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Natural All Natural and Food Labels: Not Ready for Prime Time

By Joe Cannon 2 Comments

Have you noticed all those foods these days that have the word “Natural” or “All Natural” on their labels. To be honest, the word “Natural” and/or “All Natural” don’t really mean much when compared to other food label claims like “Healthy”, “ Low in Saturated Fat”, “Good Source”, “100% Whole Wheat” and others. In America, labels like  these are tied to legal definitions. For example, to say “zero trans fats” the food, by law, must contain less than ½ gram per serving. Foods that have more than this cannot say “zero trans fats”.

Truth be told, there no legal definition of the word natural foods or all natural foods. That doesn’t mean that the food is bad or that somebody is trying to bamboozle you. All natural food lable Rather it’s just capitalism, which is one of the foundations of the American democracy. But you have to be cautious when you see natural or all natural because anybody can list it on a  food label. My rule of thumb is that when I see a food touted as natural I wonder if that was all they could say. In other words, are they saying the food is natural because there was nothing else good they could legally say about the food.

Look Beyond The Label

When I see the natural claim being made on a food label, I always look to see what else the label tells me. For example, I like to check out the Daily Values – those percentages that are on the right side of the food label. An easy tip for reading the Daily Values is to remember that:

20% or more means it is high in that nutrient

and

5% or less means it’s low in that nutrientnutrition label

 

So, if I see 20% or more (or even close to 20%) next to saturated fat, I  avoid that food. If I see 20% or more next to something good (like calcium for example), that’s something I might purchase. In the picture to the right you see that the food (whatever it is) has a Daily Value of 16% total fat. That's high in my book. But it's also giving you 15% of your Daily Value for your saturated fat! Wow! It's almost high in saturated fat too! Probably not a food you want to eat a lot of.

Now that you know this trick you won't fall for All Natural ever again. So go check what’s in your kitchen and see how good of a shopper you are!

 

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Filed Under: Nutrition

Comments

  1. Joe Cannon says

    April 27, 2011 at 8:34 pm

    Jerry thanks I apprecaite the feedback 🙂

    Reply
  2. Jerry says

    April 24, 2011 at 5:40 am

    Very true! Makes a change to see someone spell it out like that. 🙂

    Reply

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I'm Joe Cannon. I hold an MS in exercise science and a BS in chemistry and biology.

I've been quoted in the New York Times and Daily Beast to name a few. I've even lectured to the NASA community.

I'm the author of the first book on rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) & exercise. I've conducted over 1,000 fitness certification classes.

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Joe Cannon, MS has written for several publications including The Journal of Strength and Conditioning, Today's Dietitian, and Prevention. He's been quoted in the New York Times, lectured to NASA and has been a content consultant for Dateline NBC. He's the author of the first book ever published on rhabdomyolysis and exercise. Joe Cannon, has a BS in Chemistry and Biology and a MS in Exercise Science. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and a personal trainer certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
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