In the movie Pi, the main character Maximilian Cohen states his assumptions about the world. "One. Mathematics is the language of nature. Two. Everything around us can be represented and understood through numbers."
This has definitely been true for food since 1994 as a result of the enactment of the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) which requires all foods to be labeled according to a standardized nutrition system. Central Texans have been able to calculate the amount of total fat, sodium, carbohydrates and protein for the meals they create. Third party nutritionists have have even completed Nutrition Facts profiles for hundreds of the most common restaurants and fast food franchises, making it possible to know what you're eating pretty much all the time.
Given that the public can now calculate the proper amounts to eat in a single day and make adjustments for the amount of exercise required to use up the energy provided, you would think obesity levels should be at all time lows. But the trend is just the opposite. Between 1991 and 2001, the obesity rate among adults in Texas almost doubled, from 13 percent to 25 percent. In 2006 the adult obesity rate climbed past 25 percent and made Texas the 10th heaviest state in the country.
Not everyone looks at a nutrition label in the same way. A person with peanut allergies may be looking for peanuts as an ingredient or whether the food was prepared in a facility that also handles foods containing peanuts. A person with diabetes may be counting carbohydrates and will disregard the amount of fat or individual nutrients. A person with gluten intolerance is primarily looking for wheat. Then are the people who just look at the number of calories. We all do some form of math calculations in our head or rely on online diet Web sites to do the calculations for us.
Nutrition Confusion
Nutrition labels don't always tell you the full story in many areas. Here are some examples:
- Fat Facts. While the label will list total fat
content, it will not always list the percentage of calories
from fat each food contains. This is important if you are
trying to consume low-fat foods. If the food gets 30
percent of its calories from fat, it's considered a
relatively low-fat food. Only when the fat content
percentage drops below 20 percent can it be considered a
true low-fat food. But you can't just look to the right
side to learn the percentage of calories from fat. The
percentage listed is for the Daily Value, in other words,
the total amount of fat that should contribute to the
average 2,000 calorie diet. To determine the actual
percentage of calories from fat in any given food, divide
the fat calories per serving by the total calories per
serving and then multiply by 100.
- Trans Fat. New York City recently banned trans
fat when the board of health voted to have eateries replace
trans fats with other less artery-clogging ingredients.
While this may be great move to help people in New York
City who eat out frequently, it has yet to be a trend
sweeping the rest of the country. In addition, trans fats
can still be found on the grocery store shelves in many of
the products we eat. "A food can contain trans fat and
you'd never know it by looking at the Nutrition Facts
Label, says Seton
Northwest dietitian Janessa Slatky, RD, LD. . "Take for
example my fat-free vanilla coffee creamer. It states that
its fat-free and there are 0 grams of Total Fat on the
Nutrition Facts Label but one of the main ingredients is
"hydrogenated soybean oil" (trans fat). Always read the
ingredients and look for words like 'hydrogenated' or
'partially hydrogenated' to clue you in on whether the
product contains trans fat.
- Hidden Fat. If the amount of fat in a product is
less than 0.5g, it is then allowed to be rounded to 0g.
Here's the gotcha! If the product contains 0.47g of trans
fat per serving and the number of servings is 15, the
Nutrition Facts label would indicate 0g of trans fat, yet
the whole package really contains over seven grams of trans
fat. As stated above, this is where reading the ingredient
list, in combination with the Nutrition Facts label is
advised.
- Serving Size . Don't take serving sizes for
granted as they may be unrealistic or confusing. "Look
carefully at the serving size listed on the label," says
Janessa. "You'll be surprised to learn that the nutrition
information provided on ramen noodles or a frozen burrito
is for only half of the food. A 20-ounce soda may have
about 250 calories instead of the 100 listed on the label
for a serving, which is only eight ounces." Not all food
manufacturers will try and bend the rules. You'll find some
that actually tell you exactly how many potato chips, on
average, contribute to a single serving. "When it comes to
food manufacturers, they can choose their own serving size
when it comes to the Nutrition Facts Label. For example:
The USDA guidelines set the serving size for pasta as 1/2
cup cooked pasta. However, the Nutrition Facts Label (which
is ironically governed by the FDA) on a bag of spaghetti
states a serving as one cup cooked pasta." Just be wary,
advises Janessa.
- Juice Fraud. Fruit and vegetable juices may be
just as difficult to gauge whether or not you're getting
the number of servings you think you are. Unless the label
states it's made with 100% fruit juice, you'll be receiving
less than a single serving. Looking at the new Food Pyramid
requirements, any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part
of the fruit group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or
dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed. A person's
daily requirement varies from one to two cups and more if
the person is more physically active. The food manufacturer
may state the amount of fruit or vegetable servings outside
of the Nutrition Facts label. "By reading the rest of the
label, in addition to the Nutrition facts label, you'll be
able to get an idea if the food meets the daily
requirements," says Janessa.
- Organic labeling substitutions. Labeling products 'organic' is all the rage these days and can be found on more and more products. While there are federal requirements that food manufacturers must meet to label organic, other terms can be used that are similar in nature, but without the strict regulations. "Just know that terms such as 'wholesome,' 'smart' or 'good for you' are not mandated and could mean anything," advises Janessa. "Be wise when reading. Terms that are governed are low sodium, low fat, fat-free, sodium-free, etc. Before these terms were defined a manufacturer was allowed to call their product 'light' if it was lighter in color than its original product. Unless the Nutrition Facts label backs it up, I wouldn't takeanyone's word on it being 'smart', or 'good for you'." Janessa's final advice would be, "Be smart, if it seems too good to be true then it probably is!"
For more information, read these other GoodHealth.com articles.
The Age of Nutritionism & Pitfalls of the Western Diet
Janessa Slatky, RD, LD
Janessa is a clinical dietitian at Seton Northwest Hospital.
