Morning Paper: WTF?
An AP wire story from this morning's paper hits upon the familiar refrain of portion control and properly reading nutrition labels. Its purpose is to promote a Vanderbilt University study that will be printed in the next American Journal of Preventive Medicine, where among other findings, "researchers found that even patients with higher levels of education can struggle to interpret current food labels, particularly in situations that involve interpretation and application of serving sizes".
The wire service reporter fleshes out this topic with a couple of examples; A 20-ounce soda represents 2.5 servings; There are fifteen Lays potato chips in a single serving and the package info reflects only three Chips Ahoy cookies.
Both the original press release and the article notes that there is a movement underway to make labels more understandable and to reflect a better reality. For example, prepacked muffins, two to a package should take into account that most people will eat both muffins and we generally don't limit our beverage consumption to an 8-ounce serving. Which brings me around to this morning's WTF?; "Health officials, however, worry that boosting the serving size might be taken as a cue to eat more."
As if that would really be a problem.
The wire service reporter fleshes out this topic with a couple of examples; A 20-ounce soda represents 2.5 servings; There are fifteen Lays potato chips in a single serving and the package info reflects only three Chips Ahoy cookies.
Both the original press release and the article notes that there is a movement underway to make labels more understandable and to reflect a better reality. For example, prepacked muffins, two to a package should take into account that most people will eat both muffins and we generally don't limit our beverage consumption to an 8-ounce serving. Which brings me around to this morning's WTF?; "Health officials, however, worry that boosting the serving size might be taken as a cue to eat more."
As if that would really be a problem.