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If only we lived and shopped in a pure world where labels told the whole truth and nothing but
the truth. But while consumers rely on labels to make wise nutritional choices, food processors
use labels to sell their product. Sometimes the two functions of a label - providing accurate
information and enticing someone to buy the product - are in conflict. Labels can be misleading,
especially if you don't learn to read between the lines and examine the fine print. Knowing what
the words on the label really mean is a big step in learning to make nutritious choices at the
supermarket.
FRONT-OF-PACKAGE COME-ONS
Ignore the hype on the front of the package. This part of the label is designed by the food
processor's marketing and advertising departments. It will contain whatever trendy words will
help sell the product. While the meanings of many of these terms are regulated by law, it's still
easy to be deceived by them. The food may not be as good for you as these large and colorful
words want you to believe. Manufacturers cannot legally lie on a food label, but they can stretch
the truth a bit. Be wary of these tricky terms:
Consider the word "pure." Everyone wants to eat food that's pure. You would not
want to put contaminated food into your body. But "pure" has no regulated, agreed-
upon meaning in food labeling. It tells you nothing about what's in the package that
perhaps should not be there.
"Natural" is probably the least trustworthy of all the label terms. While the term
"natural" sounds appealing, it really says little about the nutritional quality of the
food, or even its safety. In reality, "natural" is empty of nutritional meaning.
Consumers believe that "natural" means the food is pretty much as Mother Nature
grew it, but this is seldom the case. And even then, "natural" is not the same as
nutritious, or good for you. The fat marbling in a New York strip steak is "natural,"
but it's not good for your arteries.
"Made from" simply means the food started with this product. For example, the
claim "made from 100 percent corn oil" may be technically correct, yet it is
misleading. Consumers are led to believe they are eating 100 percent corn oil. They
think of fields of corn under a clear blue Iowa sky. But a lot can happen to corn oil
before it gets to the grocery store. The label really means the processor started with
100 percent corn oil, but along the way may have diluted or hydrogenated it,
changing it into a fat that will clog your arteries, not one that flows free and golden.
Another common label lie is "made from natural..." This simply means the
manufacturer started with a natural source, but by the time the food was processed it
may be anything but "natural."
"Made with real fruit" is a good example of a misleading claim. The law does not
require the label to say how much real fruit is in the product. This boast is
particularly prevalent in snacks for children, which may contain a grape or two in a
snack that is otherwise mostly sugar. "Made with whole grains" is another little,
"white" label lie. The consumer is led to believe that this is a whole-grain cereal or
waffle, yet the package label is not legally required to say how much "whole grain"
is in the product. Its main ingredient could be refined flour with just a small amount
of whole wheat added. So, the food won't contain all the fiber and other nutrients
associated with whole grains. "Made with vegetables" is another misleading term,
which sounds healthy, but says nothing about how much nutrition is really in the
box.
Understand the real meaning of "fat free" on a label. For example, suppose a food
is labeled 95 percent "fat-free." This means that five percent of the total weight of
the food is fat, (which may not seem like much), yet a single gram of fat contains
nine calories compared to four calories in a gram of protein or carbohydrates. Five
grams of fat in 100 grams of ground or dark-meat turkey represents one-fourth of the
calories in that serving.
"Enriched" is a tip-off that something bad was done to the food, requiring another
process to put some of the good stuff back in. Enriched flour or enriched white
bread are not as healthy as their whole wheat counterparts.
"Smoked" legally describes the flavor of the food, not how it was smoked. The
consumer imagines the food is smoked in a backyard barbecue or an old-fashioned
smokehouse. Really, the food could be artificially or chemically smoked and/or just
contain smoked flavoring and still legally be labeled "smoked."
Beware of fruit "drinks," which may contain little or no real fruit juice. Look at the
ingredients to find out what's really in there. "Drink" on the name of the product
tells you that it is not 100 percent juice. It may, in fact, be mostly sugar and water,
with added vitamin C. This enables the manufacturer to say the product is "high in
vitamin C," even if it's a long way from being real orange juice.
The terms "organically grown," "organic," pesticide-free," "all natural," and "no
artificial ingredients" say very little about the nutritional value or safety of the
product. Trust only labels that say "certified organically grown." These are the
only words that mean the food was grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides,
in soil free of these substances.
Experienced label-readers look right past the banners and big hype on the front of the package
and look for the facts in small print on the back.
Now that you can wisely evaluate the claims on the front of the package, here is the information
you need to interpret the large and small print on the sides and back of the package. "Nutrition
Facts" is one of the most useful parts of the food label. This is where you can find out exactly
how much fat, protein, and fiber the food contains. This breakdown of the nutritional content of
the food is prepared by the food manufacturer's nutritional department, and the information
listed there is what it says: factual. What facts must be included in this box and the way they are
presented is regulated by law. The box follows the same format wherever it appears, making it
easy to compare foods. While it's not perfect, the "Nutrition Facts" box is a big improvement on
the piecemeal nutritional information that used to be included on food packaging. (The print is
bigger, too.) Once you learn how to read the information in this box and, more importantly,
interpret it, you can make informed choices about what you're eating. Each line of the Nutrition
Facts box gives you information you can use. If you take the information on each line and then
read between the lines, you can decide how this fits into your eating plan. Let's dissect a sample
"Nutrition Facts" label not only to learn what each listing means but also to read between the
lines for hidden nutrition facts.
SERVING SIZE
This line reflects the amount that the average person eats at one helping.
Serving size is expressed in kitchen terms - cups, spoons, slices, and also in grams. Serving size
is set by the F.D.A., not by the manufacturer, for all similar products (e.g., all yogurts) so you
can make comparisons without having to do a lot of math. But be aware that your average
serving may be more or less than this amount.
SERVINGS PER PACKAGE
The next line tells you how many servings the package contains, enabling you to compare
similar products on the basis of cost per serving. Multiply this number by the serving size and it
should equal, or come close to, the total volume of the package.
CALORIES
This line tells you the number of calories per serving. Remember to adjust this
(and other nutrient amounts, too) if your idea of a serving size is different from that stated on the
package. If a half-cup serving has 50 calories, but you usually eat a one-cup serving, you'll be
getting 100 calories. When shopping, compare the nutrient values to the total calories of the
same size serving of each food. For example, a cereal that contains four grams of protein in a
100 calorie serving would be more nutritious than a cereal listing two grams per 100 calories.
Also, a food listing four grams of protein in 100 calories would be less nutrient-dense than one
listing three grams of protein in a 50 calorie serving of the same volume.
CALORIES FROM FAT
This line tells you how many calories in each serving are from fat. Use this and the "Total Fat"
line below to decide if the food fits your goals for fat consumption. If this food gets a lot of its
calories from fat, you'll want to eat it sparingly or not at all.
PERCENT DAILY VALUE (DV)
This section tells you what percentage of the total recommended daily amount of each nutrient
(fats, carbs, proteins, major vitamins, and minerals) is in each serving, based on a 2,000 calorie
per day diet. If you eat more or less than 2,000 calories, adjust this value proportionally. The
average woman (non-pregnant and no-lactating) needs about 2,000 calories per day. The average
man needs around 2,500 to 2,800. An athlete may burn between 3,000 to 4,000 per day. These
daily values are for adults and children four years of age or over. These values cannot be applied
to infants or children under four.
TOTAL FAT
This line tells you how many grams of fat is in one serving and what percent this is of the
recommended daily value (DV). For example, "Total Fat 1 gram, 2 %" means that one serving
would contain one gram of fat and two percent of the total recommended daily intake of fat.
Even the factory fats ("hydrogenated" and "partially hydrogenated") must legally be listed in the
total fat.
SATURATED FAT
This subheading under "Total Fat" tells you how much of the fat in each
serving is saturated fat and what percent this is of your daily recommended value (DV). Current
nutritional recommendations are that less than one-third of the fat in your diet (less than 8% of
your total daily calories) should come from saturated fat.
CHOLESTEROL
This line tells you how many milligrams of cholesterol and what percent this is of the
recommended daily value.
Reading between the lines: Even though the label says "no cholesterol," what it doesn't tell you
is the amount of cholesterol-raising fats ("partially hydrogenated") that are in each serving.
Hydrogenated fats can be as hazardous to your health - or more so --
than saturated fat or cholesterol. So, as a novice food-label detective, if you look at the fine print
in the ingredients list and see, for example, "partially hydrogenated soybean oil," then assume
that "trans fatty acids" is missing from the fat facts. A consumer has a right to know not only the
amount of fat, but also the breakdown of nutritious and unnutritious fats. A more factual and
truthful label would break the total fat into monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated,
and trans fatty acids. Sometime during the years 2000 to 2001 the FDA is expected to require
such labeling.
SODIUM
This line refers to "salt." The DV for sodium is less than 2,400 mg. a
day.
POTASSIUM
The recommended daily value for potassium is 3,500 mg. a day.
TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES
Dietary fiber
Sugars
Other carbohydrates
Total carbohydrate: Tells you how many grams of carbohydrates are in each serving and the
percentage of the Daily Value this represents. This number includes starches, complex
carbohydrates, dietary fiber, added sugar sweeteners, and non-digestible additives. The
following three carbohydrates all add up to the total carbohydrate value.
Dietary fiber: This figure represents the number of grams of fiber in each serving.
Sugars: This figure represents the number of grams of added sweeteners, which may appear in
the ingredients list as: sugar, corn syrup, honey, brown sugar, and so on.
Other carbohydrates: This line reveals the number of grams of complex carbohydrates, not
including fiber, but including non-digestible additives, such as stabilizers and thickening agents.
Theoretically, this number should reflect the amount of the more nutritious sugars, that is the
ones naturally present in the food.
Reading between the lines. As a general guide, the greater the discrepancy between "total
carbohydrates" and "sugar," on the label, the more nutritious carbohydrates the food
contains. This means that the package contains more of the food's natural sugars than added
sugars. The closer the number of grams of "sugar" is to the "total carbohydrates" in each
serving, the closer the food gets to the junk quality (sort of like junk bonds -- they are a risky
investment). The "total carbs" minus the "sugar" value is particularly helpful in comparing the
nutritional value of cereals. For example, a serving of regular All-Bran contains 24 grams of
total carbohydrates and 6 grams of sugars, resulting in 18 grams of potentially healthy
carbohydrates. A serving of Fruit Loops, on the other hand, contains 28 grams of total
carbohydrates, 15 grams of which are sugars - over 50 percent of the total carbohydrates in Fruit
Loops are added sweeteners, versus 25 percent in All-Bran.
When comparing juice labels, you will notice that even in "100 percent juice" the total carb and
the sugar values are the same, since juice is nearly all natural sugar.
When you're buying cereal, bread, or crackers, you are looking for complex carbohydrates
without a lot of added sugar. There is no line in the "Nutrition Facts" listing for complex
carbohydrates, but you can get a rough idea of the amount of healthy carbs in a food by
comparing total carbohydrates with sugars. The greater the difference between the two, the
more grams of complex carbohydrates in the food.
PROTEIN
This line tells you how many grams of protein are in each serving. You will
notice that the percent DV is missing from the protein label because protein insufficiency is not
generally thought to be a problem. The average daily protein requirement for most people would
be between 50 and 75 grams a day. So, a serving that contains three grams of protein would give
you around four to six percent of the DV for protein.
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
This list includes the percentage of the recommended daily
allowance for vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron in each serving. The food may provide
significant amounts of other vitamins and minerals, which may also be listed, though not
required by law.
NUTRITIP
Show Me the Freshness
Become accustomed to looking for and reading the "use by" date on packages,
especially on perishables, such as prewashed salad makings, meat and poultry,
and dairy products. Check "on sale" items carefully.
INGREDIENTS
The ingredients list tells you, usually in fine print, what ingredients the food contains. These are
listed in order, starting with the ingredient found in the largest amount, by weight, and
progressing to the ingredient present in the smallest amount. The ingredients list may be the
most important information on the box to someone with food allergies
or to a parent wary of the effect of food colors or preservatives on a
child's behavior. Here you can find out if a food
contains eggs, soy, milk, corn, or whatever you must avoid eating. It's important, even critical,
to know the lingo. Casein, caseinate, lactalbumin, whey or whey solids are all derived from
cow's milk, though their names don't reveal this. Albumin comes from eggs. Dextrose and
glucose may originate in corn. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein starts with soybeans, and some of
the products used to thicken or stabilize food texture, such as acacia gum, are legume products.
NUTRITIP
Be Wary of Desserts Labeled "Low-fat."
The manufacturer often compensates for the fat by adding more sugar.
"Low-fat" is not the same as "low-calorie."
Pay attention to where and how various kinds of sugar are included on the ingredients list. Use
your good sense. Ketchup, for example, should contain mainly tomatoes. Tomatoes, not sugar,
should be first on the ingredient list. A cereal in which sugar is the first, second, or third
ingredient, would certainly be less nutritious than one in which two or three types of grains are
listed before the sugar.
From time to time it's good to check the ingredients list, even of foods you buy regularly.
Manufacturers' recipes change, depending on all kinds of factors. Some changes may make the
food less acceptable to you than it once was. The flavor advertised as "better than ever" may
come from more sugar. Or, the oil in a salad dressing that once was corn oil may now be less
nutritious cottonseed oil (which is why they use "and/or" - so they don't have to change the
label).
These front-of-the-box claims have specific meanings, defined by government regulation. Read
the definitions carefully. Some promise less than you might think.
"Calorie-free" means the food contains less than 5 calories per serving.
"Low calorie" means the food contains 40 calories or less per serving. (For serving size,
check the "Nutrition Facts" box on the back.)
"Reduced calorie" means the food contains at least 25 percent fewer calories than regular
versions of the product.
"Lite" or "light" means the food contains one-third fewer calories or one-half the fat of the
traditional version of the food.
"Fat-free" means the food contains less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving.
"Free" means the food contains none or trivial amounts of a substance, such as sodium, fat,
cholesterol, calories, or sugars.
"Low-fat" means 3 grams of fat or less per serving.
"Reduced fat" (same as "reduced calorie") means it contains at least 25 percent less fat than
regular versions of the food. (Note that a "reduced fat" mayonnaise or margarine will still
contain plenty of fat. "Reduced fat" may be many calories away from "low-fat.")
"Cholesterol-free" means the food has no more than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams
or less of saturated fat per serving.
"Low cholesterol" means the food has no more than 20 milligrams of cholesterol and 2
grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
"Low saturated fat" means the food has 1 gram or less per serving.
"Lean" means fewer than 10 grams of fat, four grams of saturated fat, and 95 milligrams of
cholesterol per serving and per 100 grams of a food. "Extra lean" means the same thing,
except the food has less than 2 grams of saturated fat and less than 5 grams of total fat.
"Fresh" means unprocessed, uncooked, unfrozen (for example, fresh or freshly-squeezed
orange juice). Washing and coating of fruits and vegetables are allowed. If a food has been
quickly frozen, it can be described as fresh-frozen, which is commonly done with fresh fish.
"Healthy" means the food may contain no more than 3 grams of fat (including one gram of
saturated fat) and 60 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. The food must also contain 10
percent of the daily value of one of these nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron,
protein, or fiber. "Healthy" individual foods must contain no more than 300 milligrams of
sodium; prepackaged meals can't exceed 480 milligrams. There is no limit on the sugar
content in "healthy" food.
"Natural flavors" The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act defines "natural flavors" as:
"the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any
product of roasting, heating, or enzymolysis, which contains a flavoring constituent derived
from a spice, fruit, fruit juice, vegetable, vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root,
leaf, or similar plant material; meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation
products thereof whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. This
broad definition simply means that "natural flavors" are extracts from these nonsynthetic
foods.
"Good source" means a serving must contain 10 to 19 percent of the daily value of a
particular nutrient (e.g., vitamin A).
"High" (e.g., high-iron) means the serving contains 20 percent or more of the recommended
daily value of this nutrient.
"Less" (e.g., less salt) means the food contains at least one-quarter less of this nutrient than
the regular food to which it is compared (e.g., contains less sodium than the usual vegetable
soup).
"More" (e.g., more vitamin C) means that a serving contains at least 10 percent more of the
daily value of this nutrient than the usual food to which it is compared (e.g., more vitamin C
than tomato juice).
"Energy" (e.g., energy drinks) refers to any product that contains calories. Just about any
drink, except water, could meet that definition.
"Not from concentrate." When this label
appears on fruit juice packages, many consumers believe that these juices must be
nutritionally superior. Not necessarily so. Concentrating juices simply means that the water
is removed and the consumer adds it back before drinking. Concentrating a juice is more of
an economic change than a nutritional one. The smaller packages are cheaper to transport
and store. Although the taste of freshly-squeezed juice may be better, nutritionally it may
not matter whether a juice was concentrated once or not. Of course, the juice you squeeze at
home is always more nutritious, since it has not be subjected to pasteurization, processing, or
storage.
Americans have grown to trust organizations, such as the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Cancer Society (ACS), as benevolent benefactors of our general health and well-being. Not
necessarily true. The ACS has gradually lost its credibility for two reasons: devoting precious
little of their resources to cancer prevention and selling their endorsement to product
manufacturers for a pricey sum. The AHA is also not so pure. When you see a label displaying
a big, red heart, with the American Heart Association saying "This product meets AHA
guidelines..." you'll be surprised how loose these guidelines really are and how the junkiest of
foods display this label and meet the guidelines. The following are the AHA guidelines for
"heart-healthy eating":
Total fat intake should be no more than 30 percent of total calories.
Saturated fatty acid should be 8-10 percent of total calories.
Polyunsaturated fatty acid should be up to 10 percent of total calories.
Monounsaturated fatty acids should be up to 15 percent of total calories.
Cholesterol intake should be less than 300 milligrams per day.
Sodium intake should be less than 2,400 milligrams per day.
Carbohydrate intake should make up 55-60 percent or more of calories, with emphasis on
increasing sources of complex carbohydrates.
Total calories should be adjusted to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
Here are the problems with these guidelines:
Many nutritionists believe 30 percent fat of total calories is too high for many people.
The AHA guidelines are so clogged with cholesterol recommendations that they've omitted
more important nutritional issues. For example, the AHA omits advising people to shun
hydrogenated or fake fats, which are actually more damaging to the body than "cholesterol".
If this were the case, many of the common household foods would have to remove the red
heart so proudly and misleadingly displayed on their label.
If you don't ask, the food manufacturer won't tell. The consumer has a right to know what type
of ingredients make up the food, and the manufacturer has an obligation to tell the truth. Don't
buy foods containing these misleading labels:
"No-name" labels (e.g., "vegetable oil" or "vegetable shortening"). You have a right to
know which type of vegetables are used in the oil, as some are more nutritious than others.
"Vegetable shortening" sounds more appealing and more healthy than "lard," but most of
these shortenings are made with hydrogenated oils, which act in the body as a fat worse than
lard. You will find this term deceivingly used in packaged foods and fast-food outlets.
Hydrogenated fats can be buried in fine print. Look for a more explicit label, such as
"saturated-fat-free."
"And/or" labels (e.g., "contains soy and/or palm kernel oil" or "contains partially
hydrogenated and/or..." or "contains corn and/or cottonseed oil." And/or labeling gives the
manufacturer leeway to substitute cheaper, often less nutritious, and even unhealthy oils
without changing the printing on the label. Since the price of different oil fluctuates, this
allows the manufacturer to put the cheapest oils in the food.
"Cold-pressed." This is a term that is used on oils to give the consumer the impression that
the oils have been pressed more naturally, since some consumers know that heat hurts oils.
Cold-pressed has no legal, biochemical, or technological meaning. The actual press that was
used to squeeze the seeds into oil may not be heated (because it doesn't have to be), yet the
heat generated by friction when the seeds are compressed may be enough to harm the oils. A
more truthful label would be "unheated during processing". Except for some virgin oils,
most commercially-pressed oils are heated during their pressing process, even though the
press itself was "cold." In the United States, the term "cold pressed" has no legal definition.
A more useful and truthful label would be "protected from heat, light, and oxygen during
processing."
"Cholesterol-free." "Cholesterol free" tops the list of labels that lie. It should be changed to
"contains no cholesterol-raising ingredients," since many of the hydrogenated fats buried in
the ingredients list can raise cholesterol even though the food still qualifies as cholesterol-free.
"High in polyunsaturated fatty acids." "Polyunsaturated" is one of the more recent
nutritionally incorrect buzz words, since the public is being led to equate the word with
"healthy." In fact, it depends on the polyunsaturate. Some polyunsaturates are healthy, such
as essential fatty acids; others, such as that found in margarine, are not because they are
chemically altered by hydrogenation.
"Made from or made with natural ingredients." This is no great claim. Most processed foods
are made from natural ingredients, which simply means that the food starts out on a vine
somewhere. Even the drug heroin is made from natural ingredients in the poppy plant.
Total Fat 1.0g 2%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 65 mg 3%
Potassium 390 mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 8%
Dietary Fiber 10g 40%
Sugars 6g
Other Carbohydrate 7g
Protein 4g
Vitamin A 15%
Vitamin C 25%
Calcium 15%
Iron 25%
Vitamin D 10%
Thiamin 25%
Riboflavin 25%
Niacin 25%
Vitamin B-6 25%
Folate 25%
Vitamin B-12 25%
Phosphorus 35%
Magnesium 30%
Zinc 25%
Copper 15%
** Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
Calories 2,000 2,500
Total Fat Less than 65g 80g
Sat. Fat Less than 20g 25g
Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg
Sodium Less than 2,400mg 2,400mg
Potassium 3,500mg 3,500mg
Total carbohydrate 300g 375g
Dietary Fiber 25g 30g
Calories per gram:
Fat 9 Carbohydrate 4 Protein 4
Ingredients: Wheat bran, sugar, malt flavoring, calcium phosphate, salt,
sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C), niacinamide, zinc oxide,
reduced iron, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin
B2), vitamin A palmitate, thiamin hydrochloride (vitamin B1), folic acid
(folate), vitamin B12, and vitamin D.
ANATOMY OF A LABEL FOR A NUTRITIOUS CEREAL
N U T R I T I O N F A C T S
Serving Size
2/3 cup (30g)
Servings per Container
about 12
Amount/serving
Calories
120
Fat Calories
5
% Daily value*
Total Fat 0.5g
1%
Saturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 0 mg
0%
Sodium 60 mg
3%
Total Carb. 25g
8%
Dietary Fiber 4g
16%
Sugars 2g
Protein 3g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 0%
Iron 6%
Ingredients: Organic whole oat flour,
organic whole wheat flour, organic wheat
bran, organic evaporated cane juice, organic
oat bran, organic corn meal, organic brown
rice flour, organic barley malt extract,
organic whole wheat sprouts, and a trace of
sea salt
Sugars. The two grams of sugars indicate a small amount of sweeteners relative to the 25 grams
of total carbohydrates.
Vitmains and Minerals. Many of the most nutritious cereals do not have a lot of added vitamins
and minerals, yet some of the top junk cereals do. Perhaps, it is cheaper to add synthetic
vitamins and minerals than it is to use whole grains.
Ingredients. Notice the magic word "whole" in the grain list. Since makers of more nutritious
cereals know that their consumers are sugar savvy, they usually do not put the term "sugar" in the
ingredients list, but rather disguise it as "evaporated cane juice." This is simply sugar with a
nicer name. But in this case, we're happy that there are only two grams per serving.
ANATOMY OF A TRICKY LABEL
The following is an analysis of tricky label listing from a leading cereal:
Fat. A consumer looking at the 0.5 grams of saturated fat and 0 cholesterol would be favorably
impressed. Yet, looking in the fine print of the ingredients list, you'll notice the term "partially
hydrogenated... oil." Since partially hydrogenated oils are really more harmful than saturated
fats and have been shown to raise blood cholesterol levels, they really should be included in the
"Saturated Fat" section. Instead, they are buried in the "Total Fat" listing. The consumer has no
way of knowing how much of the 2.5 grams of "Total Fat" is the hydrogenated stuff.
Cottonseed and/or soybean oil. The "and/or" listing should be illegal. Consumers have a right
to know which of the oils, cottonseed or soybean, they are eating, since these two oils have vastly
different nutritional properties. Cottonseed oil has much less nutritional value and cotton crops
may be sprayed with lots of pesticides.
ANATOMY OF A JUNK LABEL
Let's dissect the following label from a popular children's cereal:
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
Meets American Heart Association food
criteria for saturated fat and cholesterol for
healthy people over age 2.
Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol
may reduce the risk of heart disease
N U T R I T I O N F A C T S
Serving Size
1 cup (32g/1.1 oz)
Servings per Container
About 13
Amount
Per serving
Cereal
Calories
120
Calories from Fat
10
% Daily value
Total Fat 1.0g*
2%
Saturated Fat 0.50g
3%
Cholesterol 0 mg
0%
Sodium 150 mg
6%
Potassium 35 mg
1%
Total Carbohydrate 28g
9%
Dietary Fiber 1g
4%
Sugars 15g
Other Carb. 12g
Protein 2g
Ingredients: Corn, wheat, and oat flour;
sugar; partially hydrogenated vegetable
oil (one or more of: coconut, cottonseed,
and soybean); salt; sodium ascorbate and
ascorbic acid (vit. C); yellow #6;
niacinamide; zinc oxide; reduced iron;
natural orange, lemon, cherry, blueberry,
raspberry, lime, and other natural flavors;
red #40, turmeric color; annatto color; blue
#2; pyridoxine hydrochloride (vit. B6); blue
#1; riboflavin (vit. B2); vit. A palmitate;
thiamin hydrochloride (vit. B1); BHT
(preservative); folic acid (folate); vit. B12
and vit. D.
AHA seal of approval. The unwary consumer might conclude that since this particular food is
endorsed by the American Heart Association, it must be healthy. Wrong!
Dietary Fiber. One gram of fiber is relatively low for a "multigrain" cereal.
Sugars. Fifteen grams of sugar per serving is a lot of sweetener.
Protein. The cereal is low in protein. That should give you a hint about the nutritional quality
of the grains used.
Corn, wheat, and oat flour. Even though the front of the box boasts "multi-grain," since these
flours are not described as "whole wheat" or "whole grain," you can assume that they are refined
flours with much of the nutrients processed out.
"Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil." Hydrogenating oil provides little nutrition and possibly
does physiological harm.
"One or more of: coconut, cottonseed, and soybean oils." Consumers have the right to know
which oil they are eating, since these oils greatly differ in nutritional quality.
"Natural orange, lemon, cherry, blueberry, raspberry, lime, and other natural flavors."
"Natural" has limited legal meaning. The consumer may imagine that these flavors come from
ground-up fruits, but that is not necessarily true.
"Yellow Dye #6, Red #40, Blue #2, and Blue #1. Artificial food colorings are in the GRAS
(generally recognized as safe) category. This means that no one really knows for sure how safe
they are. In fact, they may be harmful to children who are food-coloring sensitive.
AskDrSears.com is intended to help parents become better informed consumers
of health care. The information presented in this site gives general advice
on parenting and health care. Always consult your doctor for your individual
needs.
