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Barley Grass PowderUnderstanding Food Labels: 5 Tips for Healthier Eating - Part 2

Be sure to check out part 1 of this article to read about the first 3 tips if you have not done so already.

Tip 4: Understand common labeling terms ("lite," "light," "reduced," "less," and "low")

Let me start off by saying that "lite" and "light" have the same meaning and are used interchangeably on nutritional labels. For the purpose of this article I will use ?light? to represent both terms. If a label says "light," the food must be an altered version of a food and have either 1/3 less calories or 1/2 the fat than the regular version (with the same weight serving size). A food can also be "light" if it is low-fat, low-calorie, and has less than 1/2 of the sodium content of the regular food. If a product uses the words "reduced" or "less" as in sugar, fat, calories, etc. it means that the product has at least 1/4 less of the particular ingredient specified than the original version of the food. Foods in their natural form, such as unprocessed fruits and vegetables can never be labeled "light," "reduced," or "less" even if they are low in fat, calories, and sodium. These terms only apply to foods that have been processed or have added ingredients.

The term "low" can be used in conjunction with 5 different ingredients (calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol) and they are all based on 100g (gram) servings of the food. Low-calorie = 140 calories or less per 100g serving, low-fat = 3g or 30 calories of fat or less per serving, low-saturated fat = 1g or 10 calories of saturated fat or less per serving, low-sodium = 140mg or less per serving, and low-cholesterol = 20mg of cholesterol or less with 2g of saturated fat or less. You may have noticed is that there is no definition listed for low-carb, which is because there is no officially recognized definition. If the term "low" is used with any other ingredient than the 5 listed above, it is essentially meaningless. To illustrate this point, I recently saw a package of "low-carb" rice, which was rather strange since the rice was about 90% carbs.

Understanding these terms is a big first step, but it is important to know that just because something has a label such as "low-fat", it does not mean that the product is necessarily healthy. In some cases (usually sweets) fat calories are replaced with sugar, so the product may be lower in fat, but just as unhealthy. In other cases, natural ingredients are replaced with artificial ingredients that have fewer calories, but sometimes these ingredients cause negative reactions, such as an upset stomach or a decrease in energy level. Additionally, some people think that if an item has less fat, sugar, etc. they can eat more of it, but in many cases people end up consuming more total calories and gaining fat even though they are eating low-fat or low-calorie products. Of course these products are generally marketed to people who are trying to lose weight and people often end up buying foods that ultimately hinder their weight loss instead of help it. As you hopefully know after the first part of this article, you must always look past the marketing of the product and take the time to read the label.

There is one last big problem with these terms and it is most commonly found with liquid products, although it can occur with any product. Since the terms are based on comparing equal portion sizes by weight, it means that anything added to a product that adds weight can affect label claims. To illustrate how product labels can be manipulated, I will discuss 2 cans of coconut milk (1 regular and 1 lite) that I saw a couple months ago. The lite version had 50% less fat written on the front of the can, so of course I picked up both cans to find out why one can had so much less fat than the other. When I compared the labels I saw that everything (fat, calories, etc.) was 50% less in the lite version. Then I compared the ingredients list and found that they were identical except the lite version had a one added ingredient as the first ingredient. Can you guess what the ingredient was ? water. The 2 coconut milks were technically the same except one was diluted 50%. Since water has no fat or calories it can be added to many products to make them "lite" or "reduced." In this case, buying the lite version only means you get 50% less of the product. This is an extreme case, but adding water to products to make the label appear healthier happens quite frequently.

Tip 5: Understand Net Carb Labeling

Net carbs values are being found on more and more product labels, especially on products marketed for weight loss. Consumer awareness of the carbohydrate content of foods has increased in recent years due to the popularity of Atkins and other carb restricted diet programs. While these diets are not as popular as they once were, foods low in carbohydrates are as popular as ever. This has led to companies labeling products with "net carbs" to attract carb conscious eaters. As with the term "low carb," there is no approved definition or standard for calculating grams of net carbs.

Luckily however, there is a general consensus about what constitutes a net carb. The net carb value is supposed to represent the grams of carbs contained in a product that will have a negative impact on your insulin levels (causing levels to increase). This is important, because higher increases in insulin result in more fat storage. The typical approach to calculating net carbs is to take the total carbohydrate content and subtract fiber, sugar alcohols, and artificial sweeteners. Any carbohydrate left over is considered a net carb. As labeling goes products with lower net carbs are promoted as being better for losing fat or preventing fat gain. While there is some truth to this concept, as usual it is not the whole story.

The biggest problem with the net carb approach is it fails to take into account that different carbohydrates affect the body?s insulin response to different degrees. You may have heard of the glycemic index, which was developed to determine how quickly different foods are absorbed in the body and how much they will affect insulin levels (faster absorption = higher insulin spike = more fat storage). For example, table sugar (sucrose) will cause insulin levels to rise more than fruit sugar (fructose), but they are both considered net carbs. In addition, proteins and fats, as well as the size of the overall meal will also affect the insulin response. Simply looking at the net carb grams does not accurately reflect how the food will affect your body.

Of course, the carbs that are removed from the "net carb" calculation (fiber, sugar alcohols, and artificial sweeteners) are important as well. Even though these ingredients are not considered net carbs, they can still have a significant impact on your body. Sugar alcohols (sorbitol, maltitol, isomalt, xylitol, etc.) are not sugar or alcohol, but they share some of the chemical properties of both. They are only partially broken down by the body, which is why they are not supposed to have an impact on insulin levels. It takes around 2 grams of sugar alcohols to equal the number of calories in 1 gram of regular carbohydrate. The problem is that anything that cannot be broken down must still be processed and removed from your body. Consuming large amounts of sugar alcohols often results in an upset stomach. In addition, some people still experience insulin responses and feel fatigued or "crash" after consuming sugar alcohols.

Artificial sweeteners are different, because they have essentially no calories, but they can also cause an insulin response in some people, although it is less common. The big problem with these ingredients is that many people have negative physiological reactions to consuming them, such as feeling run down, not being able to think as clearly, or headaches. In addition, people can experience withdrawal symptoms when they initially stop having them (increased irritability, headaches, etc.) If you have noticed similar reactions yourself, try natural sweeteners, such as stevia instead.

Fiber on the other hand is worth noting because of its positive attributes. Sticking with the insulin theme, soluble fiber will slow down the absorption of foods, which will actually improve (decrease) the insulin response. Much of the fiber found in foods is insoluble, which does not have much of an effect on insulin, but it is still good for you, because it will help clean out your arteries. Most people do not get enough fiber and increasing your intake can improve your health, fat loss, and even help satisfy your hunger.

As you can tell, net carbs can be rather confusing, especially because different individuals respond differently to various types of carbs and artificial ingredients. In any case, negative reactions become more likely when you consume larger amounts of the artificial ingredients. My advice is to become aware of how your body reacts to different foods and ingredients. For example, if you notice yourself feeling tired within an hour of eating a particular food, try to decrease your consumption of that food. Net carb labeling is helpful for pointing out food options for people trying to decrease their carb intake, but as the 5 tips in this article point out, you should read the whole label to get the full story about what you are eating and drinking.

Using these 5 tips when you purchase food and drinks will enable you to choose healthier products and ultimately help you look better and feel better. As an added bonus, these tips can also help you save money. Many people assume that when a product costs more it will be healthier, but this is not always the case. Using these tips will help you find cheaper products that are just as healthy or high in quality as more expensive ones. It may take some time to become good at reading labels, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Try using these tips next time you are at the store or you can even just look at the products you have at home. You may be surprised at what you find.

Ross Harrison, CSCS, NSCA-CPT is a certified personal trainer, strength and conditioning specialist, and nutritional consultant who teaches people how to lose weight, get in shape, and improve their quality of life with exercise and nutrition. For more information or to sign up for his free health and fitness newsletter containing tons of useful information, visit precisionhealth-fitness.com.

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