Nutrient Content Claims
When choosing a food, you should always check the nutrition facts panel. This is where you’ll find information including a product’s serving size, calorie count, fat, carbohydrates and protein amounts. But let’s be honest, do you really spend time at the grocery store looking at labels and comparing them? It would take hours, and only nerdy dietitians like me actually spend that kind of time checking label information. Instead, most shoppers rely on the information that’s advertised on the front of a package.
So, let’s take a closer look at some of the “information” marketing experts put on the front of the box, things like, “100% whole grain,” or “reduced fat.” Not surprisingly, every food company is putting something on the front of packaging to entice us to grab their brand. These claims are designed to catch our eye, but keep in mind they are primarily about marketing the product — not necessarily about nutrition.
Does a particular nutrient claim mean the food is actually a healthy choice? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates what the food manufacturers can and can’t put on the front of their packages. For example, the phrase “Good Source of Fiber” can’t be used unless the product actually has a certain amount of fiber in it. To better understand what these nutrient claims mean, I’ll give you some real world examples of where you might find them.
Free
When a package states it’s free of something, this means there is an insignificant amount of it in that product. Manufacturers are allowed to round down to the nearest whole number. So, 0.5 grams of fat is allowed to read 0 grams. But, when a nutrient is removed from a product, other nutrients may be added to ensure the product still tastes good. Normally when a product is labeled, “Fat free” it has higher amounts of sugar, carbohydrates, sodium, or maybe all three. As an example, take a look below at the labels for milk. Whole milk is on the left side, reduced fat milk is pictured in the middle and the non-fat milk is on the right. You’ll notice that as the fat is removed from the product, the carbohydrates, sugar and sodium levels increase slightly.
Now take a look at these ice cream labels. The left is regular vanilla ice cream and the right is fat-free, no sugar added. Again, both sodium and carbohydrates are higher once fat is removed. During digestion, our bodies break carbohydrates down into sugars. So, it's interesting that the fat-free ice cream has higher carbohydrates, even though the product has no sugar added. Basically, once the carbohydrates are broken down, there will be very similar levels of sugar in both products. Just because something is “Fat-Free” doesn’t mean that eating a lot of it won’t make us fat. In fact, a whole cup of the fat free, no sugar added ice cream has more calories than 1/2 cup of the regular ice cream.
No Sugar Added vs Sugar Free
There’s actually a difference. In a product that’s “sugar-free,” the label will state 0 grams of sugar. If the product states, “No sugar added,” there’s naturally occurring sugar in the product; meaning that no table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, or agave have been added. This is commonly occurs with juice and yogurt because fruit and dairy have naturally occurring sugars. Take a look at this juice label below. It clearly states that there is “No Sugar Added” on the front label. The nutrition facts shows that the juice will provide 28 grams of sugar. Although this is naturally occurring sugar, it’s still a lot of sugar.
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| http://www.oceanspray.com/ |
Low
When a product advertises that it’s low in something, this means it could be eaten frequently without exceeding guidelines for that nutrient. This terminology may also be worded as: little, few, contains a small amount of, or low source of. Check out this bread label.
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| http://www.foodforlife.com/about_us/ezekiel-49 |
The label states it is “Low Sodium” and rightly so, there is 0 mg of sodium on the label compared to their normal bread which contains 75 mg of sodium.
If a package states it’s free of, or low in a certain nutrient, then it must be a nutrient the original product normally has. For example, cholesterol is only found in foods that contain animal or animal byproducts (meats, eggs, or dairy). So when a manufacturer of potato chips or peanut butter advertises their food is cholesterol free, they’re just trying to catch your attention. This
doesn’t mean their product is better than the rest because you will NEVER find cholesterol in peanut butter or potato chips. Crazy isn’t it? This type of marketing has become increasingly popular with gluten-free products. Many manufacturers market products as gluten free now, although the product has always been gluten free, such as corn chips and rice.
Below is a chart providing the exact numbers allowed on a label in order for a manufacturer to make a label claim such as “low fat” or “cholesterol free.”
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| http://www.foodlabels.com/pdf/PackageClaims-Part2.pdf- |
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| http://www.gatorade.com/products/g-series/thirst-quencher |
To advertise a low calorie item, the chart above states the product must contain 40 calories or less per serving. The label for G2 gatorade above claims it’s a low calorie beverage, and in fact it is. But only when the serving size is 12 fl oz. If the consumer were to drink the entire bottle, they would actually get about 88 calories. Take a look at the drinks below. Notice these bottles do not claim they are a low calorie beverage on the front. This is because the serving size is for the whole bottle, not just 12oz, therefore it contains 50 calories per serving. Same. Exact. Product.
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| http://www.gatorade.com/products/g-series/thirst-quencher |
Good Source
This means the percent daily value (%DV) of the product is between 10-19% for that nutrient. This is normally used to promote items we need in our diet such as fiber, calcium, or Vitamin C. The %DV are based on what an average person who eats 2,000 calories a day would get from that food. If the product contains fiber and is listed at 5%, it means that 5% of the fiber needs are met for a person eating 2,000 calories a day.
You can see pictured below, Raisin Bran Crunch. Notice on the front of the package, there’s an advertisement stating it’s a “Good Source of Fiber.” When we take a peek at the nutrition label, it does show 4 grams of fiber at 17% of the %DV. That is in the range for 10-19%, making this a true statement.
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| http://www.kelloggs.com/en_US/kellogg-s-raisin-bran-crunch-cereal-product.html |
High, Excellent Source, Rich In
When a product advertises it is “High in Fiber” or an “Excellent Source of Calcium” it means it only contains enough of that nutrient for the %DV to be 20% or greater. For example, look at the Cream of Wheat box below. The front of package advertises it’s an “Excellent Source of Iron and Calcium.” Check the nutrition label and sure enough, 20% daily value for Calcium and 50% for Iron.
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| http://www.creamofwheat.com/products/ |
More, Fortified, Enriched, Added, Plus.
When any of these words are used on the packaging, they must then contain at least 10% more of the %DV than a referenced product. This statement confused me when I first read it, so I had to break it down. Notice the Almond milk label below. It advertises 50% more calcium than dairy milk. The word “more” is what we’re focused on here. Scroll back up to the milk labels. All of them contain 30% of the daily value for calcium.
Now check out the percent of calcium provided by this almond milk, 45%. It’s at least 10% more than 30% found in regular milk. Therefore, Silk almond milk is allowed to use the word “more” on the label.
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| http://thescienceofeating.com/2012/03/29/favorite-products-silk-unsweetened-almond-milk/ |
Less or Fewer.
When a label claims it contains less of a nutrient, it must be compared to the original food. Lay’s Lightly Salted Potato Chip state on the label that they contain 50% Less Sodium than the original product, Classic Lays. You can see pictures below, 85 mg of sodium is 50% less than 170 mg in the Classic Lays.
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| www.lays.com |
Reduced or Lower
These claims may be made about a specific nutrient when the product contains 25% less than the original product. Take peanut butter for example. It clearly states reduced fat on the label. If you look very closely, in the bottom left corner of the front label, you’ll see it states “25% Less Fat Then Regular Peanut Butter” and they even put a disclosure on the back of the label to clarify. It’s clear this brand isn’t trying the pull a fast one on us.
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| http://www.laurascudderspeanutbutter.com/product |
Light
When a product claims it is light, the product has been altered to contain 50% less fat or one third fewer calories than the original food. On occasion, it can be used to describe sodium when it has been reduced by 50%.
Compare the labels for swiss cheese and light swiss cheese below. The calories were reduced by almost one third and the fat has been reduced by more than 50-percent. In this instance, neither sodium or carbohydrates were increased with removal of fat. This could be because the serving size is so small, that the difference is negligible.
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| http://www.thelaughingcow.com/products |
What’s your opinion about label claims on the front of packages? Do they entice you to pick up the product? In my opinion, regulations created by the FDA have worked well for certain claims. But manufacturers really need to better explain their math before slapping a simplified nutrient claim on the front of the package. Other claims, such as reduced-fat, or fat-free could lead someone to believe they could get away with eating a handful of Reduced Fat Oreos and not gain any weight, which is just not true (although we can still dream, can’t we?).
Reference:
Recipe Corner:
Lasagna Stuffed Peppers
Prep Time: 14 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: Makes 2 Servings
Serving Size: 1 Pepper Cup
Ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper
1/2 cup Tomato Meat Sauce, plus 2 Tbsp
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan Cheese
Italian Seasoning
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400° Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Slice bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove ribs and seeds. Place pepper halves on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes on the middle rack.
3. Remove peppers from oven. Fill each pepper with ¼ cup tomato meat sauce.
4. Next, spoon 2 Tbsp of ricotta cheese on top of the meat sauce in each pepper cup. Pour an additional 1 tbsp meat sauce on top of the ricotta cheese.
5. Top each pepper with 2 Tbsp mozzarella cheese. Bake on middle rack for 12 minutes.
6. Remove peppers from oven. Top each pepper with a sprinkle Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Bake 5 additional minutes on top rack.
Estimated Nutrition Info: Calories 204, Fat 11 grams, Protein 18 grams, Carbs 8 grams.
Honey Garlic Shrimp
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 pound shrimp
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 cup broccoli
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, ginger, honey, and soy sauce.
2. Place shrimp in a large zip lock bag. Pour 1/3 of the honey soy sauce in the bag, then massage to coat shrimp. Seal bag and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour. Keep the remaining sauce covered at room temperature.
3. Warm a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of reserved honey soy sauce to pan and let heat until steaming. Toss broccoli in skillet and cook until warm and tender, about 5-8 minutes. Remove broccoli from skillet and set aside.
4. Remove shrimp from zip lock bag, discard the bag and marinade. Place 5-10 shrimp in the skillet at a time and cook 1 minute on each side.
5. Once shrimp are cooked, return shrimp and broccoli to skillet. Heat for 2-3 minutes, tossing to catch any remaining caramelized sauce on the bottom of the skillet.
6. Serve immediately with remaining honey soy sauce drizzled on top.
Apple Cinna-Skinny Muffin
Makes 6 muffins
Ingredients:
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1/3 cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup unsweetened Applesauce
2 Tbsp peanut butter, smooth
2 Tbsp water
1/8 Apple, raw, with skin, chopped
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp maple extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Mix Protein Powder with Quaker Old Fashioned Oats in one bowl. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the applesauce, peanut butter, cinnamon, extract, and chopped apples together.
4. Mix dry ingredients into applesauce and peanut butter mixture.
5. Add water and stir until well combined.
6. Coat 6 muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
7. Pour batter into each muffin tin.
8. Bake at 325°F for 25 minutes.
9. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
10. Store in air-tight container or foil.
Per serving: Calories 90, Calories from Protein 36 (40%), Protein 9g, Total Fat 2g, Carbohydrates 11g, Sugars 2g.
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