Food Labels

NO ADDED SUGAR REDUCED SUGAR: 25% less than the original (which still could be a lot!). LOW SUGAR: Not regulated, could mean anything. NO SUGAR ADDED: Nothing was introduced into the preparation/cooking (Could still be a high sugar food.)

LIGHT/LITE LOW CALORIE: 40 calories or fewer per serving. LIGHT: No formal definition. Can refer to flavor or color with no change in calories.

REDUCED FAT/ LOW FAT/ FAT FREE Low fat means a product contains 3g of fat or less per serving, and 30% or less of total calories. Reduced fat, on the other hand, refers to a product's claim to contain at least 25% less fat than the original version. This does not mean that the reduced fat version is low fat. Take a package of reduced fat muffins, for example. If the original fat content per muffin was 20g, and the fat has been reduced to 15g, it is still five times higher than the 3g per serving that officially qualifies as low fat.

LOW CHOLESTEROL Low-cholesterol label on food has less than 20 mg of cholesterol or 2 grams or less of saturated fat Cholesterol free means that the food must contain fewer than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving

WHOLE GRAIN VS. MULTI GRAIN Multigrain just means a variety of grains were used, but not necessarily whole grains. Whole grains are always the best choice. They contain good fiber and nutrients which otherwise end up getting lost during processing.

FREE RANGE For a product to be labeled "free range" or "cage free" the animals cannot be contained in any way and must be allowed to roam and forage freely over a large area of open land. This level of regulation has allowed producers to keep animals closely confined, but without cages, and still use the label "cage free."

Real Fruit / Fruit Juice “Real” fruit is not the same as “whole fruit.” This could refer to a fruit extract or juice, both of which contain fewer nutrients and more sugar. Also the phrase “made with real fruit” this is not a regulated term so manufacturers can slap this label on anything as long as there is a miniscule trace of fruit in there.

% DI (daily intake)

Glycemic Index The glycemic index, or GI, measures how a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood glucose. Foods are ranked based on how they compare to a reference food — either glucose or white bread. A food with a high GI raises blood glucose more than a food with a medium or low GI.

Low GI Foods (55 or less) 100% stone-ground whole wheat or pumpernickel bread Oatmeal (rolled or steel-cut), oat bran, muesli Pasta, converted rice, barley, Sweet potato, corn, yam, lima/butter beans, peas, legumes and lentils Most fruits, non-starchy vegetables and carrots

Medium GI (56-69) Whole wheat, rye and pita bread Quick oats Brown, wild or basmati rice, couscous

High GI (70 or more) White bread or bagel Corn flakes, puffed rice, bran flakes, instant oatmeal Shortgrain white rice, rice pasta, macaroni and cheese from mix Russet potato, pumpkin Pretzels, rice cakes, popcorn, saltine crackers melons and pineapple