Weighty Words

The term "healthy," as it's used on food products, is defined by the federal Food and Drug Administration, and the word can't legally be used on foods that don't meet that definition. The word "natural," on the other hand, is not.

Now, you might think that anything that's marked "natural" is, by its very nature, healthful. But that's definitely not the case.

Confused? Well, then you may or may not be gratified to learn that a food that meets the legal definition for "healthy" may not be natural.

Welcome to the world of food labeling, where, it's safe to say, not everything is as it would appear to be.

First, let's discuss "healthy." Laura Kruskall, a registered dietitian and director of nutrition sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the FDA definition for healthy applies to "an individual food that is low in fat and low in saturated fats and has no more than 360 to 480 milligrams of sodium or 60 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. And it must provide at least 10 percent of the daily value for vitamin A, vitamin C, protein, calcium, iron or fiber."

In a nutshell, Kruskall said, that means it's "low in the bad stuff, but also must have stuff that's good for you."

Fair enough. But then we come to "natural," which has no legal definition, and which is one of those words that make people think a food is good for you, when in reality it may not be.

" 'Natural' is a good one," said Mary Wilson, a registered dietitian and extension nutrition specialist with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. "What does that really mean? It means nothing. I always kind of say: 'Gee, hemlock's natural. Would you want to eat that?' "

"Beef can be natural, but it can contain a lot of saturated fats," Kruskall said.

Even the marketing guys see the problem.

"They will take a lot of liberties," said Richard George, a professor of food marketing at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia and author of several books on the subject. "The role of food companies is to try to influence our behavior. They want us to buy often and they want us to buy their brand."

It's important, George and the dietitians agreed, to read labels for the nutritional content of a food -- and also to really think about what you're contemplating eating. Such is the case with olive oil, noted Joanna Gorman, a registered dietitian at University Medical Center, because people often don't think about how much they use. Since the fat in olive oil is monounsaturated, people think they can consume as much of it as they want and don't think about the fact that it has as many calories as other types of oil, she said.

Another: "granola," Gorman said. "For some reason it's been touted as being really healthy for you, but it's almost like a candy bar, it's so high in sugar, very little fiber, lots of processing."

"I wouldn't use it," Wilson said, "because the portion ends up being so much lower than I want. It's just high in calories -- not worth it."

And then there's frozen yogurt.

"A lot of people think that's a lot healthier" than ice cream, Gorman said, "but the frozen stuff doesn't have live cultures, which maintain the digestive system."

"Organic" is another source of confusion. While it does have a legally restricted definition, a lot of people don't know what it is.

"I've encountered a number of people who believe that 'organic' means it's more nutritious, which may not be the case," Wilson said.

While the FDA's definition is too long and complicated for the purposes of this story, it has a lot to do with pesticides and fertilizers. "It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the nutritional content," Kruskall said.

The popular term "whole grains" may or may not signify a healthful food.

" 'Made with whole grain' has become very meaningless," Wilson said. "It will say 'eight grams of whole grain,' which for the average consumer is pretty darn meaningless. Turn the box around and see where 'whole grain' comes in the list" of ingredients. "If it's not the first one, I put it back on the shelf."

"Lucky Charms says 'whole grain' on the package," Kruskall noted. "It's not exactly the best choice in cereal; the fiber content is not that high."

"I love cheese," Gorman said, "but unfortunately it's loaded with saturated fat and sodium. It does have the protein and the calcium, but people think if they eat a lot of cheese, it's better than eating meat. They're better off eating hummus and peanut butter, which have the protein but not the saturated fats."

Pretzels are another negligible choice, she said.

"They're low in fat," Gorman said, "but they're also low in nutrition. They're basically empty calories, and tend to make us hungry."

That bran muffin that seems like such a great breakfast choice? Gorman said even if it's fat-free and sugar-free, it may contain 500 to 600 calories.

"Fat free: A lot of people think that means it's calorie-free, which of course we know is not the case," Wilson said.

Some people also are misled by the word "light," even if it's not touted as "lite." Wilson said her own mother used to think that light olive oil was lower in calories than regular.

Honey gets a little sticky as well.

"People think because it's natural" -- there's that word again -- "it's a lot healthier for them," Gorman said. "But it's still sugar. It really doesn't have enough nutritional value to make it a healthy food."

And then there are the energy bars, energy drinks and vitamin-enriched waters. Much of the time, they said, they're chock-full of additives such as caffeine and sugar.

" 'Energy' is often misused," Kruskall said. "It really just refers to calories. Any product that has calories in it contains energy. A Twinkie is an energy bar."

Sorting it all out, they said, is up to the consumer.

"The manufacturers push the envelope as far as they can," George said. "Consumers need to read the label, flip it around and see what it really says.

"If we don't do a better job of education, then we have to deal with public policymakers, and nobody wants to do that."

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@review journal.com or 702-383-0474.