Anyone who reads this blog knows I don't have much respect for the FDA. I actually think that a fair amount of the time they mean well, but it still doesn't work. One issue I have is with food labels, including the regulated terms the FDA uses. Almost anything I told the average person on the street about any term would probably surprise them. The terms simply don't mean what you think they mean. Most of the terms related to calories, fat, sodium, etc. refer to foods that are specifically formulated or nutritionally altered to produce a different result (read: processed).
No truly natural food will have the term "low" "reduced" "light" (or "lite") or "free". Each of these is restricted for use on foods that are specifically altered or formulated to be low calorie, reduced fat, and so forth. Indeed, a food that is naturally low sodium cannot be labeled low sodium. The FDA thinks it is protecting the consumer but is it? If you were looking in the dairy aisle and you saw three kinds of cows milk and two kinds of soy milk, the soy milk -- while significantly lower in fat than the whole cows milk -- could not be labeled low fat unless it was lower in fat relative to the other brands of soy milk on the market. (We'll ignore the fact that I am a firm believer in full fat products just consumed in moderation). In other words, salsa, which is fat free, would be restricted by the FDA in how it communicated that fact since essentially all salsa is fat free.
The good news here is that you can use these types of terms as red flags in the grocery store and restaurants. Reduced fat ranch or fat free balsamic are products I desperately try and stay away from. What is that fat free balsamic using as oil? Olive oil (by far the healthiest non-animal based fat) certainly contains fat -- so do you want some natural olive oil fat on your lettuce or something processed to be fat free? (Keep in mind all those europeans who eat tons of olive oil and never get fat -- it's not the fat that makes you fat). Or reduced fat ranch. Perhaps eating ranch less often and in a smaller amount would be better than eating the fat free stuff as much as you want. How exactly do you make a fatty dressing like ranch "reduced" fat or "light"? Do you really want to know?
If you want to eat natural foods, then you must avoid these terms. If you don't care, then at least you're not eating in the dark.
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Interesting blog. Too bad you don't have some kind of "overview" of all your posts. Maybe a suggestion to think about? ;) Or maybe I missed it?
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!
That's something I've been meaning to add. Appreciate the suggestion and the support.
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