Page 197 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

is low relative to how much is recommended in a given day.
For instance, take a can of soup. The reduced-sodium version
could have 870 mg of sodium, whereas the original version had
1,160. That’s 25 percent less, so the “low-sodium” option is cer-
tainly better, but it’s still providing a significant portion of your
2,300 mg daily total.

“Natural”: A few years ago, a Consumer Reports survey found
that 84 percent of consumers thought the word natural on a
food label should mean no artificial ingredients or colors or
toxic pesticides were used, and 82 percent thought it should
mean no genetically modified organisms were used. Surprise!
All of these things have been allowed under the term. The
problem has been the lack of a formal definition for natural.
There are innumerable ways to interpret the vague parameters
the FDA did have in place, which were that a product wouldn’t
contain any synthetic or artificial ingredients “that would not
normally be expected to be in that food.” Thousands of people
weighed in through a comment period that ended in 2016, but
for the true clarity the public needs, the wait continues. Also
problematic is the term natural flavors, since a manufacturer
doesn’t have to specify what those flavors are exactly. If you’re
trying to avoid certain ingredients—like flavoring agents
derived from animals if you’re on a vegan diet, or if you have a
food allergy—this ambiguity can be quite serious.

Structure/function claims: Ever notice a callout on the package
such as “calcium builds strong bones”? That’s an example of a
structure/function claim. It says that a component in the prod-
uct has been linked to a certain function in the body. Often
these claims distract from unhealthy qualities in the product
or are a stretch, to say the least. Since they aren’t regulated by
the FDA, it’s best not to put too much stock in them.

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