Read Before Eating

Perhaps, if Alice had had the help of a kind regulatory agency when she was in Wonderland, she would have known the recommended serving and effects of the "Drink Me" elixir. Without the Wonderland FDA's help, however, poor Alice is left to experimentation and its dramatic results.

Does healthy eating begin with active label reading? The FDA thinks so. After all, we can't have foolish customers picking up an ice cream dessert at their local grocery store all the time believing that ice cream is low in fat and therefore good for them. On the other hand, our government wouldn't want us believing a healthy product (like POM Wonderful, as the WSJ report notes) is too good to be true.

Since I was eating my microwaveable lunch while reading the FDA's latest concerns, I turned to the label on my soup. This particular soup is one that claims to be a healthier option, so its packaging was happy to share its many benefits. I found ample explanation of the vegetable content in my soup. Lest I be deceived into thinking that 3/4 of a cup of vegetables is all that I'll need for the day (although it's likely all I'll consume today), I am reminded by the soup company that my lunch only has 30% of the FDA's recommended serving of vegetables (which by the way, no need to do the math since the soup company already did, is 2 and 1/2 cups). The fat content of this veggie-rich lunch? One and a half grams per serving. But wait. This little cup of soup has not one but "about" two servings, so if I indulge and consume all 14 ounces, then I'll be taking in a grand total of about 3 grams (that math I did without the healthy soup company's help).

Of course. this is not my first time reading a food label. I am an avid reader of the labels on my food, partly out of food consciousness and partly out of curiosity. I appreciate the basic nutritional information provided which helps me avoid excessive amounts of fat, sodium, sugar, etc. Additional asterisks and tiny exception clauses placed on packaging to placate the FDA, however, have yet to change my eating or reading habits. Despite clear nutritional labels, there must be a point of consumer commonsense and awareness. Otherwise, consume at your own risk.