Contents:
- Medical Video: Healthy or junk food? Busting food labels (CBC Marketplace)
- The all-healthy jargon listed on food labels is not always healthy
- Light (light)
- Natural (all naturals)
- Multigrain
- No added sugar (no added sugar)
- Sugar free (no sugar, zero sugar, or sugar-free)
- Fat free (zero fat or fat-free)
- Gluten free (gluten) free)
- Made with real fruit (made with real fruits or 100% real fruits)
- Zero trans fat (Zero trans fat)
Medical Video: Healthy or junk food? Busting food labels (CBC Marketplace)
If you have been training yourself to look at the nutritional information label printed on the back of food packaging, now is the time to understand the meaning of all-healthy jargon on the front of the packaging. You must be very familiar with reading food labels such as "sugar free (sugar-free)", "low fat (low fat) "," Gluten free (gluten-free), up to "100% organic" in the packaged food you buy. However, does that really mean what was promised?
You must be a wise and smart consumer so you don't mistakenly buy the best products for your health and family.
The all-healthy jargon listed on food labels is not always healthy
More and more people who care about health and adopt healthy eating patterns, make more and more food producers competing to launch healthy foods. Labeling jargon on food labels can help consumers determine whether the product is suitable for their needs. Even so, these "healthy" claims are actually not as healthy as they claim. Here's more details.
Light (light)
Jargon "Light"On food labels claim that the food is processed in such a way as to reduce the number of calories or fat. But the fact is, the label "Light"Aka lighter only refers to a lighter taste, not to reduce the material used.
In order for a product to be said to be light, the fat content must be 50 percent less than similar products.
Natural (all naturals)
Don't be fooled, products labeled 100 percent natural do not mean fully natural. Natural labeled foods have the possibility of being made by involving preservatives or other chemicals. For example, natural chicken processed products. In fact, the chicken used has undergone an injection process. So, natural labeling is actually not really natural.
This food label can also mean that the producer has the main source of natural ingredients, but not for other additives. For example, maybe the chicken used is really natural livestock, not intended or given hormones, but the flavorings are artificial and may also be used with added sugar.
Multigrain
Whole wheat is a healthier source of complex carbohydrates. No wonder today more and more food products claim to use whole wheat.
Food label that reads multigrain aka made of many types of grains look very healthy. However, most of these seeds have gone through further processing so that they can no longer be said to be seeds or whole wheat.
Processed seeds or wheat usually have lower fiber and nutrients compared to whole grains.
No added sugar (no added sugar)
Not that a product that is not added to automatic sugar is healthier. Manufacturers of these foods do not add natural sugars, but may replace them with unhealthy artificial sugars such as maltodextrin.
In addition, various products such as fruit, milk, cereals, naturally contain sugar and carbohydrates. The high carbohydrate in a product can increase blood sugar.
That's why food labels that display "no added sugar" do not mean the product is calorie free and also fully healthy.
Sugar free (no sugar, zero sugar, or sugar-free)
Sugar-free products are not really zero sugar at all, because they still contain less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving. Foods or drinks that are sugar-free do not contain natural sugar, but most likely use lower-calorie artificial sweeteners such as mannitol, xylitol, or sorbitol.
These products also contain calories and carbohydrates from other sources of composition.
Fat free (zero fat or fat-free)
If you are looking for a product labeled as fat-free to succeed in a diet program, this is a wrong strategy. Even though the product is fat free, this product can contain other ingredients that can add calories such as sugar and others. To prove it, try checking the packaging label and compare the nutrients with the same product that contains fat.
Gluten free (gluten) free)
Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat. Usually, gluten-free products are sought by people who have celiac disease or gluten intolerance. However, gluten-free products do not mean they are healthier for those of you who do not have both conditions. Because the gluten-free product means that it contains less fiber. Also, gluten-free products don't help you lose weight at all.
Made with real fruit (made with real fruits or 100% real fruits)
Food and beverage products labeled like this usually only contain a few original fruits. Often, the taste of "authentic" fruit is obtained from fruit juice or even sometimes using chemicals that taste designed to resemble fruit.
Zero trans fat (Zero trans fat)
Products labeled zero trans fat (zero trans fat) actually contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per portion. Then it's actually not really trans fat free.
In fact, if the product is more than one portion, it contains enough trans fat. In addition, look at the list of ingredients whether there is hydrogenated oil or not. If so, it means that the product still contains trans fat.
