The Scoop on New Food Labels and Nutrition Facts
nutrition labels
The FDA is finally getting serious about giving consumers more information about what is actually in our food. Can I get a HELL YEAH?!
New Nutrition Labels are coming to packages across the US.
You may have already noticed the slight difference but I wanted to take a second to breakdown exactly what is changing and how it impacts your wellness journey.
calorie and serving size
“Calories from Fat” is being removed (YAY!). This is because type of fat is more WAY more important than the amount. It’s about quality over quantity when it comes to fats! Eat up those avocados and nut butters!
Serving Sizes will be larger and more accurate to the amount of food people are actually eating. Who really only eats 9 chip serving size anyway?
No one!
Seriously, I’m so happy they are finally requiring manufactures to get real with this one.sugar section
vitamins + minerals
Vitamin D + Potassium are now required to be listed. Americans as a whole need more Vitamin D, so this is good news to be able to tackle that issue and give consumers information of where to get vitamin D. Potassium is an important electrolyte that helps us maintain our fluid balance in addition to sending signals to our nerves and muscles.
Vitamins A and C will be removed because deficiencies of these nutrients are rare in the US.
old label (left) vs new label (right)
The deadline for the new label is January 1st 2020. With the deadline nearing I am still surprised by how many manufacturers still haven’t made the switch. Fingers crossed that we’ll be seeing this new label everywhere very soon!
how does this effect my wellness journey?
The new labels are designed to make it easier when you’re standing in the grocery aisle trying to decide what this product really has inside it and what it’s health benefits are (or aren’t).
Which is currently tough to do when we’re being bombarded by all kinds of claims on the front of the package such as “Reduced Fat” “Heart Healthy” or my personal favorite “Reduced Guilt”. Which most of the time mean diddly squat.
If you’re working with a Nutritionist or on a specific macro diet these changes will make it a little easier to shop according to your goals.
An easy rule of thumb when buying anything that has a nutrition label is:
- Look for products low in sugar and saturated fat.
- Look for products high in fiber and protein.
- Carbs are GOOD if they are coming from whole foods. I know I know that’s a controversial sentence. We’ll have to save that conversation for another day.
still feeling confused?
Book a one on one grocery or kitchen tour with me today!
Don’t worry, no need to be local!
