Nothing is Free!

FREE

By Nikki Tierney, RD

Many foods make claims on their labels, such as low fat, lite, calorie free, cholesterol free, sodium free, reduced fat, low sugar, the list goes on.   Have you ever wonder what all these statements really mean?  Are there really foods that have 0 calories? The answer is NO.  

Each nutrient has slightly different regulations for their claims based on reference sample sizes, which are not necessarily the same as the serving size listed on the label.  For example, a food can be listed as calorie free if it contains less than 5 calories per serving, or fat free if it has .5g of fat or less.  To be low calorie it must contain 40 calories or less per serving size, unless that serving size is under 50g, then the numbers are based on 50g serving sizes.  If you grabbed the “reduced fat” version because it’s a healthier option, you may be fooling yourself.  Reduced fat foods must contain 25% less fat than the references food, which doesn’t always make them a low fat or healthy choice.    

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So what’s the bottom line?  Read the food label, not just the claims on the front of the package.  If something says “Free” it may not be 0, and those calories and grams of fat can add up.  For most foods, with the exception of nuts, seeds, and oils, aim to keep the calories from fat at 30% or less, or about 3g of fat per serving or less.  Keep the saturated and trans-fat as low as possible, as those are the fats the can raise your cholesterol. 

For more information on reading labels, making healthier choices, and ways to cut excess fat and calories from your diet, contact Nikki@ahealthybalancenutrition.com.

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