Welcome back! This is a continuation of last week’s blog where I took a closer look at reading the standard nutrition label, beyond calories and %DV’s (percent daily values).
If you missed part one, click here. I examined
- What it means when a food contains the word “imitation” (hint: it’s got less of the good stuff)
- Why “juice” will never be as simple as it sounds (read the ingredients!)
- The sad truth is that we’ll never know what’s in special sauce unless someone decides to bottle and sell their special sauce.
First up to bat: Nutritional Content Claims
These are the phrases you’ll see plastered on the front of your bag o’ tastiness. What does “low calorie” really mean? These claims are made based on comparative analysis of similar foods.
Calorie Claims
- Calorie free – Less than 5 calories per serving
- Low calorie – Less than 40 calories per serving OR less than 120 calories per meal or main dish.
- Reduced or less calories – 25% fewer calories than a reference food (i.e.: comparing Hungry Man frozen meatloaf dinners to Lean Cuisine)
- Light/lite versions – If 50% or more of the reference food’s calories come from fat, the lite version must reduce fat by 50%
Total Fat Claims
- Fat free – Les than .5g per serving
- Low fat – 3g or less of fat per serving or 3g or less per 100g of meal/main dish
- Reduced/less fat – 25% less fat than a reference food
Saturated Fat Claims
- Fat free – Less than .5g saturated fat and less than .5g trans fatty acids per serving
- Low fat – 1g or less of fat per serving, 15% or fewer calories may come from saturated fat per 100g of meal/main dish. Less than 10% of total calories may come from saturated fat
- Reduced/less fat – 25% less saturated fat than reference food
Cholesterol Claims
- Cholesterol free – Less than 2mg of cholesterol per serving
- Low cholesterol – 20mg or less of cholesterol per serving, or 20g or less per 100g of meal/main dish
- Reduced/less cholesterol – 25% less cholesterol as compared to reference food
- Cholesterol claims are only allowed when foods contain less than 2g of saturated fat per serving
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| Eggs - not cholesterol free, but fine in moderation |
Sodium Claims
- Sodium free- Less than 5mg of sodium per serving
- Low sodium – 140mg or less of sodium per serving, or 140mg or less per 100g of meals or main dishes
- Very Low Sodium – 35mg or less per serving, or 35mg or less per 100g of meals or main dishes.
- Reduced/less sodium – At least 25% less sodium than a reference food
- Light in Sodium – At least 50% less sodium than reference food per serving, unless you’re eating a meal/main dish. Then “light in sodium” means “low sodium” (140mg or less of sodium per 100g of meal)
- Lightly Salted - 50% less sodium than normally added to reference food
In case you were confused about advertising claims, decipher this quote from the FDA’s website: "No Salt Added" and "Unsalted" must declare "This is Not A Sodium Free Food" on information panel if food is not "Sodium Free".
Foods can claim to be “unsalted” but still contain salt. Read the label!
Sugar Claims
- Sugar free - Less than .5g of sugar per serving.
- Low sugar – Has no definition, so you’re not allowed to claim your food to be “low sugar”
- Reduced/less sugar – 25% less sugar than a reference food, or 25% less sugar per 100g of main dishes.
- "No Added Sugars" and "Without Added Sugars" are allowed if no sugar or sugar-containing ingredient is added during processing.
- These claims do not include sugar alcohols.
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| Sugar free thanks to sugar alcohols |
Onto part two – health claims.
Can X really help to lower your blood sugar? This depends on how it’s phrased on the box and boy is that HEAVILY regulated. In fact, foods are required to contain certain keywords or phrases on the label to tell consumers what they’re capable of. I’ll bold those words when they’re part of the labeling requirement.
The claim: Calcium, or calcium AND Vitamin D will decrease your osteoporosis risk
Food requirements:
- High in calcium or calcium AND vitamin D, depending on the claim (20% or more of the %DV, which is listed as based on a 2,000 calorie diet).
- Be easily absorbed by the body.
- Contain less phosphorus than calcium.
Label requirements:
Calcium and Osteoporosis: "Adequate calcium intake throughout life, as part of a well-balanced diet, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis".
Calcium, vitamin D and osteoporosis: "Adequate calcium and vitamin D, as part of a well balanced diet, along with physical activity, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis".
"The claim does not attribute any degree of reduction in risk of osteoporosis to maintaining an adequate dietary calcium intake, or when appropriate, an adequate dietary calcium and vitamin D intake, throughout life". There is so little that we know about the interactions of vitamins and minerals with our genetic predispositions that it's seemingly impossible to make blanket statements about calcium preventing any diseases.
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| Viactiv Calcium Chews also contain vitamin D. |
The claim: Low fat foods decrease your risk of cancer
Food requirements:
- Low fat (less than 3g per serving).
- If you’re eating fish or game meats, those must be “extra lean” (less than 5 g of total fat per serving, less than 2 g of saturated fat and trans fats, and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving).
Label requirement:
“Development of cancer depends on many factors. A diet low in total fat may reduce the risk of some cancers”.
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| Low Fat, Cancer Fighting Cookbook |
The claim: Low sodium foods decrease your risk of hypertension
Food requirements:
- “Low sodium” (140mg or less of sodium per serving).
Label requirements:
“Diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, a disease associated with many factors”.
The claim: Low saturated fat and low cholesterol intake will decrease your risk of Coronary Heart Disease
Food requirements:
- Low saturated fat (1g or less of fat per serving, 15% or fewer calories from saturated fat)
- Low cholesterol (20mg or less of cholesterol per serving)
- Low fat (3g or less of fat per serving)
Label requirement:
“While many factors affect heart disease, diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of this disease”.
The claim: Fiber-containing grains, fruits, and vegetables can decrease your risk of cancer
Food requirements:
- A grain product, fruit, or vegetable that contains dietary fiber (any amount)
- Low fat (3g or less of fat per serving)
- Good source of non-fortified dietary fiber (10-19% of DV)
Label requirement:
"Low fat diets rich in fiber-containing grain products, fruits, and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors".
The claim: Fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fiber (particularly soluble) decrease your risk of Coronary Heart Disease
Food requirements:
- A fruit, vegetable, or grain product that contains fiber (any amount)
- Low saturated fat (1g or less of fat per serving, 15% or fewer calories from saturated fat)
- Low cholesterol (20mg or less of cholesterol per serving)
- Low fat (3g or less of fat per serving)
- At least 0.6 grams of non-fortified soluble fiber per serving
- Soluble fiber content provided on labe
Fiber 101 Mini-lesson:
Soluble fibers form a gel when mixed with water, which slows down digestion. It slows the emptying of your stomach and makes you feel full. This may also have a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity and lower LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) by interfering with the absorption of dietary cholesterol.
Sources of soluble fiber: oatmeal, oat cereal, lentils, apples, oranges, pears, oat bran, strawberries, nuts, flaxseeds, beans, dried peas, blueberries, psyllium, cucumbers, celery, and carrots.
Insoluble fibers add bulk to your diet, helping prevent constipation. These fibers do not dissolve in water, so they pass through the gastrointestinal tract relatively intact, and speed up the passage of food and waste through your gut. Insoluble fibers are mainly found in whole grains and vegetables.
Sources of insoluble fiber: whole wheat, whole grains, wheat bran, corn bran, seeds, nuts, barley, couscous, brown rice, bulgur, zucchini, celery, broccoli, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers
Label requirement:
“Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and rich in fruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain some types of dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber, may reduce the risk of heart disease, a disease associated with many factors.”
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| Why is this "better health" claim not regulated? |
The claim: Fiber may decrease your risk of coronary heart disease
Food requirements:
- Low saturated fat (1g or less of fat per serving, 15% or fewer calories from saturated fat)
- Low cholesterol (20mg or less of cholesterol per serving)
- Low fat (3g or less of fat per serving)
- Must include one or more of the following whole oat or barley foods: oat bran, rolled oats, whole oat flour, whole grain barley or dry milled barley (at least 0.75 g of soluble fiber per serving)
- OR Oatrim (at least 0.75 g of beta-glucan soluble per serving) or psyllium husk (at least 1.7 g of soluble fiber per serving). Beta-glucan soluble must come from one of the following: Oat bran, Rolled Oats, Whole Oat Flour, Oatrim, Whole Grain Barley and Dry Milled Barley, Barley Beta Fiber, Soluble fiber from psyllium husk with purity of no less than 95%
- The amount of soluble fiber per serving must be declared in nutrition label
Label requirement:
“Soluble fiber from foods such as [name of soluble fiber source, and, if desired, name of food product], as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. A serving of [name of food product] supplies __ grams of the [necessary daily dietary intake for the benefit] soluble fiber from [name of soluble fiber source] necessary per day to have this effect.”
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| The magic of soluble fiber |
The claim: Soy protein decreases your risk of Coronary Heart Disease
Food requirements:
- At least 6.25 g soy protein per serving
- Low saturated fat (1g or less of fat per serving, 15% or fewer calories from saturated fat)
- Low cholesterol (20mg or less of cholesterol per serving)
- Low fat (except that foods made from whole soybeans that contain no fat in addition to that inherent in the whole soybean are exempt from the "low fat" requirement, or 3g or less of fat per serving)
Label requirement:
“25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. A serving of [name of food] supplies __ grams of soy protein.”
The FDAMA (FDA Modernization Act) has allowed for health claims based on an authoritative statement by Federal Scientific Bodies. These claims are newer and have no required terms (yet).
The claim: Whole grains can decrease your risk of heart disease and certain cancers
Food requirements:
- Contains 51 percent or more whole grain ingredients by weight
- Dietary fiber content at least: 3.0 g per serving of 55 g, 2.8 g per serving of 50 g, 2.5 g per serving of 45 g, or 1.7 g per serving of 35 g
- Low fat (3g or less of fat per serving)
Label requirement:
"Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers."
The claim: Potassium decreases your risk of high blood pressure and stroke
Food requirements:
- Good source of potassium (10-19% of DV)
- Low sodium (140mg or less of sodium per serving)
- Low total fat (3g or less of fat per serving)
- Low saturated fat (1g or less of fat per serving)
- Low cholesterol (20mg or less of cholesterol per serving)
Label requirement:
"Diets containing foods that are a good source of potassium and that are low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke."
The claim: Diets low in saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat reduce the risk of Heart Disease
Food requirements:
- Low saturated fat (1g or less of fat per serving)
- Low cholesterol (20mg or less of cholesterol per serving)
- Contain less than 0.5 g trans fat per serving
- Contain less than 6.5 g total fat
Label requirement: "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and as low as possible in trans fat, may reduce the risk of heart disease."
Sources for this blog can be found here and here.
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| Just for fun: get your fiber from an unexpected source. |
Need assistance sifting through fact versus fiction when it comes to your health? Contact me at SeeMeFit for one time health assessments, coaching and fitness planning needs.
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