Myth Busting Heart Health Claims Kari Ikemoto, DTR Keene State College Dietetic Intern

Objectives  Identify heart health food label claims and know when they are misleading.  Learn about the latest research and diet trends to reduce the risk of heart disease  Learn how to read food labels to make heart healthy choices

What are they trying to sell you?

Las Vegas Hotel

What are they trying to sell you?

Special K Cereal

What are they implying?  Health Claim Commercial Health Claim Commercial Ingredients: Sugar, Modified Palm Oil, Hazelnuts, Cocoa, Skim Milk, Reduced Minerals, Whey (Milk), Lecithin as emulsifier (soy), Vanillin (an artificial flavor)

Ask yourself…. What is this ad implying? What is it trying to sell you? Who is this targeting? Does it make you feel like it’s a healthy choice? What is being marketed?

Compare and Contrast Oscar Mayer Selects Chicken Breast Hot Dog  Ingredients: Chicken breast with rib meat, Water, Corn syrup, Cultured dextrose*, Contains less than 2% of salt, Cultured celery juice*, Vinegar*, Sodium phosphates, Garlic powder, Sugar, Onion powder, Cherry powder, Lemon juice solids, Natural flavor, Dextrose, Yeast extract. *Ingredients to preserver quality  Nutrition Facts: Serving size 53 g, servings per container 8, Calories 80, Calories from fat 50, Total fat 5 g, Saturated fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 30 mg, Sodium 400 mg, Total sugar 1 g, Protein 7 g Chicken breast  Ingredients: Chicken  Nutrition Facts: Serving size 2 oz, Calories 92, Total fat 2g, Saturated fat 1 g, Cholesterol 47 mg, Sodium 220 mg, Total sugar 0 g, Protein 17 g

Heart Health Food Label Claims

ClaimMeaning Low Calorie40 kcal or less/ serving Low Cholesterol20 mg or less and 2 grams or less of saturated fat/serving ReducedAt least 25% less of the specified nutrient or calories than the usual product Good source ofProvides at least 10-19% of the Daily Value of a particular vitamin or nutrient/serving Calorie freeLess than five calories/serving Fat free/sugar freeLess than ½ gram of fat or sugar/serving Low sodium140 mg or less of sodium/serving High InProvides 20 percent or more of the Daily Value of a specified nutrient/serving High fiber5 or more grams of fiber/serving

Sodium  The recommendation for sodium for Americans in 2000 mg/day  This is less than a teaspoon  For people with high blood pressure, the recommendation is less than 1500 mg/day  One serving of food should have less than 300 mg of sodium  Processed and packaged foods are highest in sodium  Canned goods  Frozen dinners  Packaged foods  Restaurant and fast food  The salt shaker

Lets take a look at labels Chicken Noodle Soup  Amount Per Serving (serving size) = 1/2 cup condensed  Calories 60  Fat Calories 20  Total Fat 2g  Sat. Fat 0.5g  Trans Fat 0g  Cholesterol 15mg  Sodium 890mg 25% Less Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup  Amount Per Serving (serving size) = 1/2 cup condensed  Calories 60  Fat Calories 20  Total Fat 2g  Sat. Fat 0.5g  Trans Fat 0g  Cholesterol 15mg  Sodium 660mg

What’s for breakfast?

Quaker Oatmeal to Go Bars  WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, BROWN SUGAR, OAT BRAN CONCENTRATE, RICE FLOUR, OAT FLOUR, SUGAR, MARGARINE (PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL**, SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL**, SALT, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SOY LECITHIN, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA [A PRESERVATIVE], ANNATTO COLOR, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, VITAMIN A PALMITATE), MALTODEXTRIN, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, GLYCERIN, CORN SYRUP, DRIED WHOLE EGGS, MALTED BARLEY EXTRACT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, WATER, SORBITOL, CINNAMON, SODIUM BICARBONATE, MALT (CONTAINS BARLEY, SOY, AND WHEAT COMPONENTS), CORN FLOUR, MALIC ACID, SODIUM ALGINATE, ENZYME MODIFIED SOY PROTEIN, NATURAL MIXED TOCOPHEROLS, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE AND BHT (PRESERVATIVES), ARTIFICIAL COLOR, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, NIACINAMIDE*, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, REDUCED IRON, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID**ONE OF THE B VITAMINS **ADDS A DIETARILY INSIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TRANS FAT

Fiber  To make a claim that a food contains fiber it should contain one or more of the following:  Oat bran  Whole oat flour  Rolled oats  Whole grain barley  Consuming a diet that is rich in fiber from whole grain and other plant based sources will lower cardiovascular disease risk  grams per day  Choose foods that are rich sources of fiber  Legumes  Vegetables  Whole grains  Nuts & seeds  Fruits  Soluble  Gel formation  Insoluble  Colon health

The Really Bad Fats- Trans Fat  Trans fat are dangerous because they lower healthy HDL cholesterol and raise lousy LDL cholesterol  Be wary of front package claiming a product to have no trans fat  Look at the ingredients list  KEY WORD: hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated

The Bad Fats- Saturated Fats

Saturated Fats  These foods are high in the type of fat that will negatively impact your bad cholesterol  Food sources include red meat, full fat dairy, baked goods, butter, palm oil, coconut oil  Key words on the label  Light  Reduced  Often packages will say reduced or lower in fat but that does not mean it will be more nutritious or more heart healthy!  Look to the nutrition facts for guidance  3 g fat for every 100 calories

The Healthy Fats  Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good because they can help improve blood cholesterol levels, ease inflammation, stabilize heart rhythms  Typically liquid at room temperature  PUFAs  Omega 3s  Walnuts, flax seed,  MUFAs  Olive, peanut, and canola oils  Avocado  Almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans  Pumpkin and sesame seeds  One study showed that by replacing a carbohydrate rich diet with one rich in unsaturated fats (MUFAs), it lowered CVD risk.  Choose foods rich in Omega 3’s. Our body can’t make them and must get them from food.

Jif Omega 3 Peanut Butter  Serving size: 2 TBS  Total Fat: 16g Saturated Fat: 3g Trans Fat: 0g  Ingredients: MADE FROM PEANUT BUTTER (ROASTED PEANUTS, SUGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: MOLASSES, FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS [RAPESEED AND SOYBEAN], MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SALT), ANCHOVY* AND SARDINE OIL*, TILAPIA GELATIN, TOCOPHEROLS AND CITRIC ACID (ANTIOXIDANTS). *A TASTELESS, ODORLESS SOURCE OF OMEGA-3 DHA AND EPA.

Match That Nutrient  Fiber  Saturated fat  Trans fats  Healthy fats  Sodium Source: Sophia Martineck (NY Times)

MyPlate Guidelines

Not Just Diet….

Be a food label detective!  Reading food labels can help you to decipher heart health claims  It can help you to choose a more healthful product over another  Key points to look for on labels:  Serving size  Calories  Total fat (in grams)  Sodium  Ingredients  Trans fat

Looking Ahead  The Food Label Modernization Act of 2013  Changes to come to the food label  Potential ideas include:  Clarified serving sizes  Removal of calories from fat  Vitamins updated  Elimination of deceptive claims  What would you like to see?

Heart Health for Life  Be mindful of heart health food label claims and advertisement  Consume healthy fats, fiber, and eliminate trans fats from your diet  Eat a balanced diet- don’t restrict one group over another  Physical activity- FREE MEDICINE!  Yearly physical with your physician  Lipid panel, blood glucose  Know your numbers  Healthy Returns is in early May!

Questions? Kari Ikemoto Available in Fiske Annex for individual Thank you!