New Nutritional Rating Labels

An honest and good rating nutritional labeling system would be ideal to resolve many issues such as:

- Healthier purchasing

- Losing weight

- Increased health benefits

- Saving money due to less illnesses

ONQI, known as the Overall Nutrition Quality Index seems logical and helpful. However is really just some common sense. It rates food products based on a number system from 1-100, with 100 being the healthiest. This type of labeling system seems logical and the most beneficial at this time as long as every product for consumption is included for it to be the best useful system. To make it even easier than having to compare the rating between isles would be to have a rating brochure. This could be looked over and products could be decided on for purchase before getting to the isle.

The FDA mandates products to have their product labels to contain content information. However are still confusing. Some of these new shelf labels are not FDA approved and are created from the product makers. In that sence it would add confusion and can be misleading. Many of the products today will advertise something healthy, like that is has no trans fat, or low in carbohydrates but is it really a healthy product? Sure the advertised nutrient that it contains is a healthy option but what other contents could be outweighed with its unhealthiness. Is the product really a healthy choice or not?

New food labels could help make healthier food choices. Food contents have a lot of controversy behind it. Purchased food are made for a healthy option believed in the product or advertised in the product but the unhealthy contents are not quit as known to many of us. So not all products purchased are as healthy as believed. There may be the healthy contents in the product but what about the unhealthy contents that outweigh the healthy portion of the product. The nutritional and ingredients label information supplied on products are still difficult to understand what each ingredient actually is. This becomes a hassle and causes laziness to take time to read the information provided to determine if it is healthy or not. However I feel strongly about that every product for consumption must be included for it to be the best useful system in this nutritional labeling system.

Most of us know that most organic or fresh foods or healthy choices. The processed foods are the ones that cause most of the concern for healthiness. Many healthy foods lose some or all of its healthy benefits from being thru processing. There are controversy on certain ingredients, some say that they are healthy for one reason or another while others say that it is not.

Personally I feel the best labeling system is one that will help decipher all ingredients in the product as a whole for healthiness. That would be used for every nutritional product not a selected few. It also should be approved thru the FDA and conducted honestly so that the healthiness of a product is clear. Especially when trying to make a purchase by comparison.

Many ingredients use terminology that the average person are not familiar with. Sure the labels are less complicated than they use to be but still have some confusing terminology for example with the additives.

Some people claim that this new labeling system will add confusion. I agree with so unless it is a system such as INQI as stated above. It would be a better option to making healthier choices other than doing it on your own. It also would add convenience to having to save some time on reading every product label. Those on special diets or allergies to certain ingredients would still have to take the extra time and read each individual product label.

If people would have such a labeling system in place and would truly follow these label suggestion ratings much would be gained. Eating more wholesome food will help our bodies feel better as well as maintain more appropriate weight. This in result will improve the overall health of our community. On this positive note, it will also save on physician appointments and medications used for illnesses and diseases that can be avoided or improved by a healthier diet.