Understanding Food Terms
If you're trying to control your weight, you'll need to watch what you eat. That means reading food packages and labels. But with so many different terms, it can be confusing.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rules that define the terms food companies can use. Here's a guide to what the terms used on food packages are really telling you:
Free
How you might see it: fat-free, sugar-free, calorie-free
What it really means: This term means that a product does not have any amount of a nutrient, or so little that it's unlikely to make any difference to your body.
Only these nutrients can be described using the term "free":
- Fat
- Saturated fat
- Cholesterol
- Sodium
- Sugars
- Calories
For example, "calorie-free" means less than 5 calories per serving. "Sugar-free" and "fat-free" both mean less than 0.5 g (grams) per serving.
Other terms that mean "free" include "without," "no," and "zero." Another common term for fat-free milk is "skim."
Low
How you might see it: low-fat, low-sodium, low-cholesterol, low-calorie
What it really means: This term can be used on foods that can be eaten often and you still won't get more than the recommended amount of certain nutrients.
The nutrients that can be described with this label are:
- Fat
- Saturated fat
- Cholesterol
- Sodium
- Calories
Other terms that mean "low" include "little," "few," "low source of," and "contains a small amount of."
Here are some specific definitions:
- Low-fat: 3 g (grams) or less per serving
- Low-saturated fat: 1 g or less per serving, with not more than 15% of the calories coming from saturated fat
- Low-sodium: 140 mg (milligrams) or less per serving
- Very low sodium: 35 mg or less per serving
- Low-cholesterol: 20 mg or less and 2 g or less of saturated fat per serving
- Low-calorie: 40 calories or less per serving.
Lean and extra lean
How you might see it: lean beef, extra-lean beef
What it really means: These terms can be used to describe how much fat is in meat, poultry, seafood, and game meats.
- Lean: less than 10 g (grams) fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat, and less than 95 mg (milligrams) cholesterol per serving and per 100 g
- Extra lean: less than 5 g fat, less than 2 g saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving.
High
How you might see it: high calcium, high-fiber
What it really means: This term can be used if the food contains 20% or more of the Daily Value of a certain nutrient per serving. Look for this term if you're trying to get more of a certain nutrient.
"Rich in" and "excellent source of" may also be used.
Good source
How you might see it: Good source of fiber
What it really means: This term means that 1 serving of a food contains 10% to 19% of the Daily Value for a certain nutrient.
Other terms that may be used are "more" or "added."
Reduced
How you might see it: reduced fat, reduced calorie, reduced sodium
What it really means: This term is used when a food has been altered to take out at least 25% of a certain component -- like fat, salt, or calories. Companies may not use the term "reduced" on a product if the original version already meets the requirement for a "low" claim (see above).
Less
How you might see it: less sodium, less fat, 25% less fat than…
What it really means: This term means that a food, whether altered or not, contains 25% less of a nutrient or calories than another food. It could be the "regular" version of the same food, or a different food. For example, pretzels that have 25% less fat than potato chips could carry a "less" claim on their label.
The word "fewer" is also used.
Light
How you might see it: light or lite cream cheese
What it really means: This term can mean 2 things:
- It can mean that a food has been changed so it contains either one-third fewer calories or no more than half the fat of the regular version of this food. If the food gets 50% or more of its calories from fat, then the product must have half the fat of the regular version in order to use the term "light".
- The term "light" can also be used when the sodium (salt) content of a low-calorie, low-fat food has been reduced by 50%. "Light in sodium" may also be used on food in which the sodium content has been reduced by at least 50% even if it isn't low-fat or low-calorie.
The term "light" still can be used to describe such properties as texture and color, as long as the label explains the intent--for example, "light brown sugar" and "light and fluffy."
Look at food labels
Make food labels work for you. Use them when you shop, as you plan your meals, and as you cook each day. The label helps you figure out the amounts of nutrients you’re getting and compare one product to another. Reading and understanding food labels is a good step toward healthy eating.
If you have any other questions about food labels, diet, or nutrition, call your American Cancer Society.
No matter who you are, we can help. Contact us anytime, day or night, for cancer-related information and support. Call us at 1-800-227-2345 or visit
www.cancer.org.
References
American Heart Association. Reading Food Labels. Accessed at www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=334 on February 4, 2011.
HealthCheck Systems. What's In A Food Label? Accessed at www.healthchecksystems.com/label.htm on February 4, 2011.
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health. Tipsheet: Reading Food Labels. Accessed at www.nhlbisupport.com/chd1/tipsheets/reading-labels-tips.htm on February 4, 2011.
US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Labeling & Nutrition. Accessed at www.cfsan.fda.gov/label.htmlon February 4, 2011.
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