When shopping the supermarket shelves it is just as important to read the front of the package label as it is to read the back. The nutritional facts offered on the label of a packaged product can tell your a wealth of information about how the product will effect your body. When choosing foods that are heart and body healthy, the Food and Drug Administration offers a few helpful tips by regulating the phrases on the packaging.
•If a package says “High in Fiber” or “An Excellent Source of Fiber”, the product must contain a minimum of 5 grams of fiber per serving. On the other hand, a labeling reading, “Good Source” of fiber only has to contain between 2.5 and 5 grams of fiber per serving to meet FDA guidelines.
•If a package claims to be “Low”, “Reduced” or “High” in regards to nutritional content, the FDA regulates those terms, as well. “Low” fat products must contain 3 grams of fat or less per serving. “Reduced” fat products, on the other hand, need only contain a minimum of 25% less fat than the original product or a reference product.
•Sodium is another protected nutrient on food labels. A “Low” sodium food must contain no more than 140 mg of sodium per serving. “Very Low Sodium” means the product must have no more than 35 mg of sodium per serving.
•In recent years, trans fats have been in the fore front of the nutritional battles nationwide. Trans fats are known to raise bad cholesterols and lower good
Cholesterol. If a product has “partially hydrogenated oils” of any kind, there is a very high chance that trans fats are present. These food should be eaten in small moderation.
•Another fat label controlled by the FDA is saturated fats. If a product reads “Low” saturated fats, it must contain 1 gram of saturated fat or less per serving. Any product that does not read this on the label, is higher in saturated fat. Saturated fats are the leading cause of high blood cholesterol.
Reading the labels means more than just flipping over the package and finding the calorie and fat content. The front of a package can offer a wealth of information and reading some of the terms listed above can tell you a lot about a product before ever reading the back!
