This is the first in a series of articles telling how to use the new food label to meet specific dietary needs.

Sibyl Weiss of Van Nuys, Calif., is an avid food label reader — and for good reason.

Twenty-two years ago, the 59-year-old former nurse was obese; she carried more than 300 pounds on her 5-foot 5-inch frame. Today, she weighs in at under 150 pounds, a weight she says she's maintained for more than 20 years.

She credits her success to her participation in a self-help weight-control organization that uses group therapy, competition and recognition to help members lose and maintain their weight. As part of this program, Weiss says, she came to understand the importance of the food label in monitoring food intake.

"For so many years I didn't care what I poured into my body," she says. "Now I do."

Weiss has learned that label information can play an important role in weight management. That role is expected to take on even greater importance as the new food label makes its official debut this year.

Label Changes

In the past, diet-conscious consumers like Weiss couldn't always count on the food label to give complete nutrition information. The information was required only when a food contained added nutrients or when nutrition claims appeared on the label. In all other cases, the nutrition information was voluntary. When it did appear, it was often hard to find and hard to read.

That's changing, though, as a result of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 and regulations from the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Those regulations call for extensive food labeling changes designed to help ensure that there are a lot more success stories like Weiss'.

First, nutrition information in bigger, more readable type is now required for almost all packaged foods. The information also will be near many fresh ones, like fruits and vegetables. On packaged foods, it will usually appear on the side or back of the package under the heading "Nutrition Facts."

Second, the required nutrition information is more useful than before. A new column of information, the "% (percent) Daily Value," tells consumers at a glance how the food fits into a healthy diet.

Third, the information is more complete. The label now must include information about saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, sugars, calories from fat, and other dietary components that are important to today's consumers. (See Nutrition Facts' to Help Consumers Eat Smart in the FDA Consumer Special Report "Focus on Food Labeling.")

Fourth, serving sizes now more closely reflect the amount people actually eat.

Also, "light," "low-fat," "calorie-free," and other such claims must meet strict government definitions so when dieters see them, they can believe them.

"There's no doubt about it. There's going to be a lot of nutrition information on the label," says Camille Brewer, a registered dietitian and nutritionist in FDA's Office of Food Labeling. "And some of it is going to be particularly helpful to people trying to control their weight."

Focus on Fat

Contrary to popular belief, fat — not calorie — content is the most important information for dieters on the food label, Brewer says. The reason: Fat is the densest source of calories, with 9 calories per gram, while carbohydrate and protein each provide 4 calories per gram. (Alcohol, while not a nutrient, provides 7 calories per gram.) By limiting fat alone, consumers will likely lower their calories, as well, and thus their weight, Brewer said.

"In the past, dieters were told to focus entirely on calories, but the new trend really is for them to monitor and reduce grams of fat," Brewer says.

Calories can't be totally discounted. Brewer points out they serve as the basis for determining a person's recommended daily fat intake. Like the general population, dieters are usually advised to limit fat consumption to no more than 30 percent of their total day's calories. (Some health experts restrict it even more — to 20 percent or less, according to Brewer.) The 30 percent limit follows the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

For example, most people who eat 2,000 calories a day should strive to limit their calories from fat to no more than 600 (2,000 x 0.30 = 600) or no more than 65 grams (g) fat (600 calories divided by 9 calories per gram fat = 67, rounded to 65).

The 2,000-calorie level happens to be the basis on which %Daily Values on the label are calculated. (For more information, see 'Daily Values' Encourage Healthy Diet in the FDA Consumer Special Report "Focus on Food Labeling.") FDA and USDA chose 2,000 calories because, according to Ed Scarbrough, Ph.D., director of FDA's Office of Food Labeling, it is a "user-friendly" number that allows consumers to easily adjust Daily Value numbers to their own diet and calorie intakes.

Tags: Diets and Weight Loss, Nutrition

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