Think cereal is healthy? Think again when it comes to these not-so-magnificent seven

We blogged recently about proposed new food labeling requirements that would allow foods to be labeled “healthy” if they met certain criteria for salt, fat and sugar content, along with other requirements. Pundits already are looking at what those rules would mean for certain groups of products, like breakfast cereals.

CNBC.com recently reported that these seven cereals would not be considered healthy under the new rules:

Raisin Bran (9g of added sugars)
Honey Nut Cheerios (12g of added sugars)
Corn Flakes (300mg of sodium; 4g of added sugars)
Honey Bunches of Oats, Honey Roasted (8g of added sugars)
Frosted Mini Wheats (12g of added sugars)
Life (8g of added sugars)
Special K (270mg of sodium; 4g of added sugars)

“For a healthy stamp from the FDA, cereals have to contain three-fourth ounces of whole grains and no more than 1 gram of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium and 2.5 grams of added sugars,” CNBC reports.

These are only the tip of the unhealthy iceberg, expect a lot more processed foods to be called out if these new labeling rules get enacted.

October 19, 2022 0

What’s healthy? New rules are coming from the FDA to help answer that question

The Food and Drug Administration has new rules proposed for labeling foods healthy, rules that go to salt, fat and sugar content. These rules will allow foods to put labels on the front instead of the back of their packaging and to call themselves “healthy” if they meet the new criteria, reports the Washington Post.

A comparison of old and newly proposed nutrition panels on food labels.A comparison of old and newly proposed nutrition panels on food labels.A comparison of old and newly proposed nutrition panels on food labels. — *Expect to see nutrition claims on the front of packaging under new FDA guidelines.*

“Under the proposal, manufacturers can label their products “healthy” if they contain a meaningful amount of food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups (such as fruit, vegetable or dairy) recommended by the dietary guidelines. They must also adhere to specific limits for certain nutrients, such as saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. For example, a cereal would need to contain three-quarters of an ounce of whole grains and no more than 1 gram of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium and 2.5 grams of added sugars per serving for a food manufacturer to use the word “healthy” on the label.” the Post reports.

It’s good to see salt content getting more attention, maybe now we’ll start to see some meaningful reductions in salt content for processed foods.

Sadly in recent years, even food and what is healthy have become political footballs. The Obama administration was strongly behind improving school lunch menus and encouraging children especially to develop healthier diets. The Trump administration abandoned those efforts. The Biden administration seems to again be addressing America’s obesity epidemic and poor eating habits. Hopefully, that will continue even if Republicans regain control of Congress in the upcoming mid-term elections.

October 18, 2022 0

People still don’t get the connection between salt consumption and poor health

I’ve written about how food processors are not increasing the number of products they sell that have low-sodium claims on them. Maybe its because people still don;t seem to get how harmful all the salt they consume is.

A new survey found that while 64% of Americans know eating too much salt is unhealthy only 37% say they track their salt consumption.

You can read more about the survey — the site won’t let me take excerpts for my blog — by clicking here.

And if you’d like to know the difference between all the salt claims you see on food packages, check this Cooking Light guide to salt claims.

March 17, 2022 0

Nutrition claims will continue to ignore low-salt

Food processors have been rolling out lots of low- and no-sugar products during the pandemic but not low-salt ones, said speakers at a 2022 food outlook presentation hosted by The Food Institute.

The pandemic has Americans thinking more about wellness and good nutrition, but that apparently hasn’t gotten them to realize they eat much more salt than they need every day.

Younger consumers also are concerned about sustainability, so sales of products with sustainability claims are likely to increase as Millennials’ buying power increases over the next five to six years, speakers said. Expect more meat-substitute products as well, including lab-grown offerings created cell-by-cell to resemble fish.

Looking at restaurants, the prediction was that restaurant sales levels would not return to what they were pre-pandemic in 2019 until 2023.

Speakers at the presentation included an old boss of mine, Joan Driggs, now vice president, content and thought leadership at IRI, a market research firm. We worked together at Mintel, another market research firm and were both journalists in our former lives.

Other scheduled speakers were:

Mike Kostyo
Trendologist and Senior Managing Editor, Datassential

Chris Dubois
Senior Vice President, Protein Practice Leader, IRI

January 25, 2022 1

Why you have to read the nutrition label — a barbecue sauce comparison

I have repeatedly harped on the importance of reading food labels so you can stay on a low-salt, low-fat, low-sugar diet. And I’ve created an entire page of low-salt, low-fat, low-sugar products that I use regularly since my heart issues began in 2012.

With summer hear and all of us grilling outside again, reading labels becomes even more important for products you might not be using in winter, like barbecue sauce.

*Always read nutrition labels. Look how much more salt and sugar are in one barbecue sauce compared with another.*

Take a look at these pictures of two brands — Localfolks low-salt, low-sugar barbecue sauce, and a store brand, Signature Select (an Albertson’s house brand). I use nothing by Localfolks now, but happened the get the Signature Select bottle free ina recent store give-away.

A serving of the Signature select, 37 grams, has 260 mgs of sodium and 12 grams of sugar, 14 grams of carbs if you count those as well.

The Localfolks measures one serving as an ounce, which is 28.34 grams, so about a third less. Still, it has only 30 mgs of sodium and 4 grams of sugar, five grams of carbs. Even adding a third to that gets you to only 40 mgs of sodium and about five and a third of sugar.

Salt and sugar hide in all processed foods, that’s wehy most Americans eat more than they should. Read those food labels, and happy grilling!

July 14, 2021 2

Meals kits are getting popular but beware the hidden salt!

Meal kits, which have all the ingredients for a given night’s dinner, are gaining in popularity, especially among younger consumers who may not have very developed cooking skills. Several companies will deliver them to people’s home and now supermarkets are stocking their own versions. The idea may sound appealing, but beware and, as always, read the ingredient labels before buying any.

Doing that myself, I found what seemed like a relatively appealing kit — with pasta and tomatoes, was a salt bomb, containing 1,320 mgs of salt per serving or 2620 mgs in the entire package which is supposed to be two servings. Continue reading “Meals kits are getting popular but beware the hidden salt!” →

April 9, 2019 1

What the dates on food actually mean

If you’ve ever felt confused about the dates on food products, you’re not alone. Roughly 84% of consumers toss a product if the date on the package, whether called “Use by” or “Sell by” or “best if used by” is reached or passes, found a study of 1,029 consumers done back in 2016, reports the journal Waste Management.

The problem is those terms are not regulated, so food processors are free to sue whatever language they want. And they say the dates just indicate “peak flavor” or when a store should stop displaying a product. None of the terms relates to food safety, reports a story on the survey in Time.

So how do you know when food is spoiled? Follow the old expression “The Nose Knows,” the article suggests. If something smells bad, it is. If it taste bad or looks bad (IE visible mold), toss it.

It’s still consumer beware.

March 11, 2019 0

Smart shopping in the frozen food aisle

Winter can be a tough time to find fresh fruits and vegetables at a reasonable price, depending on where you live (I’m in the Chicago are and its below freezing as I write this, so nothing is growing here right now except ice patches).

Frozen fruits and vegetables can be an acceptable alternative,m providing you don’t buy offerings that have any added salt, fat and sugar. avoid frozen veggies in sauces, for example.

The Food Network has a handy slide show of 10 Frozen Foods Nutritionists Always Buy. Continue reading “Smart shopping in the frozen food aisle” →

February 26, 2019 0

More bad news for eating processed foods

It’s no secret Americans, particularly Millennials, are turning away from processed foods in droves. Recent earnings woes at processing giant Kraft Heinz point to that as does a weak profit forecast from Coca-Cola.

The perimeter of the supermarket, where fresh fruits, meats and seafood are sold, is becoming the main circuit for shoppers while the central core of most stores, where the higher-margin processed foods sit, is being ignored.

My low-salt, low-fat, low-sugar pantry. Are these healthy? For me, they are. Read every label before buying any food products.

A new study from France adds to the motivation to just shop the perimeter, if you go to mainstream supermarkets at all.

French researchers looked at “the diet of more than 44,000 middle-aged adults over a roughly eight-year period and found that a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed food consumption was linked to a 14% increase in the risk of mortality,” reports Cooking Light magazine. Continue reading “More bad news for eating processed foods” →

February 25, 2019 0

Find the hidden sugar…and help yourself eat healthier

Salt, incredibly high amounts of salt, hides in almost all processed and restaurant foods. That’s why I spend so much time looking at food labels and writing here about low- and no-salt alternatives to salty products. Check my smart shopping page and my ingredients page for those.

I've found two brands of low-sodium,low-sugar ketchup, Westbrae and LocalFolks Foods. — I’ve found two brands of low-sodium,low-sugar ketchup, Westbrae and LocalFolks Foods.

But sugar also hides in many foods and these days nutritionists think too much sugar may do as much if not more harm to your body as too much salt does. Continue reading “Find the hidden sugar…and help yourself eat healthier” →

October 13, 2018 1

Category: food labels