fat free

Do You Speak Food Label Language?

January 24, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Food labels can be pretty confusing. For instance, you might think that you know what fat free means – but if a food product is labeled “fat free” does mean that it’s totally fat free? Not necessarily.

According to the FDA, a food can be labeled fat free if it contains less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving. So, something could have 0.4 grams of fat and still be called fat free.

Maybe you’re saying, “so what.” Here’s the issue: the words per serving. Say you’re eating more than one serving (a serving is often a lot smaller than the portion most of us eat). If each serving has 0.4 grams of fat it can be labeled “fat free” — but, if you’re eating 3 servings (not such a stretch of the imagination), you’re actually eating 1.2 grams of fat (3 x 0.4 grams) in a food that’s labeled “fat free.”

Okay. 1.2 grams of fat is not a huge amount – but the example is to illustrate that it’s good to both read labels – which the FDA requires –and really understand what they mean so you know what you’re getting in your food.

Definitions of Common Terms Used On Food Packages

▪ Fat-free = less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, with no added fat or oil.

▪ Low fat = 3 grams or less of fat per serving.

▪ Less fat = 25% or less fat than the comparison food.

▪ Saturated fat free = Less than 0.5 grams of saturated fat and 0.5 grams of trans-fatty acids per serving.

▪ Cholesterol-free = less than 2 mg of cholesterol per serving and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.

▪ Low cholesterol = 20 mg or less of cholesterol per serving and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.

▪ Reduced calorie = at least 25% fewer calories per serving than the comparison food (the “regular” version of the same food).

▪ Low calorie = 40 calories or less per serving.

▪ Extra lean = less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per 100 gram serving of meat, poultry, or seafood.

▪ Lean = less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 g of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per 100 gram serving of meat, poultry, or seafood.

▪ Light (fat) = 50% or less of the fat in the comparison food.

▪ Light (calories) = one-third fewer calories than the comparison food.

▪ High fiber = 5 grams or more fiber per serving.

▪ Sugar-free = less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving.

▪ Reduced sugar — at least 25% less sugar per serving compared with a similar food.

▪ Sodium-free (salt-free) = less than 5 mg of sodium per serving.

▪ Low sodium = 140 mg or less per serving.

▪ Very low sodium = 35 mg or less per serving.

This article is part of the 30 day series of blog posts called: 30 Easy Tips for Looser Pants and Excellent Energy.

What’s The Difference Between Low Fat, Reduced Fat, Light, Lean, And Extra Lean?

June 7, 2012 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

How much time do you spend in the supermarket aisle confused by the labels on mayo — or cookies — or just about every other item in the packaged bread aisle? What do reduced fat, low fat, light, fat free, or low in calories actually mean?

You practically have to walk around with a cheat sheet — or whip out your cell phone to use an app — to figure out if something actually lives up to the fatty or lean promise on the product’s label.

Checking Labels Will Give You A Clue

Packaged food labels list ingredients in descending order by weight, not amount. The first ingredient listed has the greatest amount by weight — the last ingredient is the one with the least amount by weight. That’s why preservatives are usually at the end of the ingredients list. A ton of chemicals are not necessary to increase shelf life so a little bit will do it — but fat, sugar, and grains have more heft and usually are closer to the beginning of the ingredients list.

Fat Labels

Labels have to include the total amount of fat, saturated fat and unsaturated fat. This carves the way for the low, reduced, and fat free categories.

Low fat means 3 grams of fat or less per serving (or per 100 grams of food)
Reduced fat means the food product contains 50% (or less) of the fat found in the regular version
Less fat means 25% or less fat than the comparison food
Fat free means the product has less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, with no added fat or oil

The Low down On Low, Light (Lite), Lean, And Reduced Calories And Fat

Reduced calorie (calories, not fat – see above) on the label means there’s at least 25% fewer calories per serving than in the regular (full calorie) version of the product
Low calorie (calories, not fat – see above) means 40 calories or less per serving and less than 0.4 calories per gram of food
Light (fat) means 50% or less of the fat than in the regular, full calorie, version
Light (calories) means 1/3 fewer calories than the regular, full calorie, version
Lean (meat, poultry or seafood) means less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol in a 100 gram serving
Extra lean (meat, poultry or seafood) means less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol in a 100 gram serving

Confused???

Are you confused by the labeling rules? You’re not alone. You really need to read labels and look for the amount of fat grams, not just assume that a product labeled reduced fat is indeed low in fat.

For instance, a product labeled reduced fat just means that it contains at least 50% or less fat than the original full fat version of the same product. Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a low-fat product.

Here’s an example: Look at a box of cookies or a container of ice cream labeled reduced fat. If the fat content in the original full fat product is 20g and the fat has been reduced to 10g — a 50% reduction – the manufacturer is allowed to call the product reduced fat even though its fat content is still a little over 3 times higher than the 3 grams of fat per serving that officially qualifies as low fat. Premium ice cream can really snooker you with this labeling simply because the full fat version may have so much fat that the reduced fat version – even with 50% less fat – still contains a significant amount of fat.

The trick is to look carefully at the calorie count and fat breakdown on the nutrition label and note the numbers for each. A check of the ingredients label can also give you valuable information about the type of fat in the product.

Remember, these regulations apply to labeled packaged food products, not prepared food like you find in salad bars or for takeout.

A Primer On Reduced, Low, Light, And Free!

April 7, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Do you have a clue what the difference is between reduced fat, low fat, light, and fat free. You practically have to walk around with a cheat sheet — or an app — to figure out if something actually lives up to the promise on the product’s label.

The same thing is true on menus, in deli cases, and the little labels perched next to the choices in salad bars. Are the calories in the low calorie tuna salad less than the calories in the reduced calorie? Can you even believe those calligraphied labels behind the glass cases?

Checking The List Of Ingredients May Or May Not Help

Packaged food labels list ingredients in descending order by weight, not amount. The first ingredient listed has the greatest amount by weight, the last ingredient is the one with the least amount by weight. That’s why preservatives are usually at the end of the ingredients list. A ton of chemicals are not necessary to increase shelf life — a little bit will do it. However, fat, sugar, and grains have more heft and usually are closer to the beginning of the ingredients list.

Fatty Labels

Labels have to include the total amount of fat, saturated fat and unsaturated fat. This carves the way for the low, reduced, and fat free categories.

Low fat means 3 grams of fat or less per serving (or per 100 grams of food)

Reduced fat means the food product contains 50% (or less) of the fat found in the regular version

Less fat means 25% or less fat than the comparison food

Fat free means the product has less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, with no added fat or oil

Salty Labels

Reduced sodium means at least 75% less sodium

Low sodium means 140 milligrams of sodium or less per serving

Very low sodium means 35 milligrams of sodium or less per serving

Sodium free (salt free) means there is less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving

Sweet Labels

Sugar free means there is less than 0.5 gram of sugar per serving

No sugar added means there’s no table sugar added but there may be other forms of sugar like dextrose, fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, or corn syrup

The Low down On Low, Light (Lite), Lean, and Reduced

Reduced calorie on the label means there’s at least 25% fewer calories per serving than in the regular (full calorie) version of the product

Low calorie means 40 calories or less per serving and less than 0.4 calories per gram of food

Light (fat) means 50% or less of the fat than in the regular, full calorie, version

Light (calories) means 1/3 fewer calories than the regular, full calorie, version

Lean (meat, poultry or seafood) means less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol in a 100 gram serving

Extra lean (meat, poultry or seafood) means less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol in a 100 gram serving

Confused???

Confused by the ins and outs of labeling? You’re not alone. Try to be as savvy as possible and do a little investigating. A product sporting a reduced fat label just means that it contains at least 25% less fat than the original version. Unfortunately, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it ends up being a low fat product. Take a reduced fat muffin. If the fat content in the original full fat muffin is 30g and the fat has been reduced to 15g — a 50% reduction which allows it to say it is reduced fat — the reduced fat muffin still has a fat content five times higher than the 3g of fat per serving that officially qualifies as low fat. Check the calorie count and fat breakdown on the nutrition label for more complete info.

Do Fat Free Calories Count?

January 18, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Do you think you are being oh-so-virtuous by grabbing the reduced fat cookies or crackers off of the supermarket shelf? I hate to disillusion you, but sometimes there isn’t a big difference in calories between the low or fat free version and the regular version of the same food.

In many reduced and fat free foods the fat is replaced with flour, sweeteners, or other starches and fillers which make the reduction in calories very small or, sometimes, nonexistent.

Reduced Fat Snack Food Hits The Supermarket Shelves

When fat free and reduced fat foods – especially snack foods like cookies, crackers, and chips hit the market — they were touted as products to help with the rising tide of obesity. Even things like pretzels, marshmallows, and gummy bears, foods that never contained fat to begin with, had “fat free” plastered all over their labels.

These fat and reduced fat foods certainly were not a panacea and consumers began to realize that they weren’t the magic bullet they were hoping for. Consumers choosing these foods were eating less fat — but — they were still eating too many calories.

Calories Are Calories

Whether they’re from fat or carbs or protein, a calorie is a calorie. If you eat more calories than you need you probably will gain weight. Reducing the amount of fat that you eat is one way to limit your overall calorie intake – as long as you don’t replace those fat calories with calories from another source.

Fat Free Is Not Calorie Free

Unfortunately, many people interpret “fat free” as “calorie free.”

Eating reduced or fat free foods isn’t always the answer to losing weight –especially when you eat more of the reduced fat food than you would of the regular one. And, because a lot of fat free foods aren’t very filling, it’s easier to eat a lot of calories and not feel full.

How Many Calories?

Compare the calories in the reduced or fat free versions to the regular version:

Reduced fat peanut butter, 2 tablespoons: 187 calories; Regular peanut butter, 2 tablespoons: 191 calories

3 reduced fat chocolate chip cookies, (30 g): 118 calories; 3 regular chocolate chip cookies, (30 g): 142 calories

2 fat free fig cookies: 102 calories; 2 regular fig cookies: 111 calories

1 small (2½ inch) low fat blueberry muffin: 131 calories; 1 small (2 ½ inch) regular blueberry muffing: 138 calories

2 tablespoons fat free caramel topping: 103 calories; 2 tablespoons homemade (with butter) caramel topping: 103 calories

½ cup fat free vanilla frozen yogurt (<1% fat): 111 calories; ½ cup whole milk vanilla frozen yogurt (3-4% fat): 133 calories

Low fat cereal bar: 130 calories; Regular cereal bar: 140 calories

16 Low Fat Wheat Thins: 130 calories; 16 regular wheat thins: 150 calories

3 low fat Oreo cookies: 150 calories; 3 original Oreo cookies: 160 calories

If It’s Low In Fat Does It Mean It’s Low in Calories?

May 18, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 1 Comment

Does Low Fat = Low Calorie?

No, No, and No!

What Does Low Fat and Low Calorie Mean?

Here’s the FDA definitions:

Low Fat – 3 grams fat or less per serving
Reduced or Less Fat — at least 25% less fat per serving than the “regular” full-fat food
Fat Free – Less than 0.5 gram of fat per serving
Low Calorie – Less than 40 calories per serving
Calorie Free – Less than 5 calories per serving
Light — At least 50% less fat or 1/3 fewer calories per serving than the “regular” full-fat version

Check The Serving Size, The Fat Grams, And the Calories

Remember to check the serving size listed on the Nutrition Facts panel of your food. If the food comes without a label there are tons of online resources to check portion sizes and the nutrition facts. Here’s a muffin example: the package label on a box of muffins lists the fat content – for one muffin – as 20 grams. If the fat content per muffin is reduced to 15 grams per muffin, the muffin can be called reduced fat but it is still has five times more fat (in grams) than the 3g per serving that fits the guidelines for low fat.

When The Fat Comes Out – What Goes In?

Mostly sugar. In a lot of low fat and fat free foods, sugar, flour, and other full calorie ingredients, replace the fat. Consequently, there’s very little, if any, reduction in calories.

Check these out:

Peanut Butter, 2 tablespoons:

Regular: 190 calories, 16g fat

Reduced fat: 190 calories, 12g fat

Wheat Thins (16 crackers):

Regular: 150 calories, 6g fat

Low Fat Wheat Thins: 130 calories; 4g fat

Oreos (3 cookies):

Original: 160 calories, 7g fat

Low Fat Oreos: 150 calories, 4.5g fat

Fig Newtons (2 cookies):

Regular: 110, 2g fat

Fat free: 100 calories, 0g fat

Granola (1/2 cup):

Regular: 210 calories, 6g fat

Low fat granola: 160 calories, 2.2g fat

Tortilla Chips (1 oz.):

Regular: 141 calories, 7.3g fat

Light tortilla chips: 132 calories, 4.3g fat

SocialDieter Tip:

Just because a product says it’s low fat or fat free don’t go hog wild and eat it with no concern. There often isn’t much of a caloric difference between a low or fat free version of a food and the regular version because the fat that’s taken out is usually replaced with some full calorie combination of sugar and starch.