Basic ‘labelese’ for beginners

Some of us can be very label-conscious when it comes to clothes Names like Prada, Versace, Issey Miyake or even Ann Demeulemeester are not alien to us. But what about the labels on the food – one of three basic necessities along with clothes – that we stuff into bodies day after day? They say that what you don’t know won’t hurt you. But in this case, what you don’t know may harm you.

Here’s a basic "labelese" guide for beginners as some labels can indeed be misleading, courtesy of Earl Mindell’s book Safe Eating. Please add the following to your food vocabulary:

• Diet (or dietetic) – Simply put, the food contains no more than 40 calories per serving. By no means does it mean that the food is low in sugar, sucrose, sodium or even fat. Generally it isn’t, unless the product is meant for use in a specific type of restricted diet.

Asthmatics, allergic persons and hyperactive children must be wary.

• Light (or lite) – This means it’s got one-third fewer calories than the regular product (which could be a lot more than you thought) or that it doesn’t have more than 40 calories per serving (which could be a lot less than you thought. Of course, it can also mean lighter in syrup density or color or salt content. As most of us don’t bother reading the fine print, we assume that all light – or lite – products are all right as they’re low in calories.

Hypertensives and dieters should take note.

• Light (or lean) – Generally, this means a 25 percent calorie reduction from the regular product. The label should give a comparison with the regular product. Then again, for those watching their fat intake, light ain’t always right. Those lean meats still get about 70 percent of their calories from fat. Particularly vulnerable are dieters, those with cardiovascular or gastrointestinal problems.

• Light beer or wine – Light beer usually contains one-third fewer calories than its regular counterpart, but not always (now, that’s just beer-y bad). Light can also refer to other things like the beer’s body, color or taste. Basically, the same goes for wine. Light wine contains no more than 14 percent alcohol, but then not many table wines do. Weight watchers may find themselves a bit giddy because there are no requirements for how few calories a "light" beer or wine must contain. Be forewarned, dieters!

• Low calorie – Any product with this label should have no more than 40 calories per serving. Fair enough. What isn’t fair is the serving sizes. Sometimes, manufacturers change them so that what may formerly have been a single serving could now be two.

• Reduced calorie – This is a product which has one-third fewer calories per serving than one in its standard form. Quite deceptive, since the product can still have a higher calorie content than foods that are naturally low in calories.

• Low fat – A product with this label must have at least 25 percent less fat than a similar product. But for most packaged foods, this can mean nothing. "Low fat" is a term that’s loosely used by manufacturers, thus misleading those who are particularly careful about their calorie/cholesterol intake.Talk about big fat liars!

• Low sodium – The product should have no more than 140 mg. per serving. But again, this could be misleading for consumers who may be unaware that former serving sizes might be nearly half their present ones, as in many of your favorite soups. Watch out, pregnant women, those with high blood pressure or cardiovascular problems!

• Sodium free – By no means is the product free of sodium; it’s just that a serving has fewer than 5 mg.

• Unsalted, salt free and no salt added – Nope, no salt was added during processing. But yes, these products can still contain tons of sodium.

• No artificial flavors – Products with this label can (and do) still contain artificial colors and preservatives though it is assumed that these are natural and additive-free.

Consumer alert: Pregnant and lactating women as well as hyperactive children.

• No preservatives – These products that claim they contain no preservatives may actually have them (through the ingredients used in making the products) plus the artificial colors and additivies.

• No cholesterol – Now, this one’s one of the most abused words used by manufacturers to separate consumers from their money. The truth is, the label is simply meaningless when used on foods of plant origin like peanut butter because only foods of animal origin have cholesterol. And no cholesterol doesn’t necessarily mean no fat as cholesterol is just one type of fat.

• Natural or all natural – When used on meat or poultry label, it means the product doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients or chemical preservatives. But on other products, this definition doesn’t hold water as rarely is a product chemical or additive-free.

• Naturally sweetened – This is just another term used by manufactuers to sweet-talk consumers. Whether it’s sweetened by honey, brown sugar or corn syrup, a "naturally sweetened" product is neither necessarily lower in calories nor better for your health.

• Sugarless or sugar free – It’s free of sugar (sucrose) all right, but not other sweeteners (like mannitol, sorbital, fructose). Thus, such products can contain just as many calories as those with sugar.

Note: Mannitol and sorbitol can cause cramps, gas, bloating and diarrhea.

• Wheat bread, crackers or cereal – Manufacturers can call their product "natural wheat" or "stone ground wheat," but unless "whole wheat" is first on the list of ingredients, consumers are only getting half truths and certainly not the whole wheat.