way to weight loss: Start checking food labels, especially before purchasing a product for the first time.

Guidelines for food labels have gotten a bad rap in recent years, but a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs suggests that reading nutritional labels can lead to weight loss, especially for women age 35+.

Data analysis by Washington State University researcher Dr. Bidisha Mandal on weight loss and whether consumers read food labels the first time they purchased a product revealed:

  • Women are more likely than men to read food labels and to lose weight.
  • Label readers who don’t exercise are more likely to lose weight than exercisers who don’t read labels.
  • People who continue to read labels and add exercise to their lifestyle are more likely to lose weight than those who stop reading labels and start exercising.

The message?

Exercise and making informed decisions about the foods you eat is key to a healthy weight. If you don’t exercise, start. And everyone should pay attention to the Nutrition Facts labels on foods purchased at the market.

Ask about nutritional information on the foods you eat away from home, too. The health care reform bill passed last spring calls for easier access to nutritional information on foods sold in restaurants, retail food establishments, and vending machines. Consumers deserve, and should demand, it.

Click here for comprehensive information from the FDA about understanding and making the most of nutrition labels.

Read Your Way to Weight Loss The Saturday Evening Post

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