Trans Fats & Other Label Must-Knows

From eDiets.com:

The New Year 2006 means changes to the Nutrition Facts label, changes you can use to make intelligent choices.

Americans cherish their freedom to choose, but with choice comes responsibility. We can choose to eat healthfully, or we can choose to ignore the information. Since as citizens we are required to pay taxes to support expert agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration, I think we should pay attention. The FDA has announced changes to the Nutrition Facts label, a great resource to make wise choices.

Trans Fat

The Nutrition Facts label for 2006 now includes grams of trans fat per serving. Health organizations have for years recommended limiting or eliminating trans fat from your diet. Trans fat is linked to increased levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol and contributes to heart disease.

Tara Gidus, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says, “Previously, consumers had to read the ingredient list and look for hydrogenated oils, but now it will be easier to see exactly how much trans fat is in the product simply by reading the Nutrition Facts panel. Try to keep trans fat intake to as little as possible.”

Reading the label tells you approximately how much trans fat in a serving of food.

# Grams of trans fat will be included under total fat.

# Read the package from back to front! Flip it over and read the ingredient label: Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fat means trans fat.

# Your best bet for a spread are soft or liquid margarines labeled “trans fat-free.”

# Although butter has less trans fat than margarine, it’s high in saturated fat, linked to high cholesterol.

# Use nonstick cooking spray when "greasing" the pan.

# Fried fast food is the largest source of trans fat in the average consumer’s diet; also packaged and boxed cookies, cakes and crackers.

# Companies are allowed to label the product “trans fat free” if there is less than half a gram of trans fats per serving. If the ingredient label indicates hydrogenated fat, limit the servings per day to one.

# The FDA recommends mono- and polyunsaturated fats in place of saturated and trans fats. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston suggest that replacing trans fats in the diet with polyunsaturated fats such as vegetable oils, salmon, etc., can reduce diabetes risk by as much as 40 percent. Sources of monounsaturated fats include olive and canola oils. Polyunsaturated fats include soybean, corn, sunflower oils, and nuts.

Food Allergies

You may recall a recent story about a teenage girl who died after kissing her boyfriend. She had a peanut allergy, and he’d eaten something with peanuts, earlier that day. For 11 million Americans, food allergies are quite serious. We’re not talking “intolerance" as in lactose intolerance, which causes bloating, gas or diarrhea. A true allergy, such as an allergy to the protein in milk, causes anaphylaxis, a most serious and deadly reaction to a protein in food.

As of January 1, 2006, manufacturers will be required to say on the food label if the product contains one of the following foods:

• milk
• egg
• fish
• Crustacean shellfish
• tree nuts
• wheat
• peanuts
• soybeans

Approximately 2 percent of adults and about five percent of infants and young children in the United States suffer from food allergies. Approximately 30,000 consumers require emergency room treatment and 150 Americans die each year because of allergic reactions to food. Take food allergies seriously.

# In the case of tree nuts, the specific type of nut must be declared (e.g., almonds, pecans or walnuts). The species must be declared for fish (e.g., bass, flounder or cod) and Crustacean shellfish (crab, lobster or shrimp).

# The label language is written so even a 7-year-old should be able to understand it. For example, if a product contains the milk-derived protein, casein, the product's label will have to use the term "milk" in addition to the term "casein" so that those with milk allergies can clearly understand the presence of the allergen they need to avoid.

# Wheat means presence of the protein gluten; eggs means presence of the protein whey; and "soybean," "soy" and "soya" may be used to identify the food source of the major food allergen "soybeans."

# Since the new law doesn’t apply to products that have been manufactured before January 1, 2006, the FDA cautions consumers to read the ingredient label. If you’re worried about allergic food ingredients, only buy items manufactured after the effective date.

Beware! Label lunacy.

A food labeled “low fat” or “fat free” does not make it calorie free. Calories also come from carbohydrate and protein. Check out the serving size before anything else. When you know the serving size, then you know what you’re eating. A 20-ounce bottle of sweetened iced tea has, for example, 200 calories and 22 grams of sugar per serving. Make sure you read the number of servings in one bottle -- most 20 ounce bottles contain 2.5 servings, multiply calories and grams of sugar by 2.5, 500 calories and 55 grams of sugar.

Anticipate more changes to the Nutrition Facts label. The FDA is considering new rules to require more realistic calorie counts, including giving calories for the entire package, not just a single serving, as well as printing calorie numbers in larger type.

Read labels to make healthy choices

The Food & Drug Administration provides this explanation of Food Labels:

• Calorie free -- Less than 5 calories per serving. • Fat free/sugar free -- Less than ½ gram fat or sugar per serving.

• Low sodium -- Less than 140 mg. of salt per serving.

• Low calorie -- Less than 40 calories per serving.

• Low cholesterol -- Less than 20 mg. of cholesterol and 2 gm. of fat/serving.

• Reduced -- 25-percent less of the specified nutrient or calories than the
usual product.

• Good source of... -- Provides at least 10 percent of the Daily Value of a particular vitamin or nutrient per serving.

• High in… -- Provides 20 percent or more of the Daily Value of a specified nutrient per serving.

• High fiber -- 5 or more grams of fiber per serving.

• Lean (meat, poultry, seafood) -- 10 grams of fat or less, 4 1/2 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg. cholesterol per 3 1/2 serving.

• Light -- 1/3 fewer calories or half the fat of the usual food.

• Healthy -- Decreased fat, saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol and at least 10 percent of the Daily Value of vitamins A, C, iron, protein, calcium and fiber.

About the Author:

eDiets Chief Nutritionist, Susan L. Burke is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, and a Certified Diabetes Educator who specializes in both general and diabetes-related weight management.