Tag: food labels
So here’s something I feel I should’ve known: there are naturally occurring trans fats. Huh.
(Whenever I think of trans fats I envision a giant vat of hot, hot, hot oil frying something (ok, in my mind it’s something delicious — doughnuts, french fries, etc.) and creating some nasty trans fats in the process.)
But there are natural trans fats, I just learned, which are created by animals such as dairy and beef cattle — and these natural versions are not evil to our health as the processed ones are. In fact, they may even be linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Which is why a review lead by researchers from University of Alberta along with others from around the world is calling for clearer trans fat labelling.
September 12, 2011
You’re doing what you can to eat healthy: you’re watching your portion sizes, have switched to whole grains and are reading labels.
But your efforts may be thwarted by some misleading labelling according to an article in the American Journal of Health Promotion. In the U.S., foods can be labelled as trans-fat free if they contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fats.
And with 0.49 grams qualifying as zero trans fats when it comes to labels, you could easily exceed the 1.11 grams of trans fats that’s the daily rec.
To check if your so-called trans-fat free food has trans fats? The researcher recommends looking at the ingredient list for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.
Or, you know, you can opt for a piece of fruit instead of a packaged snack. Just a thought. Although, believe me, I understand the allure of a good potato chip.
February 17, 2011
Diligently reading food labels to calorie count your way thin? You should know that nutrition labels may be underestimating the calorie by as much as 18% for restaurant foods and 8% for frozen foods, says a new study conducted at Tufts University.
January 7, 2010
