How To Become Label Savvy…

by Amanda Ursell, 
excerpted from What Are You Really Eating?

NATURAL

This is an interesting claim. Unless it appears on meat or poultry products, there’s no standard definition for it. For these exceptions, the word natural on the label means the product doesn’t contain any artificial flavorings, colors, chemical preservatives, or artificial or synthetic ingredients. It also guarantees that it’s been minimally processed—that is, it hasn’t undergone anything that fundamentally altered the raw product.

For all other goods, “natural” is a general claim that implies the food or its packaging is made from environmentally friendly materials and that nothing artificial or synthetic has been added to the product itself. However, there’s currently no standard definition for the term. The best advice is to not be too swayed by this claim, and to study the product closely before assuming that “natural” automatically means “good for you.”

LACTOSE-FREE AND REDUCED LACTOSE

Lactose is the type of sugar found in milk and to a lesser extent in dairy foods such as yogurt. About 25% of the U.S. adult population and 75% of adults worldwide are said to digest lactose poorly or have low lactase levels. This means that they don’t have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase that breaks down lactose, allowing it to be absorbed across the intestinal wall and into the blood.

The result is that the sugar moves undigested into the colon, where it feeds bacteria and leads to the production of potentially painful and embarrassing gas. This condition is common in African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, who naturally produce little lactase after infancy.

According to the National Diary Council, lactose-reduced milk contains about 70% less of this natural sugar than regular milk. Lactose-free milk is100% lactose reduced and is suitable for people with any degree of trouble in this area.

NON-DAIRY

Oddly enough, the term non-dairy doesn’t actually mean the product is milk-free. In practice, the non-dairy creamer you may use in your coffee can be made from a milk protein called “caseinate.” Although this word will appear on the ingredients list, and it will be explained in parentheses that it’s a milk derivative, if you’re allergic to milk products and rely on the term non-dairy without checking the ingredients, you could be in trouble. When you see this word on the label, always read the fine print.

OTHER TERMS OF NOTE

While deciphering the meanings of “fresh” and “natural” can be difficult, when other seemingly innocuous terms get thrown into the mix, your head can feel like it’s spinning. Following are several claims food manufacturers like to make about their products; along with the truth behind them.

SODIUM-FREE

Sodium-free is a definition provided by the American Heart Association. Products with fewer than 5 mg of sodium per serving qualify for this label.

GLUTEN-FREE

Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, oats, and barley that causes the lining of the digestive system to become badly inflamed when eaten by people with celiac disease. This means poor absorption of nutrients and can lead to malnutrition.

It’s crucial that people with celiac disease remove all traces of gluten from their diet. There are a growing number of lines of gluten-free foods on the supermarket shelves, including cookies, cakes, breakfast cereals, and crackers made from other grains such as corn and rice so that they can be enjoyed by those on this special diet.

FREE RANGE

This is a popular label seen on eggs, chicken, and other meat products. It certainly makes it seem as if the animal has spent a good portion of its life outdoors, grazing, foraging, and running around having a great time.

The reality is rather different. While the USDA has defined “free range” or “free roaming” for poultry that ends up being consumed—such as in chicken salad—this isn’t the case for hens laying eggs. And even for the birds destined to become turkey burgers, the government only requires that outdoor access be made available for “an undetermined period each day” which means the coop or stall could be opened for just five minutes each morning! And it gets worse: If the chicken doesn’t see the open door or chooses not to dart outside for a quick gulp of fresh air and peck at the ground, it could still qualify as being free range.

NO HORMONES ADMINISTERED

This broad claim implies that no hormones were used in the production of a food product. The fact is that the USDA prohibits the use of hormones in the raising of hogs and birds within the United States. This means that if pork and poultry products carry this claim, it actually doesn’t mean anything, because they shouldn’t contain any hormones in the first place.

It’s a different story when it comes to cattle, which may be given hormones during their natural life. When beef is labeled “no hormones administered,” this is a plus, because the farmer has gone beyond the regulations for conventional meat production.

The label “hormone free,” however, is considered to be “unapprovable” on any meat products, and there is currently no standard definition for the term except for “whole meats”—in other words, the claim can be used on a steak, but not on a potpie containing beef. Unless otherwise specified, there’s no organization independently certifying this claim.

MAY CONTAIN NUT TRACES

Approximately four million Americans, including up to 6% of all American children, are allergic to one type of food or another. Eight substances are most commonly recognized as being capable of causing reactions: peanuts, milk, eggs, fish, soybeans, crustaceans, tree nuts, wheat

The amount of an allergenic food needed to cause a severe reaction, especially with nuts, can be minimal. For example, consumption of as little as 1/5 to 1/5,000 of a teaspoon of a trigger can cause death. Thus, what may appear to be an insignificant amount of a food substance to one individual can be potentially deadly for someone else.

Knowing this, it’s easy to see just how crucial the labeling of potentially allergenic foods such as nuts really is. Currently, companies are allowed to use the phrase “may contain nuts” on their labels if they can’t guarantee that a food they’re producing is free of this substance. This is usually because nuts are being used in the same machines for other foods. A company that makes similar foods with and without nuts may have difficulty cleaning the machines in between making the different versions, or packages may run the risk of being mislabeled. This contamination is most likely to occur with cookies, candies, cereals, chocolate, ice cream, dried soups, and nut butters.

Allergen advisories or “May contain” statements have been developed by the food industry and are voluntary. As a result, there’s no standardization of messages and no rules for when these warnings can or should appear. Some companies rely on them while others don’t. Some use them sparingly and others put them on every product. People with allergies to specific foods are urged to seek professional help and to be fully aware of exactly what items are safe to for them to consume.

Amanda Ursell, a native of the UK, is a member of numerous nutrition and dietetic societies and has recently been appointed a Fellow of The Royal Society of Health. Amanda received a B.Sc. in nutrition from King’s College, London, and went on to acquire a diploma in dietics. From 1987 to 1989, she worked as a dietitian at St. Stephen’s and Westminster Hospitals, where she lectured to nurses and also was involved in inpatient and outpatient work. She is also a former health columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Please contact: Stacy Vasil at Hay House, svasil@hayhouse.com  800-654-5126 ext. 107. www.inthemoment.net 

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