New Nutritional Ratings

Finding healthy food can be very difficult if you are not sure of what you are looking for. Since 1941 we have been following a system that was developed for nutritional recommendations of the armed forces, civilians, and overseas population that may have needed food relief during the war. The system was designed to provide energy and eight nutrients. This Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) system was revised every five to ten years, and now includes the different food groups. Now they are calling this system the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) and this system is designed to meet the requirements of 97-98% of healthy individuals. In other words, it's not perfect nor does it address people who are not considered healthy. In the United States alone 30.6% of the population is considered obese, and this does not even include all of the overweight people.

Not saying that our system is great, but at least it is consistent. Now grocery stores and even individual food suppliers can use different methods to rank their foods. One system called the NuVal system rates food from 1-100, with the higher number indicating a healthier food. Another system called Nutrition iQ uses a color coded system to highlight the nutritional content. Unfortunately each system is based on different criteria, and what might be considered healthy according to one system might not be in another system.

On our last trip to the grocery store, my son informed me that he 'needed' Froot Loops. As they picked up the box, my daughter says, "Look Mom, it's healthy" as she points to the ribbon along the bottom of the box stating the fiber content. Granted, my kids do not even understand what fiber is, but the presentation alone sold them. How often does this happen to people? I know that most people do not read labels and understand what is in their food, so they will definitely be deceived by the new systems.

I think that consistency is needed. For example: It is not fair that a company, Kellogg's, can pay for certification with the American Heart Association to get a symbol put on their packaging for Smart Start cereal. This is very deceiving. While the product may be good for your heart, it consequently has 14 grams of sugar per serving. So, what does the consumer who has high blood pressure and diabetes look for?

As a Nutritional Educator, I advise everyone to read labels. You should know what you are eating. If you do not know what an ingredient is, or you cannot pronounce it then you probably should not be putting that in your body. The labels can be helpful so that you can understand the serving size, calories, fat, protein, sodium, and fiber. Processed foods have labels, and processed foods as a whole are generally less healthy choices. Keep this in mind when shopping.

Reference Daily Intake. Wikipedia. 12 January 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_Daily_Intake

Julie Deardorff and Steve Mills. Food Rating Systems: Grocery Stores roll out nutrition rankings. 7 July 2009. Chicago Tribune. 12 January 2010. http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/jul/07/health/chi-food-labels-jul07

Health Statistics: Obesity by country. NationMaster. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity