A key to healthy eating is understanding what exactly goes into the food we eat. The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are pleased to share the first part of a two part feature article by Jacqueline Jacques, ND that explains the importance of food labels and reprinted with the permission of the Obesity Action Coalition. Understanding nutrition labels is an important part of any medically supervised weight loss program. Please visit our Blog next week for part two of this feature article. Part two will discuss what type of information is actually included in the Nutrition Facts Box and how to read it.

If you are trying to eat a healthy diet and make good food choices, you will often get the advice: “become a label reader.” This is said in reference to the Nutrition Label found on virtually all foods sold in grocery stores in the United States.

Food labels are required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so that consumers can make an informed choice about the food they eat. When you know how to read them, you can understand valuable information about the ingredients in a food, its nutritional value as part of your diet and much more.

Nutritional labels on food are required by the FDA under the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act and are regulated by the Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements. The regulations set forth by this office literally regulate almost everything on a food label such as:

• What specific ingredients are called
• How the information is presented graphically
• What size type needs to be used
• How to use descriptive terms like “low,” “reduced” and “free” for fat, salt and calories

What foods have to be labeled?

These days, most foods sold in your grocery store are required to have some sort of label. The obvious exceptions are fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh cuts of meat or fish. Foods like sandwiches made in the grocer’s deli and those sold in bulk bins are also not required to be labeled. Other foods that are exempt form labeling include:

• Foods sold in restaurants, hospital cafeterias and airplanes or sold by food service vendors (including vending machines)
• Food shipped in bulk – that which may be shipped to a restaurant for food preparation
• Medical foods
• Plain coffee, tea and spices
• Very small business – provided they inform the FDA and meet the criteria for this exemption

What should you look at when you look at a label?

Most people never get past the front of a food label when they are shopping – and that is what most manufacturers hope for. The front of a label is generally a modified ad for the food – maybe a picture that suggests a way to eat the food, catchy information like “low fat” or “part of a healthy diet,” and perhaps a slogan that is familiar to consumers as part of a bigger advertising campaign.

If you are a health-conscious shopper, the front of a label generally tells you very little of what you need to know. There are, however, a few things that are required to be present in this area of the label under FDA guidelines. These things include the name of the food and the quantity of the product in the container (ounces, grams, etc.).

In some cases, the manufacturer also must describe the form of the food – meaning they should tell you if the milk is skim or whole, the cheese is sliced or shredded or the pineapple is sliced or in chunks, etc. Virtually everything else is there by the choice of the manufacturer.

Turn the package over!

If you really want to know about a food, the front of the label doesn’t tell you what you need to know most of the time. The best place to start looking on a food label is the area – usually on the back or side of the package – called the Nutrition Facts Box. (If you are looking at a dietary supplement, this will be called a Supplement Facts Box.)

This article first appeared in the OAC News Vol.2/ Issue 3 April 2007 Reproduced with permission from Obesity Action Coalition. Please visit www.oac.org

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight through their MyWeight^tm nutrition and wellness counseling program. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Join us for a free seminar or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.