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APRIL, 2007 NEWS
READING FOOD LABELS: PART II
You may be surprised to find out that fat is a very important nutrient. It is a major source of energy for the body; it boosts our immunity; and it aids in the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K. It is also important for growth, development, and good health; it works as a building block for cells, hormones and body chemicals; and it also helps us feel full. The secret to eating fat effectively is to eat primarily "good" fats as opposed to "bad" fats. Ideally, our diets should consist of mainly unsaturated fats of different types - primarily Omega 3's and 6's in the correct proportions.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that saturated fats, trans fats (from hydrogenated fats), and dietary cholesterol (which are all of the "bad" fats) raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol levels, which in turn increases the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Trans fats can be found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, French fries, donuts, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils. Saturated fats are found in solid shortenings, animal and dairy foods (whole milk, cream, ice cream, whole-milk cheeses, butter, lard, and meats), and a few plant oils (palm, palm kernel, coconut, and cocoa butter). Dietary cholesterol is mainly found in animal foods like meats, egg yolks, dairy products, fish and poultry.
Omega 3's, which are the "good" types of fats, contain elements known as EPA and DHA. DHA has been shown to be one of the most important factors for brain health. Ingesting the right amount of DHA can help deal with depression, mood swings, Alzheimer's disease and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADD/ADHD), to name just a few common mental health conditions. Omega 3 can be found in fish and fish oil, olive oil, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, canola oil, and some nuts.
Food ingredients can sometimes sound like they're written in a foreign language! Words like propylene glycol alginate and calcium propionate are hard enough to pronounce, much less understand. When food was sold right from farms, we knew exactly what was in it. Manufactured foods present different challenges because they have to be packed, shipped, and displayed in stores, and they need long shelf-lives. It's very important to learn about food ingredients, however, so we can make smart choices about what we put into our bodies. Sometimes the names can be deceiving. A comprehensive list of additives can be found at the Center for Science in the Public Interest's website, http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm. While I don't necessarily agree with some of their opinions or safety classifications of additives, they do have great descriptions of each and what it does.
Next, it is important to realize that ingredients on labels are listed in descending order of dominance in the food. For example, if "carrots" is the first ingredient listed, then there are more carrots than anything else in that food. For a real eye-opening example of what you may be feeding your kids, let's take a look at the ingredients in Cocoa Puffs cereal: Sugar, Corn Meal, Hershey Cocoa, Cocoa Syrup, Wheat Starch, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Modified Wheat Starch, Cocoa Processed W/Alkali, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Fructose, Beet Powder, Caramel Color, Trisodium Phosphate, Artificial Flavor, Zinc, Iron Mineral Nutrients, Vitamin C Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin B6 Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B2 Riboflavin, Vitamin B1 Thiamin Mononitrate, A B Vitamin Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Freshness Preserved by BHT. Notice that "sugar" is the primary ingredient. Sugar provides no nutritional value and is considered by nutritionists to be empty calories. Partially hydrogenated soybean oil is a trans-fat that all nutrition experts agree contributes to cardiovascular disease. Fructose is just more sugar, but made from fruit; trisodioum phosphate is a preservative that's also used in household cleaning products; artificial flavorings can have adverse effects on health; and BHT can increase our risk of cancer. Whatever vitamins are in this cereal have been added and aren't naturally derived from its ingredients.
Finally, knowing the difference between "enriched wheat flour" and "whole wheat flour" is important. "Enriched wheat flour" is simply regular, refined white flour. If "whole wheat flour" isn't the first ingredient on the label, the food is primarily white flour.
Understanding what goes into our foods can make us smarter and healthier consumers and less willing to be manipulated by advertisers. Those clever commercials don't tell the whole story, so it's every shopper for him- or herself. Now you can go to the grocery store with your newly-developed label-reading skills and eat well for better health! HAPPY HEALTHIER EATING!
Visit http://www.herbalconsultant.com/Food_Labels.htm for an expanded version of this article.
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