US FDA announces new nutrition label

[agate]

Does anyone else watch nutrition labels? For years I've found them hard to read and often misleading.

Soon there's going to be a new version of the nutrition label on food in the US. New information is the "added sugar"--the sugar added to the food, not counting the sugar already in that food. The calorie count is now in much bigger and bolder type too.

Potassium and vitamin D are now required listings.

Here's an example of the new label:

[renee]

Haven't seen this one.
Saw my first, 'Partially Made With GMO'...

I think I heard something about labeling packages with total amount of calories per package
and then showing calories per suggested serving.
Do most people usually eat a recommended serving size?

NOT ME.
Oinkers and out

[agate]

People with diabetes pay attention to those labels but maybe others don't bother with them.

Interesting that the amount of vitamin D now has to be shown. That might be helpful to anyone with MS concerned about vitamin D intake.

Having the potassium listed will help me particularly. Up to now some food labels gave the potassium content and others didn't.

[agate]

An article in Medical News Today (May 23) explains:

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

[SuzE-Q]

Good to know how much sugars have been added.

I pay attention to these labels, for sure...

[Frog42]

I definitely read to see how much sugar they have in there.

[Exacerbator]

I also read food labels, but I usually go beyond the 'Nutrition Summary', because I'm normally looking to avoid stuff I can't pronounce/spell/understand.

Sugar & Salt — in modest amounts — don't really concern me; in fact, I still 'enjoy' them (from time-to-time).

But I have no conditions preventing me from doing so, and I can 'get away' with it.

YMMV

[Mike Weins]

Do most people usually eat a recommended serving size?

NOT ME.
Oinkers and out

I usually don't stick with the recommended serving size either, but they are changing what the recommended serving sizes are based upon what people are actually consuming. So perhaps now I'll be closer to the recommended serving size instead of "however much I want"

Very happy to see the "added sugars" in the new labels. I have known for a couple of years now that I've been consuming too much, but it was hard to figure out where they are coming from so now maybe I can stop yo-yoing and hit my weight goal :)

[agate]

I generally check calories, fat, protein, potassium, vitamin D, sodium and sugar, and I've noticed how tricky the serving size listing can be.

Why be so careful? With MS and diabetes, I figure that everything
that goes in is doing something to me, and nobody knows exactly what, and so I try to be careful about what goes in.

The days are long gone when I just ate whatever, taking pie when pie was passing.

[Howie]

For those concerned with using sugar, I found a sugar substitute that looks, tastes, and measures just like real sugar, but is 0 calorie. Not made of any of the bad for you sweeteners. It's called Sweet Choice, and is where the sugar is.

I use it in making my coleslaw, which I eat daily.

[Mike Weins]

Something else along the lines of new label requirements from the FDA. This time on meat: Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

[Exacerbator]

#the50%diet

When it comes to Serving Sizes, I 'invented' (and try to follow) what I call The 50% Diet.

There is only one 'rule': Eat half.

I think you might be 'surprised' at how well it works losing weight — *and* keeping it off.

It does have obvious pitfalls — one 'cannot', for example, eat half a carton of Twinkies® and expect not to pay for it — but it works for me (and has for a long time).

YMMV

[Exacerbator]

Not to make *too* light of the topic (lol), I think John Oliver's recent monologue on Scientific Studies may have some application here.

If not, it's still pretty funny (and bleeped for TV, etc.)

[agate]

That article on meat is a must-read.

Ex, that 50% rule sounds good. You could apply it to one Twinkie instead of the carton and just have half a Twinkie, of course.

All of those reports about "studies"--you have to laugh because for every study showing one thing you can easily find a study showing the opposite. So then you have the problem of whose study to trust.

[agate]

For those concerned with using sugar, I found a sugar substitute that looks, tastes, and measures just like real sugar, but is 0 calorie. Not made of any of the bad for you sweeteners. It's called Sweet Choice, and is where the sugar is.

I use it in making my coleslaw, which I eat daily.

That's not one I know about. I wonder if it's one of the natural sweeteners. Some of them are listed Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register....