How to Read Food Labels and Know What is in Your Food
by Wanda Jeanty, MD, MS, HC
HEALTH
A
trip to the supermarket is daunting at best with a grocery list, children in tow (or not), crowds, and the need to buy what is needed as quickly as possible. However, with the lack of knowledge or the confusion of mixed messages from the food industry, figuring out what is healthy or not can leave some of us with a “I don’t care” attitude. Furthermore, in 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the new food guidelines (related to nutrition facts labels) and the manufacturers must comply with them by July 26, 2018 (www.mayoclinic.org). So, how do consumers navigate the aisles and buy healthy foods? Will people adhere to the guidelines? That last question might be premature to ask if no one considers what I would call food label literacy...