The GI & Bariatric Nutrition Center – Quarterly Newsletter Page 1 August 2013 | The GI & Bariatric Nutrition Center, LLC | 443-490-1240 Newsletter Focus: Food Label Reading & Deceptions Highlights Contents Special Interest Articles Reading a Food Label 2 Four Common Food Label Deceptions 3-6 Portion Sizing Chart – Cut Out 4 Added Sugars 7-10 Individual Highlights Recipe Corner 11 Upcoming STRIVE MD Series I Dates 12 Upcoming Support Group Dates 12 In this DOUBLE edition we will focus on reading food labels and food label deceptions. Our goal has always been and will remain the same: to provide you with the proper tools to make healthy food choices. With the proper knowledge you too can master going to the grocery store or out to eat without fear of sabotaging your weight-loss efforts. Here’s how: 2Q & 3Q 2013, DOUBLE ISSUE Nancy Lum, RD, LDN
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T h e G I & B a r i a t r i c N u t r i t i o n C e n t e r – Q u a r t e r l y N e w s l e t t e r
Page 1
August 2013 | The GI & Bariatric Nutrition Center, LLC | 443-490-1240
Newsletter Focus: Food Label Reading & Deceptions
Highlights
Contents
Special Interest Articles
Reading a Food Label 2
Four Common Food Label Deceptions 3-6
Portion Sizing Chart – Cut Out 4
Added Sugars 7-10
Individual Highlights
Recipe Corner 11
Upcoming STRIVE MD Series I Dates 12
Upcoming Support Group Dates 12
In this DOUBLE edition we will focus on reading food labels and food label
deceptions. Our goal has always been and will remain the same: to provide
you with the proper tools to make healthy food choices. With the proper
knowledge you too can master going to the grocery store or out to eat without
fear of sabotaging your weight-loss efforts. Here’s how:
2Q & 3Q 2013, DOUBLE ISSUE
Nancy Lum, RD, LDN
T h e G I & B a r i a t r i c N u t r i t i o n C e n t e r – Q u a r t e r l y N e w s l e t t e r
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T h e G I & B a r i a t r i c N u t r i t i o n C e n t e r – Q u a r t e r l y N e w s l e t t e r
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Walk into any supermarket, and you'll
find rows of packaged foods boasting
how healthy they are. From "fat-free"
to "natural" to "helps your immune
system," front-of-the-box labels may
give the appearance of good nutrition,
but the reality is a bit more
complicated.
Unlike the Nutrition Facts panel,
which is tightly regulated, front-of-
the-package food labels aren't as
closely monitored. In addition, food
companies tend to "stretch the
envelope" of what's permitted, says
Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition,
food studies, and public health at New
York University. The result, she says:
Many of the health claims you see are
misleading.
In the past few years, the Food and
Drug Administration has gone after
more than a dozen food companies
for deceptive labeling, but the most
important thing for consumers to do,
says Ruth Frechman, a registered
dietitian and spokesperson for the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is
to "be informed so they know how to
interpret the label."
Here's a look at some of the most
common front-of-the-package food
labels, and what they really mean:
Fat-, Sugar-, or Salt-Free
Labeling a food as "free" of a certain
nutrient, whether salt, sugar, or fat,
means it has none, or a
"physiologically inconsequential"
amount of that nutrient, according to
the FDA. If the package says "calorie-
free," the item has fewer than 5
calories per serving. For sugar or fat,
this means the food has fewer than
0.5 grams per serving. But be careful,
says Frechman. A food "could say 'fat-
free,' but it could contain a lot of
calories from sugar," she explains. "If
you're watching your weight, you
should also look at the total calories."
Low-Fat, Low-Sugar, or Low-Salt
If an item is labeled "low" in a
particular element, it means that you
can eat several servings without
exceeding the recommended daily
limit. Low-fat products have fewer
than 3 grams of fat per serving; low-
saturated fat items have less than 1
gram per serving. Low-sodium means
the food has 140 milligrams or less per
serving; low-cholesterol means 20 mg.
or less and fewer than 2 grams of
saturated fat. Low-calorie products
have fewer than 40 calories per
serving.
No Trans Fats
Even if a package advertises "no trans
fats," be careful. Products carrying this
label can still have up to half a gram of
trans fat per serving, according to the
FDA. "If you eat a bunch of servings, it
could add up," says Frechman. Trans
fats are a type of unsaturated fat that
raise your LDL cholesterol levels (the
"bad" kind) and increase your risk of
heart disease. Because of these health
risks, trans fats have been banned or
restricted in several cities and
counties .
Health Claims
Michael Jacobson, executive director
for the Center for Science in the Public
Interest, a consumer advocacy group,
says the FDA requires scientific
consensus before a company can
claim its product strengthens a body
part or prevents a disease. However,
claims that a food maintains or
supports a bodily function are not
monitored as strictly. While the FDA
gives the vague guideline that they
must be "truthful and not misleading,"
it does not require any scientific
evidence for these claims to be made.
A CSPI report gives an example of how
confusing this can be: The label "may
help reduce the risk of heart disease"
would require FDA approval, while
"helps maintain a healthy heart"
would not. Another common but
largely unregulated health claim is
"helps support immunity." According
to Jacobson, this kind of wording "is a
great example of how companies are
tricking consumers," because there
may not be any evidence to back their
claims. Nestle offers her own advice:
"My somewhat facetious rule is never
to buy anything with a health claim
because they are all misleading."
Natural
The FDA has no formal definition for
what "natural" means, but defers to a
nearly 20-year-old policy that says it
will not object to the label as long as
the product "does not contain added
color, artificial flavors, or synthetic
substances." In the end, Nestle says,
the "natural" label "means basically
whatever the manufacturer decides."
Organic
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
has specific guidelines that food
producers must comply with if they
want to use the "organic" label.
Animal products cannot be given
antibiotics or growth hormones, and
plants cannot be grown with
conventional pesticides or fertilizers
made with synthetic ingredients or
sewage. Genetic engineering and
irradiation, exposing crops to
radiation to kill bacteria and other
pests, are also prohibited for plants to
be considered organic.
There are three levels of organic to
look for in stores. "One hundred
percent organic" means products are
made entirely from organic
T h e G I & B a r i a t r i c N u t r i t i o n C e n t e r – Q u a r t e r l y N e w s l e t t e r
T h e G I & B a r i a t r i c N u t r i t i o n C e n t e r – Q u a r t e r l y N e w s l e t t e r
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T h e G I & B a r i a t r i c N u t r i t i o n C e n t e r – Q u a r t e r l y N e w s l e t t e r
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Finding Hidden Sugars on Food Labels & Recommendations for Substitutions
"OSE" SUGARS:
Dextrose Fructose Galactose Glucose Lactose
Levulose Maltose Saccharose Sucrose Xylose
"OL" SUGARS (4 CALORIES PER GRAM ABSORB 2):
Mannitol Sorbitol Xylitol
OTHER SUGARS:
* Agave - Derived from the blue agave cactus, agave syrup tastes similar to honey (high concentrated sugar); * Barley Malt – A sweet syrup with a strong malt flavor, derived from sprouted barley; Beet Sugar; Brown Sugar;
* Brown Rice Syrup - A syrup made from sprouted brown rice. Cane Juice crystals; Cane Sugar; Caramel Color; Confectionary Sugar; Corn Sugar; Corn Sweetener; Corn Syrup; Corn Syrup Solids;
* Date Sugar - A sweetener consisting of ground, dried dates. Can be substituted for other granulated sugars. It also adds moistness to baked goods; Dehydrated Cane Juice; Dextrin; Fruit Juice Concentrate; Granulated Sugar;
High Fructose Corn Syrup; Honey; Invert Sugar; Isomalt; Malt Syrup; Maltodextrin Maple Sugar; Maple Syrup; Molasses; Palm Sugar; Raw Sugar; Rice Syrup; Sorghum; Treacle; Turbinado Sugar
T h e G I & B a r i a t r i c N u t r i t i o n C e n t e r – Q u a r t e r l y N e w s l e t t e r
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Sugar Substitutes Recommended
Stevia or brand name Truvia - A naturally sweet herb native to Paraguay. It is
non-caloric, and has been used as a natural sweetener and flavor enhancer for
centuries.
Domino Sugar/Stevia Blend - is made from Stevia and some sugar combined
and does not have the aftertaste of Stevia alone.
Splenda and Splenda Baking blends - is a sugar derivative from sugar.
Susta - is made of natural ingredients. These ingredients are orange peel,