Myth Busting Heart Health Claims

Kari Ikemoto, DTRKeene State CollegeDietetic Intern

Objectives Identify heart health food label claims and know when they are

misleading.

Learn about the latest research and diet trends to reduce the risk of heart disease

Learn how to read food labels to make heart healthy choices

What are they trying to sell you?

Las Vegas Hotel

What are they trying to sell you?

Special K Cereal

What are they implying?Health Claim Commercial

Ingredients: Sugar, Modified Palm Oil, Hazelnuts, Cocoa, Skim Milk, Reduced Minerals, Whey (Milk), Lecithin as emulsifier (soy), Vanillin (an artificial flavor)

Ask yourself….• What is this ad implying?

• What is it trying to sell you?

• Who is this targeting?

• Does it make you feel like it’s a healthy choice?

• What is being marketed?

Compare and ContrastOscar Mayer Selects Chicken

Breast Hot Dog Ingredients: Chicken breast with rib

meat, Water, Corn syrup, Cultured dextrose*, Contains less than 2% of salt, Cultured celery juice*, Vinegar*, Sodium phosphates, Garlic powder, Sugar, Onion powder, Cherry powder, Lemon juice solids, Natural flavor, Dextrose, Yeast extract. *Ingredients to preserver quality

Nutrition Facts: Serving size 53 g, servings per container 8, Calories 80, Calories from fat 50, Total fat 5 g, Saturated fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 30 mg, Sodium 400 mg, Total sugar 1 g, Protein 7 g

Chicken breast Ingredients: Chicken

Nutrition Facts: Serving size 2 oz, Calories 92, Total fat 2g, Saturated fat 1 g, Cholesterol 47 mg, Sodium 220 mg, Total sugar 0 g, Protein 17 g

http://www.kraftbrands.com/oscarmayer/hot-dogs/chicken.html

Heart Health Food Label Claims

Claim MeaningLow Calorie 40 kcal or less/ servingLow Cholesterol 20 mg or less and 2 grams or less of saturated fat/serving

Reduced At least 25% less of the specified nutrient or calories than the usual product

Good source of Provides at least 10-19% of the Daily Value of a particular vitamin or nutrient/serving

Calorie free Less than five calories/serving Fat free/sugar free Less than ½ gram of fat or sugar/serving

Low sodium 140 mg or less of sodium/serving

High In Provides 20 percent or more of the Daily Value of a specified nutrient/serving

High fiber 5 or more grams of fiber/serving

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=10936

Sodium The recommendation for sodium for

Americans in 2000 mg/day This is less than a teaspoon

For people with high blood pressure, the recommendation is less than 1500 mg/day

One serving of food should have less than 300 mg of sodium

Processed and packaged foods are highest in sodium Canned goods Frozen dinners Packaged foods Restaurant and fast food The salt shaker

Lets take a look at labelsChicken Noodle Soup

Amount Per Serving (serving size) = 1/2 cup condensed

Calories 60

Fat Calories 20

Total Fat 2g

Sat. Fat 0.5g

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 15mg

Sodium 890mg

25% Less Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup

Amount Per Serving (serving size) = 1/2 cup condensed

Calories 60

Fat Calories 20

Total Fat 2g

Sat. Fat 0.5g

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 15mg

Sodium 660mg

What’s for breakfast?

Quaker Oatmeal to Go Bars WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, BROWN SUGAR,

OAT BRAN CONCENTRATE, RICE FLOUR, OAT FLOUR, SUGAR, MARGARINE (PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL**, SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL**, SALT, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SOY LECITHIN, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA [A PRESERVATIVE], ANNATTO COLOR, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, VITAMIN A PALMITATE), MALTODEXTRIN, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, GLYCERIN, CORN SYRUP, DRIED WHOLE EGGS, MALTED BARLEY EXTRACT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, WATER, SORBITOL, CINNAMON, SODIUM BICARBONATE, MALT (CONTAINS BARLEY, SOY, AND WHEAT COMPONENTS), CORN FLOUR, MALIC ACID, SODIUM ALGINATE, ENZYME MODIFIED SOY PROTEIN, NATURAL MIXED TOCOPHEROLS, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE AND BHT (PRESERVATIVES), ARTIFICIAL COLOR, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, NIACINAMIDE*, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, REDUCED IRON, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID**ONE OF THE B VITAMINS**ADDS A DIETARILY INSIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TRANS FAT

Fiber To make a claim that a food

contains fiber it should contain one or more of the following: Oat bran Whole oat flour Rolled oats Whole grain barley

Consuming a diet that is rich in fiber from whole grain and other plant based sources will lower cardiovascular disease risk

25-30 grams per day

Choose foods that are rich sources of fiber Legumes Vegetables Whole grains Nuts & seeds Fruits

Soluble Gel formation

Insoluble Colon health

The Really Bad Fats- Trans Fat

Trans fat are dangerous because they lower healthy HDL cholesterol and raise lousy LDL cholesterol

Be wary of front package claiming a product to have no trans fat

Look at the ingredients list KEY WORD: hydrogenated or

partially hydrogenated

The Bad Fats- Saturated Fats

Saturated Fats These foods are high in the type of fat that will negatively

impact your bad cholesterol

Food sources include red meat, full fat dairy, baked goods, butter, palm oil, coconut oil

Key words on the label Light Reduced

Often packages will say reduced or lower in fat but that does not mean it will be more nutritious or more heart healthy!

Look to the nutrition facts for guidance 3 g fat for every 100 calories

The Healthy Fats Monounsaturated and

polyunsaturated fats are good because they can help improve blood cholesterol levels, ease inflammation, stabilize heart rhythms

Typically liquid at room temperature PUFAs

Omega 3s Walnuts, flax seed,

MUFAs Olive, peanut, and canola oils Avocado Almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans Pumpkin and sesame seeds

One study showed that by replacing a carbohydrate rich diet with one rich in unsaturated fats (MUFAs), it lowered CVD risk.

Choose foods rich in Omega 3’s. Our body can’t make them and must get them from food.

Jif Omega 3 Peanut Butter Serving size: 2 TBS

Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0g

Ingredients: MADE FROM PEANUT BUTTER (ROASTED PEANUTS, SUGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: MOLASSES, FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS [RAPESEED AND SOYBEAN], MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SALT), ANCHOVY* AND SARDINE OIL*, TILAPIA GELATIN, TOCOPHEROLS AND CITRIC ACID (ANTIOXIDANTS). *A TASTELESS, ODORLESS SOURCE OF OMEGA-3 DHA AND EPA.

Match That NutrientFiber

Saturated fat

Trans fats

Healthy fats

Sodium

Source: Sophia Martineck (NY Times)

MyPlate Guidelines

Not Just Diet….

Be a food label detective! Reading food labels can help you

to decipher heart health claims

It can help you to choose a more healthful product over another

Key points to look for on labels: Serving size Calories Total fat (in grams) Sodium Ingredients

Trans fat

Looking AheadThe Food Label Modernization Act of 2013

Changes to come to the food label

Potential ideas include: Clarified serving sizes Removal of calories from fat Vitamins updated Elimination of deceptive claims

What would you like to see?

Heart Health for LifeBe mindful of heart health food label claims and

advertisement

Consume healthy fats, fiber, and eliminate trans fats from your diet

Eat a balanced diet- don’t restrict one group over another

Physical activity- FREE MEDICINE!

Yearly physical with your physician Lipid panel, blood glucose Know your numbers Healthy Returns is in early May!

Questions?

Kari Ikemotokikemoto@ksc.keene.eduAvailable in Fiske Annex for individual

Thank you!