Walking down a food aisle you see so many packages with bright colors and tasty images. After a closer look, you see all kinds of labels and logos printed on the front and the back. What do these labels mean?
Whole Grains
Whole grains have been shown to be nutritious and provide many health benefits. In fact, the Dietary Guidelines recommends that we make at least half of the grains we eat whole grains. Read more about the benefits of grains here.
So how can you find whole grains? Look for the Whole Grain Stamp below!
There are 3 versions of this stamp – 100%, 50% and Basic. When you see this stamp on a food package, you will know how much of the grains are whole.
- The 100% Whole Grain Stamp requires all of the grain to be whole grain, so a serving of the food provides a whole serving of whole grains.
- The 50% Whole Grain Stamp requires that half of the grains be whole, so one serving of the product provides at least half a serving of whole grains.
- The Basic Whole Grain Stamp means that a food has less than 50% whole grains in the product, but has at least half a serving of whole grains per serving of the food.
Tip: One serving is equal to a slice of toast.
Gluten-Free
Gluten intolerance or allergies range from mild to celiac disease, the toughest gluten allergy. These intolerances have become more widespread in recent years. Many manufacturers are making it easier for people with a gluten intolerance to spot gluten-free foods. So what exactly does gluten-free mean for our food?
When you see “Gluten-Free” on a food package, it doesn’t always mean there is absolutely no gluten. It means that for every one million particles in a food, less than 20 of them are gluten. Don’t worry! Even this tiny amount can be tolerated by people with a gluten allergy. Products with this label do not contain any ingredients that typically have gluten (wheat, barley, rye and more) unless the gluten has been removed.
Tip: Foods that are gluten-free should not be processed in facilities that process gluten foods, otherwise there is a risk of cross-contact.
Sodium
Sodium-Free
A package can claim that a food item does not have sodium if there are fewer than five milligrams of sodium per serving. Therefore, sodium-free foods may actually have a small amount of sodium.
Some other ways you may see this claim on a package are:
- Free of sodium
- No sodium
- Zero sodium
- Without sodium
Reduced or Low Sodium
Many food packages feature ‘reduced sodium’ across the front. This means that the product contains at least 25% less sodium than its regular version. Some packages mark if sodium is reduced by 25% or 50%. Many canned foods come in regular and reduced sodium options.
No Salt Added
Some foods have this claim on their label. This does not mean that the food doesn’t have any salt or sodium. It just means that none was added while the product was made. If any sodium occurs naturally in the ingredients, the product will still contain sodium. Check the labels of foods with this claim carefully!
What other labels have you seen?
A gluten-free diet is essential for most people with gluten allergies or celiac disease. Because any person with celiac disease will experience abdominal pain when they ingest food containing gluten as their body reacts by damaging the small intestine.