Gluten Free, Fat Free, W
Whole
hole Grain, Natural….
What Does It Even Mean?
Grocery shopping can be overwhelming already, but now add in words on packages such as Sugar Free,
Gluten Free, Natural and your choices become even more daunting. Most people see those words and think
it say that it must be healthy,
ealthy, but what do these even mean anyway?
GLUTEN-FREE
What it means: The Food and Drug Administration guidelines state that a food must contain less than 20
parts per million of gluten in order to use "gluten
"gluten-free" on its label.
Does it matter? Depends, do you have Celiac disease, well then Yes it matters, for most people it is just
another : “diet" to follow. Off course people feel better when tthey
y eliminate gluten, they have cleaned up
their diet by eliminating a whole lot of junk foo
food and processed sweets, but gluten itself has nothing to do
with weight loss.
The takeaway: If you think you might be gluten
gluten-intolerant
intolerant or have celiac disease, let your doctor make the
diagnosis. Keep in mind, if you are going to go gluten
gluten-free, products that include whole quinoa flour, whole
amaranth flour and brown rice flour –(( not potato starch or white-rice flour) can be just as processed or
more as some of the gluten contain products.
FAT-FREE
What it means: A product must contain less than 0.5 gra
grams
ms of fat per serving to bear this label.
label
Does it matter? When fat is removed a lot of manufactures add in more carbohydrates, sugar,
sugar or sodium
to give it flavor. Everyone looks at "FREE" as something great but they do not realize what is added when
something is removed.
The Takeaway: Look at the Nutrition label and the ingredient list and compare products.
WHOLE-GRAIN
What it means: This designation means the food contains the entire grain seed and has not been refined.
Does it matter? The FDA recommends eating at least three 11-ounce
ounce equivalents of whole grain – (oatmeal,
brown rice and whole-wheat
wheat products, for instance
instance) --a day. You want to look for products that have the
Whole Grain Council stamp. If it says "8g," that means the food contains at least a half-serving
half
of whole
grains.
The takeaway: Dietary guidelines say half your grains should be whole grains, Check the ingredients list: If
whole oat or whole wheat are one of the fi
first listings, it's a good sign!
NATURAL
What it means: This term is not really regulated, the FDA has not come
me up with an exact definition of the
word “natural”,, proceed with caution as this could mean just about anything.
The takeaway: Read the label. For example; A company can use “natural” to mean just about anything.
anything
Some "natural" peanut-butter
butter brands, for instance, may have added sugar and palm oil and pack more
saturated fat than
n the regular version, because all those are "natural" food items, not artificial.
CHOLESTEROL-FREE
What it means: The FDA allows companies to use this designation for foods with fewer than 2 milligrams of
cholesterol per serving and no more
re than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving. Saturated fats raise LDL
cholesterol (the so-called
called bad cholesterol) and thus contribute to heart disease.
Does it matter? Most of the time it is a marketing tool to get you to buy a product. Cholesterol is naturally
found
nd in animal products like organ meats, dairy, eggs and shellfish. Many products that say cholesterol-free
cholesterol
would not have had it anyway.
free" sucker you into buying it.
The takeaway: Again, do not let a product with the phrase ""-free"