HERE’S HOW TO INTERPRET THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ON A FOOD LABEL

A HEALTHY DIET begins at the supermarket, and an important way to ensure you and your patients are consuming enough of the needed vitamins and nutrients is to become proficient in reading and understanding food labels. In addition, knowing what to look for on a food label helps to limit eating foods that can increase the risk for chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and AMD.

This column is the first in a series of five that will explore food labels and how to interpret the information they provide.

Here, in part one, I discuss the common terms used on labels and what they truly mean.

“LOW,” “LIGHT,” ETC.

Nutrition claims, typically seen on the front of a food item’s packaging, are a commonly used marketing tactic, yet the relationship between a nutrition claim and the actual nutritional status of a food varies.

The FDA has set specific rules for the use of certain words, such as “low,” “light,” “reduced,” “free,” “high” and “good source.”

For example, a food that bears the term “light” must be a food or group of foods that represent the same type as the food that bears the claim. An example: A chocolate ice cream would use as its reference food other chocolate ice creams. That said, buyer beware, as some foods that contain “low” nutrient claims actually have more of that substance than foods that don’t make those claims.

Also, when a product contains a “low sugar” label, that doesn’t mean it has an overall better nutritional quality.

The take-home: Read the entire label, not just the nutrition claim. Here’s a “cheat sheet” of sorts to help you and your patients understand the true meanings of these words:

• Low sodium. Maximum of 140mg
• Low calorie. Maximum of 40 calories per serving
• Light. A total of 50% less fat or 1/3 calories of the regular version of that food
• Reduced. Contains 25% less than the original product version
• Free. Tiny amounts of the ingredient. For example, 0.5mg or less for fat or trans-fat. Cholesterol free means 2mg of cholesterol and 2g of saturated fat. Finally, “free” can be used if a similar food normally contains the nutrient.
  For example, if canned peas have the label, “sodium free,” this means these canned peas have little or none of the sodium that would normally be found in canned peas.
• High or good source. When a food contains 20% of the Daily Value.

NUTRITION FACTS

This can be found at the back of a food item at the top of an information box. It includes serving size, calories and the amount of each nutrient and percentage of Daily Value to help you and your patients see and compare the nutritional status of foods. (See image on p.40.)

New FDA regulations require that labels include information on: total fat: saturated fat, trans fat; cholesterol; sodium; total carbohydrate: dietary fiber, total sugars; protein; vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium. (Listing vitamins A and C is optional, as the FDA says it believes most Americans are consuming enough of these vitamins). Larger manufacturers have until Jan. 1, 2020 to comply with the new rules; smaller manufacturers, those with annual food sales of less than $10 million, have until Jan. 1, 2021.

SERVING SIZE/CALORIES

Look at the serving size and calories, as this information is critical to understanding the rest of the Nutrition Facts label. Serving size is the amount of food normally consumed in one sitting, not what you or your patients should eat.

In the most recent labeling guidelines, which can be found at http://bit.ly/2lDYSEA , serving size has been increased to reflect the typical amounts Americans eat, with the serving size appearing bolder and larger on the label. The purpose of this change: to make it easier for consumers to make better informed food choices.

The amount of calories in a serving is indicated below the serving size. As you and your patients will have unique caloric intake needs, depending on age, weight, height, gender and physical activity level, this number needs to be put in to context. That said, a general rule is that a good amount of calories for a snack, for example, is between 100 to 200. (To determine unique caloric intake, see the app My Fitness Pal, or visit www.choosemyplate.gov .)

PERCENT DAILY VALUE

Daily Value, determined by the FDA, is the amount of nutrients to consume or not to exceed daily. Daily Values are used to determine the percent Daily Value per nutrient that one serving of a specific food contains. This is a good way to compare food products, if the serving size is the same.

For example, the daily value for saturated fat is 20g. A McDonald’s hamburger contains 3.3g of saturated fat, so it’s percentage of Daily Value is 16%. Meanwhile, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese contains 8g of saturated fat and has a percentage Daily Value of 40%. As a general rule, 5% Daily Value, or less, of a nutrient is low, and 20% or more is high.

INGREDIENTS

Typically found after the “Nutrition Facts” label on the food item, this list tells the story of what’s in our food in descending order by weight.

As a general rule, you and your patients want to choose foods that have fewer ingredients and to avoid foods that have sugar and refined grains near the top. Foods that contain more sugar and refined grains tend to have a higher glycemic index and can increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and AMD.

GENERAL RULES

In general, you want to limit saturated fat, sugar and sodium, by getting less than 100% of the Daily Value per day, and avoid trans fats because excess amounts of these nutrients can contribute to chronic disease. To ensure you are getting enough fiber, protein, calcium, iron, potassium and vitamins C, A and D, aim to get more than at least 100% Daily Value of these nutrients on most days. OM

In future columns, I will discuss the individual components of the labels, including serving sizes, calories, fat, protein and carbs, vitamins and ingredients.

DR. CAPOGNA is the founder of Eye Wellness and co-author of “Eyefoods: A Food Plan for Healthy Eyes,” “Eyefoods for Kids: A Tasty Guide to Nutrition and Eye Health” and author of “Cooking with Eyefoods: Recipes to Protect Your Eyes From Blue Light.” Her mission is to inspire and educate eye care professionals and the public about the power of ocular nutrition and prevention. Email her at lcapogna@cogeco.ca.