Snacks Labeled Healthy Is Not Necessarily Healthier

Snacks Labeled Healthy Is Not Necessarily Healthier

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Post Compass - The FDA says, now is a great time to reevaluate the regulations regarding nutrient content claims, including the use of the term ' healthy '.

The Agency plans to ask for public comment on the matter in the near future, said Lauren Kotwicki, a representative of the FDA.

Currently, the FDA allows the use of the term "healthy" on the packaging when the product meets the criteria of a particular nutrient, most of which centered on the restriction of fat, cholesterol and sodium.

In other words, a light snack can be said to be healthy when it does not contain more than 3 grams of fat per serving, contain no saturated fat, as well as the amount of salt recommended.

This means, many snacks including nuts that are in fact not qualified as healthy due to fat content.

In addition, as has been reported, millions of Americans were "already" sticking to a low-fat suggestions as best diet choices.

Unfortunately, the advice to eat snacks that are low in sugar and salt is still very minimal. In fact, consuming too much sugar and salt can have negative health consequences.

In contrast, the high fat content also cannot yet be declared unhealthy. For, there are lots of good fats that are beneficial to health.

"Nuts do have healthy fat and we know that fat is good for heart health and mental health and is a good source of protein. However, the beans are still dense calorie foods included, especially if they contain sugar, so one should limit the servings, "says Thomas Sherman, a professor at Georgetown University who teaches medical students about nutrition.

The FDA said it would soon do the nutritional research, requesting public comment and expert to set a new definition of "healthy" labels as a guide for food companies to make their products healthier.