NUTRITION:Identifying Nutritious Food

Ms. MaiLawndale High School

Identifying Nutritious Foods

Food labels can help you make good choices if you know how to read and understand them

Applying what you know about nutrition when you purchase food is not always easy because there is so much information that must be considered

Food LabelingImagine a grocery store full of products covered with blank labels and marked with only a price

How would you know what you are buying?Fortunately, food products are labeledThe labels help give you information about what you are buying

Product IdentificationThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the labeling of food

The FDA requires the following information to be listed on every package

1. Name of product (Beef and Gravy)

2. Style of food (Sliced, Peeled, Ground)

3. Name and Address of Manufacturer

4. Net Weight

IngredientsThe FDA requires the ingredients in a product must be listed in order by weight

Nutritional InformationSome manufacturers used to voluntarily listed nutritional information such as number of Calories or amounts of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and certain vitamins and minerals to help consumers purchase foods, but it is now mandated

Food AdditivesWhen you look at a food label, you may notice some long chemical names

Food additives are substances added to improve nutritional value, maintain freshness, or improve the food’s appearance

Some common food additives are sugar, salt, corn syrup, citric acid, mustard, baking soda, and pepper

Classifying Food AdditivesFood additives can be classified in the following 5 categories

1. Preservatives – additives that prevent food from spoiling (salt to ham and pickles, and calcium to prevent mold in bread)

2. Enriched Foods – nutrients added to help replace those lost during processing (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, iron added to flour and cereal)

Classifying Food Additives

3. Fortified Foods – vitamins and minerals added to food (vitamin D added to milk)

4. Emulsifiers – substances that makes food smooth (ice cream and peanut butter)

5. Leavening Agents – substances that make breads and cakes rise (baking soda)

Product DatingDates on foods help consumers determine the freshness of perishable packaged products

Freshness Date – last day a product should be used to ensure peak quality

Sell Date – last day a product should be soldExpiration Date – foods eaten after this date may no longer be flavorful (aka dangerous to your health)

Labeling ReformIn 1990, the FDA and USDA began a major reform to make food labels more accurate and consumer-friendly

By 1993, new regulations were in place that were made to “help consumers select healthier diets”

Labeling now must address 4 areas: serving size, nutrition labeling, descriptive terms, and health claims

Serving Size

Nutrition Label

Descriptive Terms

Health Claims

1. Serving SizeServing size used to be determined by the manufacturer, but it is now determined by the FDAThe serving size of a product reflects an estimate of what people eatIt must be given in measures common in households in the United States, as well as metric measures

2. Nutrition LabelingThe law requires nutrition labeling on all processed foods that are sources of nutrients (separated into 4 categories)

1. Calories – calories in each serving as well as calories from fat in each serving2. % of Daily Recommended Consumption – total cholesterol, fat, sodium, and carbohydrates recommended based on a 2,000 Calorie-per-day diet

Nutritional Labeling3. Vitamins and Minerals - % of daily

requirements for selected vitamins and minerals

4. Recommended Amounts – a reminder of the daily caloric recommendations for women (2,000 Calories) and for men (2,500 Calories)

3. Descriptive TermsProducts are designed to get your attention (brightly colored boxes and designs to grab your eye)

“Fortified!” and “No Cholesterol!”

The FDA has identified 9 basic terms that can be used only to indicate specific information about certain nutrients in the product

Descriptive TermsLow (low in fat)High (high in fiber)Free (sugar free)Source of (source of calcium)Reduced (reduced fat)Light (light in sodium)Less (less sugar)More (more flavor)Fresh (fresh, crisp taste)

4. Health ClaimsLabels can make health claims if the product contains certain nutrients that have been proven to affect health conditions

The only health claims presently allow are…

Calcium and OsteoporosisSodium and HypertensionFat and Heart Disease or CancerFiber-Containing Foods and Cancer or Heart Disease

In Conclusion…Reading and understanding the information on food labels is important

The FDA and USDA have taken steps to ensure that consumers get the right informationWhen making food choices, nutritional needs must be considered carefully along with cost and convenience