In my last post, I covered the importance of not being misled by photos of delicious looking food on packaging and being prepared to question misleading claims. I also touched on the need to understand that low fat isn’t necessarily low calorie. Today I have three more tips and a list of government-regulated labeling terms to keep in mind when buying low calorie and reduced fat products.

(click here for Part One: Tips 1-3)

4. Be very careful of product endorsements by physicians or celebrities!

These individuals may promote a product for certain benefits but often they are not telling you the ways in which the same product might be detrimental to your health or weight loss efforts. For example, an otherwise healthy food might contain a lot of sodium.

5. Take a second look at high fiber claims.

Dietary fiber has been linked with a number of health benefits. It can help with weight loss efforts (see Dietary Fiber and Weight Loss) and lower blood cholesterol levels. However, be aware that added fiber, often called functional fiber, may not offer the same benefits as dietary fiber (the fiber as consumed in the original food).

6. Many multi-grain food products are NOT whole grain.

The benefits of whole grain are many and the list is growing. I’ll be sharing an in-depth article about these benefits in the coming months. Till then, look for whole grains such as oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, popcorn, and whole-wheat crackers.

If you would like to learn more about misleading labeling and how to go about picking the healthiest food products, I recommend that you visit a site called eBrandAid.com. At this site you can sign up for a no cost newsletter that will keep you informed about misleading products.

In my first newsletter from eBrandAid (I just signed up recently), the topic was Light Juices. Are you really getting what you want if you purchase light juice? Here’s a quote from the newsletter:

“The Bottom Line: Just about any brand of “reduced sugar” juice is designed to trick consumers into thinking they are getting a healthier option. In reality, you’re drinking up less juice and getting less nutrition. Don’t you feel cheated?”

Something else to keep handy is a list of terms that are important for your weight loss or maintenance efforts. These terms are regulated by the government of the United States.

Low Calorie: 40 calories or fewer per serving

No Calorie or Calorie-Free contains less than 5 calories per serving

Low Fat: 3 grams of fat or fewer per serving

No Fat or Fat Free: contains less than 1/2 gram of fat per serving

Reduced Fat: contains 25% less fat or more than the regular food item

High Fiber: 5 grams of fiber or more per serving

Lite: contains 1/2 the fat per serving or 1/3 the calories of the original product (or similar product)

Sugar Free: contains less than 1/2 gram of sugar per serving

Baked Not Fried: This refers to a product that has been sprayed with a light coating of oil and then baked in an oven instead of being fried. Often used with potato chips, crackers, or other chips.

If you are like most others including me, you don’t have time to examine every product you buy. Here’s what you do. Start creating a list of trustworthy products that you know are good. Then when you are about to reach for a new product that “looks good” or “sounds good”, take a moment and check the facts by reading the ingredient and nutrition labels. Is the new product what it claims to be? If so, you may have found something to add to your list of trusted products. Congratulations on being in charge!

When you go grocery shopping, you shouldn’t need to be a detective to find low calorie healthy foods. But all too often that is precisely what it takes to locate the best products.

Food manufacturers are savvy marketers. They’ve learned how to get your attention for food products with clever packaging. From pictures to the use of emotion-laden words and health claims, they can resort to strategies that are often misleading. You think you are purchasing one thing but really you are getting something else, something not as low calorie or nutritious as you thought.

Your best strategy to keep this from happening is to read BOTH the ingredient and nutrition labels before making a purchase. Yes, this takes time. The benefits of doing this, however, are tremendous. Today I will share a few tips that will help you know when to take a closer look so you don’t have to examine every package. In my next post I will follow up with a few more tips.

Weight Loss Success: Are You Buying the Best Products? Part Two

Image via Wikipedia

1. People like pictures.

Photographs of tasty looking food help sell products. Wholesome food such as fruits and vegetables on the packaging may suggest that a particular food is a good source of those items. The reality may be quite different. The actual product may have just a tiny amount. Do pay close attention to frozen entrees, soups, and other heat and serve products.

Check the ingredient label. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight with the ingredient weighing the most listed first (water is included only if it is added to a product).

2. Be aware of what different claims actually mean.

If you were purchasing a food product labeled as being 95% percent fat free, it might seem like only 5% of the calories come from fat. However, the fat free percentage refers to weight not calories. So the product is actually 5% fat by weight.

Here’s an example. Don’t worry if you find it hard to follow, you’re not alone. Being aware that the fat free percentage may not be what it seems to be is what matters most.

Let’s say the product in question is a luncheon meat. Each serving is 2 ounces by weight (about 56 grams) and has 70 calories. If each serving is 5% fat by weight, one serving would have approximately 3 grams of fat. (5% of 56 grams is a little less than 3 grams.)

A gram of fat contains 9 calories. Therefore, each serving has a total of 27 calories of fat (3 grams fat per serving x 9). This means that 39% of the total calories come from fat not 5 (27 divided by 56)!

Whew! Who wants to do all these complicated calculations? Not me! The solution is to check the nutrition label when you see this kind of claim. Look for the grams of fat per serving.

NOTE: The fat percentage listed on the nutrition label (Nutrition Facts) has a different meaning from the fat percentage claim made on a package cover. The Nutrition Facts fat percentage refers to daily intake of calories (based on an average 2000 calorie diet) but not to the percentage of fat calories in the product. Confusing? I think so. That’s why you’ll want to look at the grams of fat per serving instead. (See 1200 Calorie Diet: Protein, Carbohydrate, Fat, and Fiber Needs to determine how many grams of fat you need on a low calorie diet.)

3. The term low fat is misleading.

You would be much better served by looking for products that say low calorie instead. Low fat products are not necessarily low calorie. Sometimes the food manufacturer will replace fat with sugar or other ingredients to keep the food tasty.

In addition, a number of research studies have shown that people typically eat more of a food when it is labeled low fat. Many people will eat as much as 50% more when the product actually has a calorie reduction of only 30% or less than the original product.

I’ve shared three important tips to keep in mind when grocery shopping. In my next post I will share three more along with a list of government-regulated terms found on packaged food products and what they mean. A little bit of knowledge can go a long way in guiding your decisions about the products you buy. The best products will help, not hinder, your efforts to succeed with weight loss or maintenance and achieve better health.

Eating healthy and keeping an eye on your calorie intake matters!

Weight Loss Success: Are You Buying the Best Products? Part Two