Common Health Claims on Food Labels

Health claims printed on food labels are an important tool in determining what is in a food and how it differs from other products. There are rules the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have implemented for these claims. When a food has these claims on their packaging, they must meet the strict standards set by the FDA.

Some of the most common claims are:

“Low calorie” -- 40 calories or less per serving.
“Low cholesterol”-- less than 20mg of cholesterol and less than 2g of saturated fat per serving.
“Reduced” such as “reduced fat” -- 25 percent or less of a certain nutrient than the regular product.
“Good source of”-- contains 10 percent or more of the daily value for a certain nutrient per serving.
“Calorie Free” -- a product that is less than 5 calories per serving.
“Fat Free” and “sugar free” -- less than .5g of fat or sugar per serving.
“Low sodium” -- 140mg or less of sodium per serving.
“High in”-- the product provides 20 percent or more of the daily value of a certain nutrient per serving.
“High Fiber” -- a product contains 5g or more of fiber per serving.

These definitions can help you quickly determine what is, and what is not, in the food you are buying. These are all strategies to empower you, the consumer, to purchase the best food to improve your health. For more information visit http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/label.html

Perfect Plate: Using the “Plate Method” for Healthy Eating

The plate method is a good strategy to use when learning portions. It is typically used in diabetes meal planning but is effective for anyone. This method is quite simple to figure out but its concepts will serve you in every eating situation.

To learn this method, look at a standard dinner plate. Draw a line down the middle, and then cut one half in half so you have three sections. These compartments have specific foods that fill them. The largest section (half the plate) should be filled up with any type of non-starchy vegetable such as broccoli or a salad. One quarter should consist of complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice or some other grain, and the other quarter should be filled with a lean protein. The plate method is the opposite of how Americans usually eat. In the typical American diet, meat takes up half of our plates and it is usually red meat. Vegetables are usually consumed in small servings--if they are eaten at all.

The plate method is good to use at parties where high fat foods are abundant. Using this strategy can help you keep the calories in check and still eat the food provided. First, look at the available food and determine what you are hungry for. Next, find the vegetables being offered. Choose the vegetable option first--filling up half your plate--then pick the protein and grain choices filling up the other half. For example, the host is serving fried chicken, corn on the cob (corn is a starchy vegetable so it is considered a carbohydrate), a Caesar salad and coleslaw. Caesar salad will fill up half your plate; coleslaw can be high in fat so use this sparingly. A small chicken breast will fit in the protein quarter, and corn on the cob will fit into the carbohydrate quarter.

Healthy Action Step: For the next 3 dinners, use the plate method when choosing what foods to eat. Be sure vegetables fill up half your plate.