Often we see food items sold in markets as "fat-free", "low fat" or "reduced fat".
What do these food labels really mean? I read some article by Jerry Byler which explains these terminology. I have enclosed the link and some excerpts given below from Jerry's article:
"In this article, you'll discover everything you need to know about how to interpret food labels and make the right food choices.
So what does "fat free" really mean?
To be labeled "Fat Free", the food must contain less than ½ gram of fat per serving.
To be labeled "Low Fat", the food must contain 3 grams or less of fat per serving.
To be labeled "Reduced Fat", the food must be at least 25 percent lower in fat than a comparable food.
To be labeled "Light", the food must contain 1/3 fewer calories, OR ½ the fat OR 2/3 the sodium of a comparable food (but not necessarily all three!).
Some foods (especially meat and dairy products) appear to have less fat than they really do. For example, if a milk or cheese label reads 2% milk or 2% cheese, this means that 2 percent of the product volume (NOT the calories) comes from milk fat.
You can use a little math to discover how much fat these products actually contain.
First, find the total calories per serving and the fat calories per serving. For example if the total calories per serving are 80 and the fat calories per serving are 50, divide the fat calories per serving by the total calories per serving.
Then, multiply that number by 100 and you'll have the total percent of fat calories in the food. In this example, 50 fat calories divided by 80 total calories equals .625 times 100 equals 62½%. In this example, nearly 63 percent of the total calories of this food are from fat!
Also, using the math above, you can figure out how much fat that 2 percent milk, 2 percent cheese, 2 percent cottage cheese and lean ground beef contain. You'll probably discover these foods are mush "fatter" than you realized!
Trans fats should be avoided as much as possible as they can increase your risk of heart disease. Trans fats are also known as hydrogenated fats and are added to many processed foods including most baked foods (crackers, cookies, breads, etc.).
If the food contains trans fats, the ingredient label will usually read: contains hydrogenated oil OR partially hydrogenated oil OR vegetable shortening OR margarine. Avoid these foods like the plague!
By knowing how to read food labels and understanding the word "fat", you can purchase diet foods more wisely and lose weight successfully."
http://www.boxingscene.com/weight-loss/18634.php
The question actually contains most of the answers. Thank you for the question, dear
Sundarapandian Vaidyanathan.
Modern foods on the market are full of highly processed ingredients or themselves are highly processed. So we are moving away from nature.
For me the question is contained unknown information. Now I will expect answers to the professionals.
Should pay attention also insolvent claims on some labels indicating widely known truths as benefits for the product of their company. For example olive oil labeled "cholesterol free".
Fat free is similar to caffeine free, both are semantic twists on words whose perceptual understanding to the consumer is interpreted as zero fat or zero caffeine; however, technically the claim being made on the label is normally a claim of a reduced amount of fat or caffeine.
The label would need to read "no fat at all" or "zero fat is contained in this product" for the phrasing to be legally construed as having a zero quantity of fat, to some degree or magnitude specific to a standard measure and definition of fat content in the product.
Therefore, fat free normally means there is always reduced fat unless the label is specific to a zero content of fat by definition and industry standard.
The question actually contains most of the answers. Thank you for the question, dear
Sundarapandian Vaidyanathan.
Modern foods on the market are full of highly processed ingredients or themselves are highly processed. So we are moving away from nature.
For me the question is contained unknown information. Now I will expect answers to the professionals.
Should pay attention also insolvent claims on some labels indicating widely known truths as benefits for the product of their company. For example olive oil labeled "cholesterol free".
My position on similar matters is: Avoid all such labels "fat free" etc. since most of the time to process the product and make it "fat free" usually enrich it with other harm substances, which e.g. help cancer to grow etc.
The strategy is to have a balanced diet, without going to extreme practices!
Dear Sundar,
This is a very good discussion, and the explanation is very informative. Now a days, people are going away from sports and other physical activities, due to a number of reasons, especially in under developed countries. The main reason being the non availability of the sporting facilities in under developed countries, along with the increasing trend of spending a lot of time on social media in the context of recreation. The effect of this trend along with the increasing demand of junk food is making the people physically unfit, lethargic and obesity is increasing day by day. Therefore, by selecting a good healthy diet one can avoid obesity and stay fit by avoiding number of diseases like blood pressure, increase in uric acid, diabetes and persistent pain in the back and different joints of the body (mainly due to increase in weight).
Much of this labelling has to do with marketing ploys to increase sales when some new "information" makes it to the popular press. As an example, I recall a brand of corn oil "Mazola" which started labelling their bottles around 1978-79 with bold letters something along the lines "New and Improved, Now No Cholesterol". And amazingly enough, they picked up an additional ~30% of the market at a slightly higher price than their competitors.
Varied, mixed and balanced diet and avoiding overeating ought to do just fine! Some times low calorie prepackaged meals are merely smaller portions. Chances are good that ignoring all the new and improved labels will also save money. If time permits, make meals from fresh ingredients; they always taste so much better. ;)
See, rather than going through Maths and keeping keen eyes on nutritive info..
Just go Green..
Eat healthy and balanced Diet.. Do exercises..
Nothing wrong with a little beef or chicken every now and then along with the greens! ;)
A diet that includes generally fat free and healthy foods can help you to lose weight.
Why avoid fat? Fat is a natural part of our food together with carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals,...
Mix all these components together but limit the quantity of your food, not the natural composition. And if your hunger is taller than your normal amount of food, start sports, exercises, a little bit yoga.
Dietitian Jeff Novick MS RD blows the lid off of foods labeled "fat free" which are in fact 100% fat. How do they get away with it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pD3-j0GWdo
"How do they get away with it?"
It is all, I am sure, legal; I bet it has to do with the minuscule serving size that remains below a certain amount. As long as laws (which can be passed through some clever means or contrivance*) are followed, it is kosher to deceive the public!
* When changing laws is too tedious for our officials, they can always find a way so it is not followed by cutting the budget of agency charged with its implementation - recent example of this game is EPA, next few years will most likely see our environmental protection slide farther downhill.
@ Hanno.
Personally, I GO with fat balanced with other protein, carbohydrates, vitamins etc.,, it is very much essential for an ACTIVE LIFE,
Dear Krishnan,
sounds like my behaviour, only one addition. I don´t analyse all the time, I eat naturally with a maximum of taste and freshness.
@ Hanno
That is the ART of LIVING HAPPILY. This reminds me of a Bengali friend in L&T, who used to say, 'When you eat, eat for yourself; and when you dress, dress for others"
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