arts&life

eat right now

I

Stacy Goldberg

US FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION

Contributing Writer

f you have you ever finished
an entire bag of veggie chips,
then looked at the nutrition
facts label only to discover that
the amount you consumed was
actually double what you thought
it was, you are not alone.
The good news: Confusing
nutrition facts labels will become
less of a challenge in the coming
year. New updates to the Nutrition
Facts Label will make it easier
for consumers to make informed
food choices, especially when it
comes to counting calories, sug-
ars and carbs. By July 26, 2018, all
food manufacturers will be using
the new label which emphasizes
more realistic serving sizes and
easier-to-understand nutrition
information.

ter explain what “percent Daily
Value” means.
The FDA writes that percent
Daily Value is a percentage of the
2,000-calorie diet recommended
as general nutrition advice, pro-
viding consumers with slightly
more information to better under-
stand the numbers presented on
the label. This information is used
as a general guideline; however,
most people do not need 2,000
calories per day, especially if sed-
entary. For an elite athlete such
as a basketball player or even an
Olympic competitor, this infor-
mation is completely irrelevant,
as their caloric requirements are
significantly higher. To best deter-
mine your caloric needs, there
are many apps on the market that
allow you to enter your personal
information and level of exercise
to determine your approximate
caloric requirements. There is also
incredible wearable technology
making it easier for you track your
fitness and caloric needs.

THE NEW NUTRITION LABEL:
HOW MANY CALORIES ARE
REALLY IN YOUR FOOD?

WHAT IS A CALORIE?

You hear the word all the time,
but do you truly know what
makes up a calorie? Simply put,
calories are energy. The caloric
value of a food can be determined
by measuring the composi-
tion of carbohydrates, protein
and fat that make up that food.
Carbohydrates and proteins con-
tain 4 calories per gram, while
fats contain 9 calories per gram.
All calories are not created
equal, despite what you may hear
in the media. The FDA bases its
nutrition labels on a 2,000-calorie
diet. The footnote of the nutrition
label will soon be modified to bet-

48

March 15 • 2018

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With the July 2018 deadline
quickly approaching, you will
begin to see these subtle yet help-
ful changes on packaged food
products. The goal is to create
a consumer-friendly label that
enables people to make informed
nutrition and caloric decisions
when putting fuel into their bod-
ies. The modifications to the label
focus primarily on the amount
of food being consumed (the
number of calories, nutrients,
vitamins and minerals).
According to the FDA’s website,
the look and feel of the label will
remain unchanged but FDA sci-
entists have tweaked the image
slightly in efforts to promote
healthier living. Identified label
changes will include an increase
in font size of the calorie count,
servings per container and
serving size. In addition to font
changes, the FDA is mandating
that food manufacturers include
the actual amount and percent
Daily Value of vitamin D, calcium,
iron and potassium on the food
label. It is optional to include
information about other vitamins
and minerals, including vitamins

A and C. What is the rationale for
this change? The FDA states that
on average, Americans consume
enough vitamins A and C, but not
enough vitamin D, calcium, iron
and potassium, indicating that
those vitamins and minerals are
of more concern. According to
the Centers for Disease Control,
consumption of Vitamin D and
potassium are essential in main-
taining bone health, lowering
blood pressure and reducing risk
of chronic disease.
The FDA has also decided to
include “Added Sugars” on the
label and the percent Daily Value
based on grams of sugar. The
FDA’s definition of “Added Sugar”
states that these sugars are added
during the process of creating or
packaging the food and include
syrups, honey and those from
concentrated fruit and vegetables
juices “that are in excess of what
would be expected from the same
volume of 100-percent fruit or
vegetable juice of the same type.”
When consumed in excess, cal-
ories from sugar can displace cal-
ories from nutrient-dense foods,
making it more difficult to meet
needs for fiber, vitamins and
minerals, while staying within a
healthy calorie range. It is impor-
tant to read all labels for added
sugars as a contributing source
of calories. Sugars hide in foods
such as tomato sauces, yogurts,
cereals, energy bars, salad dress-
ings, breads and more.
The FDA has also done some
research on dietary fat and con-
sumer eating habits, leading to
other changes on the label. After
years of following the same nutri-
tional guidelines, they have decid-
ed to alter the recommended
Daily Values of sodium, fiber and
vitamin D to align with recent
scientific findings. They will no
longer include “Calories from Fat”
on the label because recent find-
ings have shown that the type of
fat is more important than the
actual amount of it that contrib-
utes to the total calorie count.
(The American Heart Association
strongly suggests replacing satu-
rated fats with unsaturated fats
such as fish, nuts, seeds and avo-
cado.) The changes also reflect
the recommendation for a reduc-
tion in sodium in commercially

processed and prepared foods.
Referencing the percent Daily
Value will allow consumers to
make smarter decisions regarding
their sodium intake, which will
help reduce risk of cardiovascular
disease.
FDA findings have also con-
cluded that today’s actual serving
sizes are larger than the previously
recommended serving sizes on
food packaging. Therefore, food
companies are required to change
the serving size to meet actual
eating patterns: A small package
of food that is typically consumed
in one sitting will no longer have a
serving size of two, but will now be
changed to a single serving.
However, food manufacturers
are presented with the option to
label a product with two Nutrition
Facts Labels — one for consump-
tion per serving and one for con-
sumption in a single sitting and
one for consumption in multiple
sittings.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The changes made to the label are
a small yet mighty step toward
keeping our overall caloric con-
sumption in check. Artificial
ingredients, colors and preserva-
tives are not as clearly incorpo-
rated on food labels, but they
are just as crucial to your health
as the other information that is
provided. Therefore, it is impera-
tive that consumers look at the
“Ingredients” section, along
with the other sections, to truly
understand what is in their food.
Remember, your caloric bud-
get is not much different than
your financial budget. You are
allowed a certain amount of
carb, protein and fat calories
each day to spend on yourself.
Unfortunately, we do not have
unlimited calories (or dollars,
for most of us) to spend, so we
need to think about them and
spend them wisely. How will you
allocate your caloric budget in
2018? •

Stacy Goldberg is a nationally recognized
nutritional consultant, registered nurse
and the CEO of Savorfull (savorfull.com),
a Detroit-based company that sources
healthy, allergen-friendly foods and
provides nutrition-consulting. Savorfull
is part of the Quicken Loans Family of
Companies.

NO INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH STACY GOLDBERG/SAVORFULL IS INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS SPEAK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN OR OTHER HEALTHCARE
PROFESSIONAL BEFORE TAKING ANY MEDICATION OR NUTRITIONAL, HERBAL OR HOMEOPATHIC SUPPLEMENT, OR ADOPTING ANY TREATMENT OR IMPLEMENTING NUTRITIONAL ADVICE FOR A HEALTH PROBLEM.

The Lowdown On The
Updated Nutrition Facts Label