As busy collegiettes, what we put into our bodies is pretty important. We want to fuel ourselves properly, so that we have the energy to work, play, and change the world. But with so many different ‘healthy’ labels out there, it’s really hard to know what is healthy sometimes!
There’s natural, organic, all natural – wait, so is natural just kind of natural and kind of unnatural? It’s a little confusing, especially since every food brand is slapping some ambiguous term on their packaging with the hopes of (a) selling more, (b) being able to charge more, or (c) both.
As always, the best thing to do is be informed. Here’s a handy guide to tell you which terms are useful and which are just marketing ploys.
- Natural – NOTHING.
That’s right. They could slap this on a Twinkie wrapper and, even if it would emerge from the other end of a nuclear meltdown with its creamy white filling stilling perfectly intact and unaltered, it would be fair game. While products stamped with ‘natural’ do tend to contain minimally processed ingredients, there’s no guarantee.
There is no official, US government regulated definition for the term ‘natural.’ Check the ingredients list before you pay more for the ‘natural’ version. Otherwise, chances are that you’re just going to get ripped off. Don’t be hoodwinked by products like Natural Valley Granola Thins (which contain high maltose corn syrup) or Quaker Natural Granola cereal (which contains both natural and artificial flavors)!
- All Natural – See above.
According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), the governmental group that would provide national definitions of such terms, there’s no difference between all natural and natural. Neither of the two terms means anything. For example, Frito-Lay Sun Chips and Tostitos products are labeled as ‘all-natural,’ but are made with genetically modified vegetable oils – and possibly even genetically modified corn!
- Organic
If you bought something organic a few years ago, who knows what you would have gotten! Recently, however, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has come up with some national standards for organic products.
For a product to be labeled as organic, it must be produced without antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, irradiation, or bioengineering. Organic farmers also have to follow certain rules regarding soil and water conservation, as well as the humane treatment of animals. Amy’s has a whole line of delicious organic canned soups – organic doesn’t have to mean bland or inconvenient!
- Reduced/Less – The product must contain at least 25% less of whatever nutrient is indicated (sodium, fat, cholesterol, etc.) than an appropriate reference food.
Reduced/less does NOT mean that the food is low in whatever is indicated. For example, if you had a 1,000 calorie burger as your standard and then offered a 700 calorie version of that burger, you could call that reduced calorie. On the other end of the spectrum, a product does not have to be high calorie to have a reduced calorie version – for example, sugar-free gum is the reduced calorie version of normal gum (3.5 calories vs. 5 calories).
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- Low-Calorie – For meals, this means that the product contains 120 calories, or fewer, per 100g.
It does not necessarily mean the product has fewer calories per serving than a comparable product that is not labeled as low-calorie. For example, Imagine Vegetable Broth has 20 calories per 240mL and could thus be labeled as low-calorie, even though that is standard for vegetable broth.
- Low-Fat – For meals, 3g or less per 100g of the product and no more than 30% of the total calories may come from fat. Skinny Cow Mint ice cream sandwiches have 1.5g of fat per 113g sandwich.
- No Sugar Added – No sugar is added during processing.
However, the base product may contain naturally-occurring sugars. For example, an apple or unflavored, unsweetened yogurt may be labeled as ‘no sugar added,’ though both have a non-negligible sugar content from naturally-occurring sugars.
Further, the term may be used for foods sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners, such as saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, and neotame. For example, Blue Bunny Sweet Freedom Chocolate Cones are no sugar added, but contain maltitol syrup and sucralose, as well as naturally occurring sugars from milk.
- Sugar-Free – The product contains less than 0.5g of sugar per serving (net of added and naturally occurring sugars).
Surprisingly, there is a variety of Oreo that falls under this category – Carb Well Oreo Sandwich Cookies with sucralose and acesulfame potassium.
- No Calorie – The product must contain less than five calories.
Considering our energy requirements, anything under that is considered negligible. Coke Zero or Diet 7Up, like other diet sodas, fall into this category.
- Fat Free – The product contains less than 0.5g of fat.
Fat free products include Craisins, skim milk, and Trader Joe’s Pretzel Slims.
Whew! Does that clear things up a little? I hope so!
As always, just use your best judgment – and relax! Food common sense trumps fancy labels. Whole foods that actually resemble something you might find in nature are usually a pretty good bet.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t enjoy the occasional Oreo or frozen dinner – just practice moderation. Happy eating!