Based on the reports of a study released by the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Americans are confused by food labels. The inability to understand what food labels mean could attribute to the rate of obesity in the United States.
The evaluation involved some 200 patients from divergent socioeconomic ranges. The survey asked the participants to interpret the meanings of various food labels. From the proper serving to the amount of specific nutrients, the results of the study were bleak. For instance, a little more than 35 percent of the subjects understood how to calculate amount of carbohydrates in a 20-ounce bottle of soda.
Researcher contend that medical care providers should educate their patients on the importance of understanding and following food labels for portion control. Other researchers think itŐs an opportunity for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to manage the design of food labels to enhance the American publicŐs awareness nutrition.
Some of the conflict can be blamed on how supplement and functional foods industries seek approval from the FDA to give products credibility. On the contrary, healthy products not approved by the FDA tenuously phrase food and supplement labels to tout benefits of their products.
The food labeling debate is fueled by both supplement and food manufacturers (in example American Longevity). Companies argue that the FDA should be more lenient about health claims because it is falls under our constitutional rights to free speech.
Alternatively, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) counters that food label confusion could incite the population to either not eat adequate amounts of nutrition or too much.
Food Label Diet Tip: For a better understanding on how much nutrition is enough, visit the United StateŐs food pyramid site at Mypyramid.gov.
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