UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 26, Page 1
April 9, 1992
Nutrition education tours  peel mystery from food labels

     In the dairy aisle, are you tempted to reach for that pound of
rich, creamy butter, that gallon of better-tasting whole milk? You may
be a prime candidate for an educational supermarket tour, one of many
services available to the University community from the Nutrition
Clinic located in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in Alison
Hall.
     On the tour, Mary Ann Carter, registered dietitian and clinic
coordinator, and students who are nutrition and dietetics majors, lead
people through the supermarket, aisle by aisle, teaching them how to
read labels and get the most nutritional food for their dollars.
     They also point out many misleading messages on food labels. For
example, Carter said, the term "light" or "lite" on a product may not
necessarily mean less fat. It could mean a product is lower in
calories or it could mean it is simply lighter in color or texture
than similar products. The only way to determine if the product is
different in calories is to read the nutritional listing on the label.
     And, speaking of that listing, one of the first things
participants in a supermarket tour learn is that product contents are
listed in descending order by weight. So, if salt is listed third in a
list of 15 ingredients you can be pretty sure the salt content of the
product is high, Carter said.
     Serving sizes listed on labels also can be confusing, she said.
Ice cream makers may lower their calorie content by giving contents
for a half cup serving, she said, noting that most people eat more
than a half cup of ice cream at one time.  Similarly, a soda can may
give calorie information appropriate for only half a can.
     Other products claim to be cholesterol free, Carter said, when
they are that way to begin with. Peanut butter, for example, never
contains animal fat and is always cholesterol free. The claim of a
cholesterol-free peanut butter is unnecessary since all peanut butter
shares that distinction.
     "I've even seen bananas with cholesterol-free stickers," Carter
said. "What else could a banana be?"
     It also is important to remember, she said, that fat and
cholesterol are not the same thing. A cholesterol-free food, like some
vegtable oils, margarines and cholesterol-free mayonnaise, can still
be high in fat.
     Products that claim to be a certain percentage fat-free also are
misleading, Carter said. "When whole milk is 4 percent fat-free by
weight, there is no nutritional basis for a claim that says the milk
is 96 percent fat free. Whole milk still has 50 percent of its
calories from fat," she explained.
     The idea for the supermarket tours grew from the Nutrition
Clinic's desire to offer a more hands-on approach to nutrition
education.
     The tours this semester have been conducted in the evenings at
Pathmark in the College Square Shopping Center.
     Other services offered by the Nutrition Clinic include
personalized nutrition counseling for students, faculty and staff.
Carter is trained to help people deal with obesity, eating disorders
and other health-related issues that require specialized diets, like
high cholesterol and high blood pressure problems. She can suggest
modified eating patterns and cooking methods and recommend modified
shopping habits and snacks. Carter also can evaluate a client's
nutritional status by computerized nutrient analysis of food records,
dietary and medical histories.
     An initial in-take session usually takes about 45 minutes, with
some follow-up sessions recommended depending on the problem a client
is facing.
     An initial visit for a faculty or staff member would cost about
$30, about $20 less than what is charged by registered dietitians in
private practice.
     "There are so many major health disorders linked to poor diet
that this is worth investing in for yourself," Carter said. "People
who can improve their diets can decrease their chances of health
disorders."
     To find out more about the clinic, to schedule an appointment or
to arrange a tour, call Carter at 831-1109.
     -Beth Thomas