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Patti Dollarhide
Patti Dollarhide a dietitian and Director of Nutrition Services at Via Christi Regional Medical Center, has worked in healthcare for the past 20 years. She was raised on a Kansas farm enjoying a bounty of fresh foods and is currently working to help people uncomplicate the maze of nutrition information to promote health and wellness. She is a member of the Society for Healthcare Food Service Management and has been recognized by the industry for her leadership and innovation in implementing new programs. She can be contacted by e-mail at www.patti_dollarhide@via-christi.org
Diet & Nutrition
2002-06-01 14:42:00
About food labels
Question:   How are calories determined or calculated that appear on a label at the grocery store?
Answer:  Manufacturers are responsible for nutrition labeling values on their products.  If manufacturers choose to use ingredient databases, they should check the accuracy of the databases and validate the results by comparing them with values for the same foods obtained from laboratory analysis.  Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifies the laboratory methods that will be used to evaluate the accuracy of the labeled products, FDA does not specify acceptable sources for the labeled values. If you are one of the many Americans trying to fit your favorite foods into a healthful diet, food labels provide a wealth of information to help you determine how to budget your calories. Before this century, food labels barely identified a container's content. Not only were buyers uncertain what ingredients were used to make a product, but quality was also often under suspicion. Modern technology and customer demand has definitely driven some improvements.  Now on nearly all labels you will find a nutrition panel called "Nutrition Facts." The label was developed by the FDA to help identify nutrients that impact health and to provide guidelines for nutrient claims.Calories are only one piece of the nutrition puzzle.  When comparing calorie content of different foods, you also may want to know the serving size, fat content, cholesterol content as well as the ingredient list.   Don't be misled by focusing on only one nutrient such as fat - there may be a lot of sugar or salt added to replace the flavor. Reading the label can help you make informed decisions about how you spend your calories - and create a well-balanced diet.  It may seem complicated at first, but by using food label information to select foods that are high in nutrients, you will be in control of making better food choices and meeting 100% of the nutritional requirements you deserve.  For more information, check out http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/foodlabel/newlabel.html http://www.eatright.org/
 
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