Nutritional Reading

 suggested changes to labels courtesy of the FDA

i don't  know about you but i am still often shocked when i really pay attention to how fast calories can add up. equally shocking, but very important is  to read  the calorie counts that certain restaurant menus list. how can that be, that salad has 1000 calories?!
eating less sugar, controlling portion sizes and/or counting calories are ways that many us use to manage our weight and to be healthier. if you have ever looked at current nutrition labels you know that they could be a lot more user friendly. it only took 20 years (!) and companies still have 2 years (!) to be compliant but we will finally be getting new food labels! the 3 main changes will be

• the number of calories will be in a larger, bold text-great won't need glasses
• the portion sizes will reflect reality (more on this below)-whose reality?
• an additional line for added sugars-as a nation we eat more sugar than any other country. of course the lobbyists may fight this tooth and nail and it still may be deleted

portion sizes are where many of us get into trouble calorie wise. many food items and drinks have been "super-sized" and we now think of these larger portions as normal but over time this has contributed to weight gain. for instance the standard portion of ice cream is a half cup. but for most people the reality is that they eat at least a cup or more. a half cup of ice cream is about 140 calories so perhaps the new label showing a cup as a portion with its 280 calories will be more correct as far as what that person is actually consuming.  the question remains whether or not seeing the larger number of calories will have any real affect on eating smaller portions. time will tell. this is a small improvement that has taken much too long but for those of us trying to eat healthy and not gain weight the new labels should be easier to read and understand.