FitSugar

Are You Label Able?

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0700

One diversion to buying healthy foods is figuring out what the labels mean. It can be tough and misleading at times, but the sooner you learn. the easier it will be for you to make smart decisions at the grocery store. So put your label smarts to the test in this five question quiz. Good luck!

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Do You Read Nutritional Labels?

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0800

Me, I read a label pretty thoroughly and consistently. I like to know what I am putting into my body, good or bad. However, I always find it interesting that my husband will eat just about anything that sounds good to him without so much as glancing at the label - reading the label is not something that he even thinks about (even while being married to FitSugar). I know my husband is not alone in this, so what about you guys?

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The New Trans Fat: Interesterified Oil

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 08:45:00 -0700

As you know, I have been pretty thrilled about all the bans on trans fat happening worldwide, but of course food makers are finding a way to still make food cheap and unhealthy, without the trans fat. Enter Interesterified Oils.

Being confused about it myself, I decided to look to Mr. Seth Braun, natural health expert and author of healthyfastandcheap.com, because he's really done his research on this new type of oil:

Food manufacturers are getting around the trans fat labeling by mixing small amounts of fully hydrogenated oil with liquid polyunsaturate oils and calling “interesterified oil.” They claim that fully hydrogenated oil is healthier. Since there is less trans fat, they can sell this product to food manufacturers for use in commercial dressings, baked goods, candies and anything else that used to have partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list.

In plain english, interestification means mixing fully hydrogenated oil with liquid polyunsaturate oil to produce a consistency similar to partially hydrogenated oil, which is the source of trans fats. The solution to the trans fat problem; from the manufacturer perspective!

So what's the moral of the story? Read those labels folks. Food makers are in the business of not only making food, but also in the business of making money. If it has interesterified oils listed, chances are it has trans fat too.

Trans Fat Label Confusion

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 04:00:00 -0800

Have you ever noticed that even though a label may say there are zero grams of trans fat, you see in the ingredients that there is some form of hydrogenated oils? How could this be?

The reasoning is simple. As of Jan. 1, 2006, the FDA required food companies to list trans fat content separately on the Nutrition Facts panel of all packaged foods. This way consumers can easily see how much trans fats are in the foods they choose. Awesome.

However, food and beverage companies only have to list the trans fat amounts if one serving has 0.5 gram or more. Therefore, we should be aware that just because we see zero trans fat on the label of the product, this does not mean that the product is trans free. Don't be too worried because while there may be a trace amount of trans fat in each serving, researchers have found that the amount of partially hydrogenated oil is so small that trans fat content is nutritionally insignificant, unless large amounts of the food are consumed.

"Lean" on Labels: What It Now Means

FitSugar — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 15:25:00 -0800

The use of the term "Lean" on Food Labeling has a new, expanded meaning as announced recently by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Under the new rule, labels on meals-on-the-go (such as burritos, pizza rolls, egg rolls, and sandwiches) can carry the word lean if the items have less than 8 grams total fat, 3.5 grams or less saturated fat and less than 80 milligrams of cholesterol per amount customarily consumed (140 grams).

Before this rule change, the nutrient content claim of lean was limited to seafood and game meat products, as well as to meal and main dish products.

Why the change? In the recent news release:

The FDA acknowledges that meals-on-the-go have made their way into consumers' diets as a convenient meal option. With controlled nutrient and portion size, these foods serve a useful purpose in assisting consumers in selecting a diet that is consistent with recommended U.S. Dietary Guidelines...

Traffic Light Labeling: A Good Idea?

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 07:30:00 -0800

The FDI (Food Standards Industry) has introduced traffic light labeling on foods in the UK.

If we want to eat a healthy diet, one of the key things we should be doing is trying to cut down on fat (especially saturated fat), salt and added sugars.

The FDI system allows you to see at a glance if the food you’re looking at has high (red), medium (yellow) or low (green) amounts of each of these nutrients in 100g of the food.

What do you think about it?

Trans Fat D-List

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 09:00:00 -0800

In lieu of the recent events surrounding trans fats, eDiets.com has created a list of foods that you may commonly eat that contain some of the dreaded trans fat.

Breads and baking products
Biscuits made from mix
Biscuits/rolls made from refrigerated dough
Coating mixes for fish, meat and poultry
Stuffing mixes
Taco shells
White and wheat flour breads

Breakfast foods
Cinnamon buns
Danishes
Doughnuts
Muffins
Pastries/bakery items with frosting
Toaster tarts/strudels

Candy
Caramels
Chocolates
Fruit chews
Seasonal candy
Taffy-like candy

There's more, so read more

Desserts
Cake sprinkles, decorations
Baking chips
Cakes and cake mixes
Cakes/cupcakes with icing
Ice cream cakes
Pie crusts
Pound cake
Ready to spread frosting
Refrigerated cookie dough

Dips and snacks
Bean dips
Cheese and Pretzel snack kits
Cheese and cracker snack kits
Chocolate or yogurt covered snack
Cookie snack kits
Cookies/crackers
Corn chips
Nacho cheese dip
Microwave popcorn
Potato chips/sticks
Pretzels filled with cheese
Pudding snacks

Fast foods
Biscuits
French fries
Fruit pies
Fried chicken
Fried fish sandwich
Most deep-fried fast food
Mixed meals from a box that contain buttermilk biscuit topping, cornbread topping, Dumplings or pouched seasonings

Fats and oils
Light spreads
Margarine, hard stick and tub types
Vegetable shortening, regular and butter flavor

Frozen foods
Breaded fish sticks
French fries
Fruit pies and pie crusts
Pancakes and French toast
Pastries
Pizza and pizza crusts
Pot pies
Waffles

Milk and milk products
International and instant latte coffees
Refrigerated fat free non-dairy creamers
Refrigerated non-dairy creamers
Whipped toppings

Salad and salad dressing
Prepared salad dressing

Soups and stews
Bouillon cubes
Boxed onion soup and dip mix
Ramen noodle and soup cups

Check out the full article here.

Fit's Tip: The list is just a guideline so you know what to watch for -- to see if your favorite foods have trans fat, be sure check the label.

FDA Rethinks "Smart Choice" Food Labels

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:00:51 -0700

When the concept behind the "Smart Choice" food labels was introduced, it sounded like a good idea. The goal was to provide easy to digest nutritional information on the front of food packages and the products bearing the label were to meet health guidelines - low calorie count, low in sugar. But when the green check mark made its debut this August, it seemed rather fishy that the cereal Fruit Loops, which lists sugar as its first ingredient, could score the "Smart Choice" badge of approval.

The FDA is cracking down on the use of the label and many large food corporations, like Pepsi-Co and Kellogg's, are suspending their use of the symbol while the FDA creates guidelines for nutritional labels used on the front of food packages. Although no time line was given, the FDA has plans to design a standardized food labeling system, to replace the many voluntary nutritional labels that have been created by the food industry, supermarkets, and nutritionists. The FDA will be working with food manufacturers as well as nutritionists to create a label that helps shoppers select healthy foods. My suggestion: don't rely on the front or the back, read the ingredients and the nutritional panel. Or shop for whole foods and forgo products with labels entirely.

Label-Able: Free Range

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 17:30:00 -0800

The labels on food today were standardized to make it easier for us to figure out what exactly we are putting into our bodies. The fact is, reading the labels is still downright confusing so let FIT make you label-able.

Free Range, or Free Roaming is a term we see a lot when buying eggs and poultry. Sounds healthy, but is it? read more

Free Range (or Free Roaming) is supposed to mean that the product comes from an animal that was raised in the wide open air. What it really means is that producers must demonstrate to the USDA that the poultry "has been allowed access to the outside." Five minutes may be all the animals get, but it will still be considered Free Range by the USDA. The terms are somewhat regulated by the USDA for poultry but not at all for eggs.

Fit's Tip: When it comes to animal rights, Free Range products are more humane (but barely) than ordinary products, but when it comes to your health Free Range eggs or poultry do not have any proven health benefits. I think they should change the label from "Free Range" to "Five Minutes is All They Got."

Label-Able: Cage Free

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 11:00:00 -0800

The labels on food today were standardized to make it easier for us to figure out what exactly we are putting into our bodies. The fact is, reading labels is still downright confusing so let FIT make you label-able.
Cage Free is a term we see a lot when buying eggs. Sounds healthy, but is it? To find out, read more

Cage Free basically means exactly how it sounds. The hens are not kept in cages, but that does not mean they are kept outside or even humanely. Not being caged means that the bird still can engage in its natural behavior, but there is no regulation or audit process for debeaking the birds and forced molting (through starvation).

Fit's Tip: When it comes to animal rights, Cage Free eggs are more humane than ordinary eggs, but when it comes to your health Cage Free eggs do not have any proven health benefits from those of ordinary eggs.