Many people who are trying to lose weight look for the “fat free” labels that are advertised on many of the foods they come across in the supermarket, but are labels on food correct as it pertains to fat free, sugar free, or any other similar term. The truth may surprise you.
The first thing that you need to understand is that “fat free” on products is a marketing term that is regulated by the federal government. When food labels include a bright advertisement that the product is fat free, it does not necessarily mean that the product contains no fat. Government regulations state that for a product to be able to be advertised as being fat free, it must contain less than .5 grams of fat per serving.
The same is true when it comes to just about any similar marketing term, whether it be light, low-calorie, low-fat, sugar-free, or otherwise. These terms are all clearly defined and may not mean exactly what the product labels suggest. For example, a product that is advertised as “light” must contain 50% less fat or 33% fewer calories than the original referenced product. That means that if the original product contained 20 grams of fat per serving, the “light version could still contain 9 grams and be perfectly legal.
Always Read The Nutrition Facts On The Label
Another concern when it comes to labeling is the serving size. You may look at the nutritional facts on a container of light ice cream and discover that it only contains 100 calories or 3 grams of fat, but you need to take extra care to know how much ice cream makes up what they consider a serving. In the case of ice cream, one half cup is generally considered a serving, but most people will realistically eat twice that as a serving. Had you not taken the time to read the label, you would have eaten twice the expected calories and harmed your weight loss efforts, if only by 100 calories.
What you need to take away from this is that food labels are meant to advertise as much as they are meant to inform. The only way to know for sure what is in your food is to turn the product over and read not only the nutritional facts on the back, but also the list of ingredients and the serving size. These companies want to sell as many of their products as possible, and you are the one who is ultimately responsible for what you put into your body. Losing weight responsibly means reading your labels, understanding what is in your food, and making choices accordingly.