Big News: choosing healthy foods may become a lot easier

If you didn't catch the news yesterday, allow me to bring you up to speed on the FDA's proposal for an updated nutrition label— but first, some background:

If there's one thing I'm constantly urging, it's for people to read the nutrition labels on food products before dropping them into the shopping cart. Given how deceiving various manufactured foods can be in claiming to be healthy, it's incredibly important that we review the contents listed on the backside of the package. I've come to realize, though, that labels aren't necessarily straightforward or easy to understand.

For example, unless you'd done prior research, would you know off-hand that dextrose, a commonly listed ingredient, is actually a form of added sugar? Or that a grain isn't guaranteed to be a whole grain unless explicitly stated as whole? Does anyone know off the top of their head what a 30 gram serving looks like? And would you think it necessary to check the serving size on a standard bottle of your choice beverage? Upon review, you might be surprised to learn that a typical bottle contains two or three servings, even though it may appear to contain one. It's these such discrepancies that have millions of us unknowingly consuming excess amounts of fat, sugar, and calories, and why the FDA plans to update their nutrition label.

Among the proposed changes for the revamped label, you'll find:

• Serving sizes would be altered based on how consumers realistically eat
• Calories per serving would be featured in larger print
• The amount of added sugars would be stated (differentiating from those that are naturally occurring)
• Overall percentages of vitamins and nutrients would be prominently listed to the left of the label
• Serving size would become more visible
• Manufactures would be required to state the given amounts of vitamin D, potassium, iron, and calcium present, better helping us meet our daily-recommended intakes

Getting the boot from the label would be the line indicating calories from fat in order to place the focus on overall calories per serving. According to CNN's report, nutritionists care more about the type of fat you're consuming than the calories that come from fat. That being said, information on the amounts of total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat would remain present on the new label.

This is major (and long overdo) progress, people. It's about time the guesswork was taken out of healthy eating! Granted, none of these changes have been set in stone; a 90-day option period will take place in which others can voice their thoughts on the new nutrition label. Following this, the FDA will make a final decision. There are surely additional improvements that can be made, as noted by the University of North Carolina's Professor of Nutrition, Barry Popkin, but steps are definitely being taken in the right direction.

For more information, check out the FDA's article by clicking the link here!