The Lyons Lifestyle by M. Frank Lyons II M.D

Author:M. Frank Lyons II, M.D. [M. Frank Lyons II, M.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: WestBowPress
Published: 2016-06-14T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

The New Food Label: An Improvement?

There is nothing so strong or safe in an emergency of life as the simple truth.

Charles Dickens

If you were to purchase a new car after driving the last one for over a decade, you would assume that the new model you acquire will have dramatically advanced features, given all the major changes that occurred in that time period. There will be new safety features, improved gasoline mileage (maybe it's even a hybrid, all-electric, or hydrogen-fueled model), advanced electronic gadgetry galore, and better design features to meet a multitude of modern consumer demands.

In the food industry, similarly one might also assume that the new food label, which was to be released in 2015 (though this hasn't occurred as of this writing), would be a genuine update to inform consumers of the information relevant to the newest insights in nutrition. This is the first major revision of the nutrient and ingredient content requirement found on most foods we purchase from grocery markets since the US Food and Drug Administration first released it twenty years ago. I wrote a line-by-line analysis of that food label in my second book, Fructose Exposed, so I won't rewrite that chapter here. What's important to know about the proposed food label is that some of the most important details we need to know about the contents of what we purchase and consume are either absent or untrue.

First, and most importantly, the food label tells us that if a "serving size" contains less than five hundred milligrams of trans fat per serving, it can be labeled, "Zero grams trans fat" per serving. By manipulating the "serving size," the manufacturer can get a "zero" on the food label very easily. You're still forced to carry your magnifying glass to read the ingredient section to see whether it contains either hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats (trans fats) in the myriad of listed ingredients.

Second, the present food label doesn't inform you of the quantity of fructose contained in the package or the serving size. Since over seventy million of us suffer from the metabolic syndrome caused by daily, excess fructose intake, it would be very helpful to have that information at our fingertips when we go shopping. Chapter 9 of my book Fructose Exposed contains twenty data tables of many foods found in the grocery store, but most of us don't take the book shopping with us (though, I must say, I have seen shoppers using it at the supermarket where I shop). It's also important to realize that the fresh fruit section of the supermarket has no food label, yet it's there where you'll find some of the highest quantities of fructose in the entire store.

Third, the outdated food label doesn't allow us to know whether omega-3 or omega-6 fats are present or in what quantity. As I pointed out in this and my first book, 42 Days to a New Life, we consume a massive amount of omega-6 fat, primarily in vegetable oils. We consume almost no omega-3 fats unless we supplement our diets.

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