Food Labels … What Food Labels?

You know the food label on the back of all food products?

It’s that table of macromolecules that you are required to balance against a standard 2000 Calorie per Day diet

… every day …

as you separate carbs (good ones versus bad ones),
from your fats (good ones versus bad ones),
and all your vitamin RDAs pro rated against your total daily calorie intake — which you won’t even know until the day is OVER!!??

Given this complexity, the follow study result makes sense.

“About half of consumers never read the nutrition label before purchasing pre-packaged food, according to a new survey”.

Understanding of labels was also limited among consumers with only 32 per cent of the population knowing that there is a difference between salt and sodium and only 10 per cent understanding the difference between energy and calories.

Dr Muireann Cullen, Manager of the NHF, said that “Scientific studies have documented over and over again the role a healthy diet plays in dramatically reducing one’s risk of these diseases and at a time when obesity levels are reaching an all time high, the importance of knowing what you are eating cannot be stressed highly enough.

[however]

“Consumers can sometimes find the information on food packages to be confusing. However, once you learn to read a food label, you’re well on your way to making healthy food choices.”

This is great if you are researcher, and your only job on the planet is to track your macromolecules. The reason for the fall off in “label reading” is simply that normal people with normal lives and normal routines … cannot take the time or brain power to keep up with it all.