Nutrition Label Makeover

The FDA has just released new guidelines for food labeling, giving the nutrition label a makeover. Though food brands have until July 2018 to make these changes, they are already looking good!  So what should you be looking for?

Sugar by another name: You will now see “added sugars” on the label under the sugar listing. Added sugars are those sneaky little things on the ingredient list that say things like “syrup”, “starch”, “agave”–these guys are all sugar, but have gotten away without being labeled as such because they are made differently than traditional sugar.  But now you’ll be able to see exactly how many grams of them are in your food which is key to preventing weight gain, inflammation, diabetes, and other chronic health issues.  This is a big label improvement!  Tip: when reading the nutrition label keep sugar and added sugars to 5 grams or less.

Fats: The labels will continue to call out the total fat and the different type of fats in the food (saturated, trans) but the label will no longer say “calories from fat”. This switch removes some very unnecessary writing from the label, while still preserving all the need-to-know info!  You want to look at the TYPE of fat, but the amount of calories from fat is not important.  Aim to keep saturated fat low, under 13 grams for the WHOLE day, trans fats at ZERO.

Vitamin Flip: Vitamins A & C will be removed from the label and replaced with Vitamin D and Potassium.  This swap-out is happening to help people meet their daily needs for D and Potassium, as most are falling short, while vitamins A & C are being more easily met.  You can help meet your vitamin D and Potassium needs by ramping up your intake of mushrooms, dark leafy greens, bananas, avocados, fish, eggs and fortified diary.

Percent Power: The percentages on the right side of the nutrition label are getting an update too, so they more accurately represent the newest research.  These %’s are used to show the percentage amount the nutrient should contribute to your entire day’s intake, based on a diet of 2,000 calories.  But if percents are not your thing, that’s ok! Focus on the grams and serving sizes and you will still be in good shape.

Serving Size:  More items are going to be considered single-serving packages, which means you will still have to read but not do as much math!  And an added bonus is that the whole nutrition label makeover will come with larger font too.

AFFILIATE COMMISSIONS:  PLEASE NOTE THAT BRIGITTE ZEITLIN AND/OR BRIGITTE ZEITLIN NUTRITION PLLC (BZ NUTRITION) MAY EARN AN AFFILIATE COMMISSION ON PURCHASES MADE USING CERTAIN LINKS PROVIDED ON THIS SITE.  WHEN BZ NUTRITION LINKS TO RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, THOSE LINKS MAY BE AFFILIATE LINKS. IF YOU CLICK ON ANY OF THOSE AFFILIATE LINKS AND MAKE A PURCHASE WITHIN A CERTAIN TIME FRAME, BZ NUTRITION WILL EARN A COMMISSION. THE COMMISSION IS PAID BY THE RETAILERS (SUCH AS AMAZON, TARGET, ETC.), AT NO COST TO YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.