Paye 8 The Portland Observer July 4, 1990
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FOO D
S E C T IÄ N
Tips to Deciphering Misleading Labels
Reading between the lines can
help reduce your risk of heart and blood
vessel diseases.
The first step is to read food la
bels carefully.
“ It’s important to know what
you’re eating. Reading food labels and
understanding them is an important p an
of controlling risk o f heart and blood
vessel diseases,” said Victor Menashe,
M.D., President o f the American Heart
Association, Oregon A ffiliate, Inc.
Consuming excessive amounts
of cholesterol and saturated fats can in
crease your risk of heart and blood ves
sel diseases. U nderstanding these in
gredients is an important part o f read
ing labels.
Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like
substance found in all animal products
(meat, fish, poultry) and is especially
high in egg yolks and organ meats.
The fats found in your food are
not all exactly alike in either type or
impact on cardiovascular disease.
Saturated fats usually harden
at room temperature and are found in
animal products and in some vegetable
products. Coconut oil, cocoa butter,
palm oil and palm kernel oil are also
sources of saturated fa t
Polyunsaturated fats are oils
from vegetable products such as saf
flower and sunflow er seeds, com and
soybeans. They help lower blood cho
lesterol.
Monounsaturated fats are liq
uid vegetable oils such as canola and
olive oils. New research indicates that
they may also help reduce blood cho
lesterol.
Only saturated and polyunsatu
rated fats are listed on labels. Although
m onounsaturated fats may make up a
large portion o f the total fat in food,
they are not listed separately.
Cholesterol does not have to
be listed on food labels. I f itis lis te d .it
m ust be shown as milligrams (mg.) of
cholesterol per serving and as m illi
gram s per 100 gram s of food.
Sodium is another food ingre
dient that you should monitor closely.
Excessive intake of table salt and other
products high in sodium content can
lead to high blood pressure, which is a
risk factor for a heart attack or stroke.
How much fat, cholesterol and
sodium should you consume?
The AHA recommends that
total fat intake should be less than 30
percent o f calories. Saturated fat should
be less than 10 percent o f calories.
Cholesterol intake should not exceed
300 milligrams a day, and sodium should
not exceed three grams per day.
By using the information on
the label, you can determ ine the amount
o f calories per serving for fat. Fat sup
plies nine calories per gram. By m ulti
plying the grams per serving by calo
ries per gram, you can determine the
calories in that serving which come
from fat. By doing the same calcula
tions for carbohydrates and proteins
and adding up the calories, you get a
total o f calories in a particular serving.
Calories are rounded to the nearest ten.
W hen reading a food label,
rem em ber that the ingredients are listed
in descending order. The ingredient
found in the greatest quantity (by weight)
is listed first.
“ Som e food m anufacturers
make m isleading claim s on labels, but
if you are fam iliar with cholesterol,
fats, and sodium and know how to read
between the lines you won’t be fooled,”
Dr. M enashe em phasized.
For example, a label may claim
that the product is cholesterol-free, but
the food could still be loaded with satu
rated fats. Low -cholesterol doesn’t
necessarily m ean low-fat.
Phrases like “ sodium free”
can also be misleading. The following
American Heart Association definitions
will help clarify som e confusing terms.
-S o d iu m -fre e : less than 5 m illigram s
o f sodium per serving
- V e r y low sodium : 35 m illigram s or
less per serving
- L o w sodium : 140 milligrams or less
per serving
-U n s a lte d , no salt added, o r w ith o u t
ad d e d salt: made without adding addi
tional salt, but still contains natural salt
found within the food.
,* jt
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Info.
on
h 2 o
D istilled w a te r is pure water with no
added chem icals or minerals. It tastes
bitter when mixed with saliva in the
mouth.
Soft w ater has a low mineral content
when it occurs naturally. Com m er
cially softened water often is very high
in added sodium.
H a rd w a te r has a higher mineral con
tent than soft water. It is the type that
most people use, and can be hard on
one’s hair and skin (but our hair and
skin is made to take it).
Still w a te r is w hat most people com
monly refer to as tap water. In areas
with ground w ater pollution, contam i
nation may be a health concern.
M ineral w ater can be bottled or canned
w ater with added minerals to improve
the flavor. Som etim es natural or artifi
cial flavors are added.
S p a rk lin g w a te r is bubbly from car
bonation. It may have carbonation added
or naturally.
uthie's
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MEAT or
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Specials Effective TUES. thrukSUN.
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What’s Cholesterol?
If you’re puzzled about cholesterol, you’re not alone, says Mary
Helen Gunkler. registered dietitian and staff nutritionist for Total
cereal Recent surveys conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration report that many people are puzzled about cholesterol.
W hat foods contribute cholesterol? If there’s fat in a food, does it also
contain cholesteiol?
’ A soft and waxy fatlike substance, cholesterol comes from two
sources Cholesterol in the foods we eat is dietary cholesterol Blood
cholesterol comes from the foods we eat and the body's own
manufacturing process. While blood cholesterol is a risk factor for
heart disease, it is essential to the functioning o f the nervous system and
the brain And it is used by the body to manufacture cell walls and
hormones.
Gunkler suggests an easy way to differentiate between cholesterol-
containing foods and those that do not contain cholesterol. O nly foods
from animal origins contribute dietary cholesterol. This includes eggs,
dairy products, meal, poultry, fish and shellfish. Cholesterol is present
in both low-fat as well as high-fat animal foods.
Foods o f plant origins
fruits, vegetables, grains, cereals, nuts,
seeds, dry beans and peas
do not contain cholesterol Because of
their vegetable origin, cooking and salad oils, such as corn, olive and
safflower oils, do not contain cholesterol. Even the tropical vegetable
oils, such as palm, palm kernel and coconut oils, have no cholesterol.
Fhe chart below shows that chicken and certain fish are lower in total
lat than red meat However, the dietary cholesterol content is actually
quite similar for all three In comparison, eggs and organ meats, such as
liver, kidney , sweetbread and brain, are particularly high in cholesterol
Shellfish vary in cholesterol content, with shrimp contributing more
cholesterol than mans meats.
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Fat and Cholesterol C ontent of Selected Foods
Food
M ilk
skim
Total
Fat, gm
I cup
06
5
I cup
8.2
33
fluid or reconstituted dry
Cottage cheese, creamed
Cheddar cheese
Butter
Flounder, sole
< hoiestenU. mg
I cup
10 I
34
I ounce
9.4
30
I tablespoon
114
31
Whole Wheat Total cereal'
Tuna, oil pack, drained
D G
Measure
I nH. Weight
M ilk, whole
I cup
10
0
3 ounces, canned
7.0
55
1 ounces, baked
1.0
59
Shrimp
3 ounces, canned
09
128
Roast beet, lean only
3 ounces, cooked
59
56
Ground beef
3 ounces, cooked
156
88
372
I iver
.
I Dairy
(
Ï J Farm ers
3 ounces, fried
90
Chicken, light meat, no skin
.3 ounces, baked
38
72
Egg. large
I raw or boiled
56
274
o ;
Source I S I kpanm ent of Agriculture. Provuumal Table on Fain 4cid and Choleuerol
i " iie n h '1 S e k t le d F m x ti. I9K4
Information added bs General Mills. Inc
The av erage American diet includes 350 to 450 mg o f cholesterol per
day Health experts recommend a reduction to less than 300 mg per
day
Gunkler concludes that cutting down on dietary cholesterol may
help lower blood cholesterol However, she notes that it is more
important to lim it the total amount o f fat in the diet, a subject o f future
Total Nutrition columns
WHY NOT CELERY FOR
A LOW-CALORIE SLAW?
Crunchy celery is a delicious alternative to
cabbage in this low -calorie slaw that's easily
prepared in a fotxl processor. It makes a fine
salad for backyard barbecues, o r spoon it
into pita bread for sandwiches.
AW J
l i M
C K LE R Y -R A IS IN SLAW
5 large celery ribs, cut in 4-inch
pieces
2 large carrots, cul in 2-inch pieces
% cup raisins
1 > cup plain low fat yogurt
2 tablespoons calorie-reduced
mayonnaise
’/i teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
i
^ u u u ir //« ! ,.
Lucerne
Ice Cream
iif
I K
yö'
Enjoy the creamy
goodness of Lucerne
premium quality
ice cream in 23
different exciting
flavors! Made in
the Northwest!
In a food processor fitted w ith a thin slic
ing blade process celery (makes about 4
cups) Change to shredding blade, process
carrots (makes about I cup). Or. th in ly slice
celery and shred carrots. Place in a large
bowl Add raisins In a small bowl combine
yogurt, mayonnaise, sugar, and salt and
pepper to taste: toss w ith celery m ixture.
Cover and refrigerate u n til ready to serve.
For
Yield b portions
4 ‘zi cups
Per po rtio n 79 calorics
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