More so than ever before, we are reminded daily that the old clich is accurate – we are what we eat That being said, it stands to reason that the role of nutritionists and dietitians becomes more valuable to our overall health going forward. These professionals help treat and prevent illnesses by recommending modifications in our eating habits, and in general, by promoting healthy eating habits.

Dieticians and nutritionists not only make suggestions on what we should be eating, but they can also help us understand how to modify the preparation of our food by eliminating excess salt and fat, making our meals healthier. They also manage food systems for institutions, conduct research, and in general, provide education. Nutrition professionals can be found in hospitals, nursing facilities, and in some community programs, such as weight loss programs.

If you aspire to become a dietician or nutritionist, you should know that at the least, you will need a Bachelor’s degree, with a graduate degree also an available option. Students in these programs can expect to take courses such as: nutrition, chemistry and biochemistry, biology and microbiology, as well as physiology and institution management. Back in 2008 there were 279 Bachelor’s degree programs and 18 approved Master’s degree programs from which to choose.

As with many professional occupations, these are not without licensure requirements. Although requirements vary by state, most require some type of license or certification. Keep in mind that dieticians with specialized training, an advanced degree, and state certification can expect to obtain the best job opportunities.

Employment in this field is expected to grow due to the increased emphasis on disease prevention and increased awareness of obesity and diabetes. Another contributing factor for job growth is increased Medicare coverage to include nutrition therapy for diabetic and renal patients. Hospitals and nursing facilities employ many dieticians and nutritionists, although the latter may see a slight decline due to outsourcing to food service companies.

Also, employment growth could be constrained if employers substitute with other workers, such as food service managers or dietetic technicians, to do the work related to nutrition. In some cases, the demand for these services is related to patients’ abilities to pay out-of-pocket or with health insurance. The good news, however, is that more insurance companies are covering these therapies because of their preventative properties.

In addition to employment growth, additional jobs will result from the need to replace experienced workers who will retire. The best opportunities will be for applicants with specialized training, advanced degrees, and state certifications. Demand for dieticians will be particularly strong in outpatient care facilities, and applicants without a Bachelor’s degree will face tough competition.

Nutrition Experts Help Others Make Healthy Choices

In an effort to promote healthier eating, fast food giant McDonald's is changing the face of their popular kiddie meals.

Starting this fall, the company will add sliced apples to every Happy Meal, while cutting down on the size of the french fry portions. The company's Happy Meal change has garnered praise from first lady Michelle Obama, who has long been on a mission to end childhood obesity.

But is McDonald's change really that big of a deal? A look at rival fast food chains show that they all offer apple slices or some sort of fruit cup.

The difference is that McDonald's is no longer giving customers a choice. The apple slices will be included automatically, thus eliminating that nail-biter of a choice between fries or apple slices (don't kids always pick the fries?)

Meanwhile, what are the other fast food chains doing to promote healthier eating? Here's a look at some of their offerings:

In 2007, Burger King announced plans to roll out a new kids menu that included fresh cut apples (served in a french fry container) and flame-broiled chicken tenders. But the apple “fries” (which are peeled apples slices and not fried) are still just an option at the chain.

In an effort to encourage the apple fries and milk over french fries and soda, BK employees will now ask customers if they would like apple fries or low-fat milk with their meal. The ball is then in the customer's court.

Wendy's has long touted that kids can choose what they want. In addition to the usual burger and fry fare, the company's kids meals options include apple slices and milk that doesn't have added growth hormones. Wendy's also offers baked potatoes, salads and chicken wrap sandwiches, although not on its kids menu.

Sonic Drive-In may offer Coney hot dogs and chili cheese fries, but the kids meal options include apple slices and juice slushies.

Meanwhile, Subway has a Fresh fit menu that includes kid-sized turkey or veggie sandwiches along with — you guessed it — apple slices.

KFC may be the home for finger lickin' good fried chicken, but you can also order sides like green beans and corn on the cob. The kids meals also offer a light string cheese snack option.

And Chick fil-A also gives kids options on their kids menu, with the main decision being a choice between waffle fries or a fruit cup.

Decisions, decisions. That seems to be the problem for consumers. Because the fruit option has always been there, even at McDonald's.

Oh, one more thing about the McDonald's Happy Meal change up: The apple slices will come without the old dipping standby, caramel dip.

Did that just ruin it for you?

Victoria Leigh Miller is a freelance writer. She has been writing about parenting topics since 2001.

Fast Food Chains Offer Healthy Choices, but Do Consumers Make Them?

Healthy Food Choices

Washington, Sep 25 (IANS) The idea of toys being given out as a part of children’s meal deals might be more acceptable if they are tied to healthy, nutrition-rich healthy food choices and part of a collectible set.

The findings come against the backdrop of obesity in the US — about one-third of adults are now obese, as are 17 percent of children aged two to 19 years, noted the Centers for Disease Control.

The belief is growing that toys with fast-food meals only serve to put fatty, calorie-dense selections into the mouths of children, the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing reported.

Researches Anna McAlister and T. Bettina Cornwell of the Universities of Wisconsin Madison and Oregon, found that pre-schoolers aged two to five years can be influenced to prefer a healthy food choice with the help of collectible toy sets.

Besides, 73 percent of the participating parents reported that they would be okay with such an approach while 92 percent strongly opposed pairing collectible toys with traditional, less-healthy fast-food meals, according to a University of Wisconsin statement.

‘The study tells us that the inclusion of a collectible toy influences the children’s perceptions of how the food is going to taste, and whether they will like it,’ said Cornwell, professor of marketing at Oregon Lundquist College of Business.

‘What was interesting to us — even more than we expected — was that the presence of the collectible toy moved the healthier food option up to the point that it was just as likeable as the fast-food offering,’ added Cornwell.

Healthy Food Choices

Collectible toys could foster healthy food choices

CHICAGO (AP) First lady Michelle Obama said Tuesday that parents can’t be expected to give their children healthy food if they don’t have good options for groceries nearby.

Obama, who is leading a nationwide effort to lower childhood obesity rates, spoke at a Chicago Walgreens store that had expanded to include fresh produce and grocery staples. She called it an example for other parts of the city and the country.

“We can talk all we want about making healthy choices about the food we serve our kids, but the truth is that if parents don’t have anywhere to buy these foods, then all of that is really just talk,” Obama said.

Walgreen Co. has tested about a dozen such stores in Chicago and plans to add 19 more soon. They look like mini-grocery stores added onto a traditional pharmacy, with aisles of fresh fruits, vegetables, bagged salads, eggs and milk. There are also pre-made salads and sandwiches for on-the-go meals. Store employees said the fresh food has been popular with customers.

Keica Abrams, who has been a customer for about two decades, called it “imperative” for the store to have fresh vegetables and fruits. She said she’s diabetic and once when her blood sugar was low at the store, she had an apple and juice to get it regulated.

The addition of the grocery also gives parents healthy options for their children, she said.

Obama’s address was the closing remarks to a mayors’ summit on expanding urban food options. She challenged the mayors to look for ways to attract grocery stores and other businesses selling fresh produce for communities in need.

The first lady announced in July that Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Supervalu Inc., and other retailers plan over the next five years to open or expand 1,500 stores in areas without easy access to fresh fruit, vegetables and other healthy foods. She has said 24 million people, including 6.5 million children, live in such areas nationwide.

The number of Chicago residents without access to fresh food has declined nearly 40 percent in five years, but more than 380,000 of the city’s 2.7 million residents still live in areas with few or no grocery stores, according to a report this week by the Chicago-based Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group.

Most of the pockets with few or no grocery stores are on Chicago’s South and West sides, including neighborhoods around the Walgreens store where Obama spoke.

Researcher Mari Gallagher said expanded pharmacies are a good first step, but they don’t replace grocery stores.

“It’s not where you would get your regular three squares, but it will help those that are in a pinch,” she said.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced 17 grocery stores will open in the Chicago area to help address the lack of access to fresh food. Some will sell foods from urban farms, he said.

Emanuel has made eliminating so-called food deserts areas with few or no grocery stores a focus since he took office in May. However, several projects were in the works before he took office, including a task force of city officials and major grocers committed to opening stores on the South and West sides.

Advocates do credit Emanuel with bringing a new energy to the issue. He’s promoted urban farming and brought together mayors on the issue. Those at the summit were from cities including Somerville, Mass., Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Baltimore.

___

Sophia Tareen can be reached at http://twitter.com/sophiatareen

First lady talks about access to food in Chicago

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) April 7, 2011

MedHelp, the worlds largest health social network, has partnered with GE to create a new mobile health app, Pic Healthy, that helps users make healthier food choices in a fun and social way. Users snap a picture of their meal and share it with their friends, who, by rating how healthy or unhealthy the food is, ultimately encourage better eating habits. The app is available as a free download on iTunes for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, or at http://www.medhelp.org/land/photo-food-app.

Using their devices built-in camera, Pic Healthy users can take pictures of their food, rate how healthy it is, and then upload their photos to Facebook and MedHelps health social network. The users friends can rate how healthy the dish is and whether the user is being honest in rating his own food; this makes the person more accountable for his food choices. Users are also encouraged to eat well by earning points for positive actions: Users earn healthy points for eating healthy foods, honesty points for how accurately they rate their food and participation points for uploading and sharing their food photos. When users want to see if their healthy eating habits have surpassed their friends, they can check the scoreboard feature to see who has taken the lead.

Food diaries have proven to be a successful tool when it comes to developing healthier eating patterns; by simply recording everything you consume, studies show your eating habits will improve, said John de Souza, president and CEO of MedHelp. With Pic Healthy, the ability to review the pictures of what you eat challenges you to become a healthier eater, and the social aspect of posting your photos for your friends and other followers to see and comment on adds that extra pressure to choose healthy foods. Because the app is so visual, social and easy to use, Pic Healthy makes improving your eating habits fun.

Through Pic Healthy, users can tap into their network of friends and family to enlist the support they need to make healthier choices, said Linda Boff, global director of marketing communications at GE. Were aiming to make healthy eating a positive, continued experience. By giving people the opportunity to achieve better health through their food choices, Pic Healthy knits closely to the healthymagination theme of better health for more people.

With Pic Healthy, were leveraging the power of social support to encourage people make choices that will lead to better health, added de Souza.

The Pic Healthy photo food diary app is the fifth in a series of mobile applications that GE and MedHelp are creating for consumers everywhere, enabling them to live better, healthier lives. The first was the popular iPhone pregnancy app, Im Expecting, followed by Sleep On It, a sleep tracker and alarm app, Moody Me, a photo mood tracker app, and My Diet Diary, a weight loss and calorie counter app.

Pic Healthy, My Diet Diary, Moody Me, Sleep On It and Im Expecting can be downloaded for free from the Apple iTunes App Store.

About MedHelp
MedHelp is leading the consumer health revolution by empowering people to take control of their health. As the worlds largest health social network, 12.5 million unique users turn to MedHelp each month to achieve better health. With more than 300-condition specific communities, 150 ask-the-expert forums, partnerships with 7 of the 10 top U.S. hospitals and a robust suite of 50 online health tools, award-winning mobile apps and personal health records, MedHelp is the savvy consumers health destination of choice. For more information, visit http://www.medhelp.org.

About GE
GE is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the worlds toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, medical imaging, and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.ge.com.

About healthymagination
Healthymagination is GEs $6 billion commitment that was launched in May 2009. Our “healthymagination” vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and efficiency around the world. For more information, visit http://www.healthymagination.com.

Media contacts:

MedHelp

Marta Debski
marta(dot)debski(at)medhelp(dot)org
415-882-4600

Katherine Solem
katherine(dot)solem(at)medhelp(dot)org
415-882-4600

GE
Stacey Tank
stacey(dot)tank(at)ge(dot)com
203-373-2727

MedHelp and GE Announce New Mobile App That Makes Healthy Eating Fun and Easy

Although the United States Department of Agriculture unveiled MyPlate, the replacement for the food pyramid, just a few months ago, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health say MyPlate doesn’t offer enough about good nutrition, and they’ve offered their own version.

Harvard unveiled its modified version of the USDA plate, called the Healthy Eating Plate. Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard, says it addresses the shortcomings of MyPlate.

“The main thing is that MyPlate isn’t specific enough to really give enough guidance,” Willett said.

MyPlate is a USDA resource that offers nutrition recommendations. It’s symbolized by a plate with four sections — fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins — with an attached glass of milk that the agency says should all be part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Harvard’s plate also has the same four sections but with more detailed information on what foods to eat, and which ones to avoid. For example, in place of the grains section, Harvard’s includes a whole grains section.

“There’s a distinction between any old grains and whole grains,” Willett said. Eating too many refined grains, such as white bread and white rice, can increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, he said.

Other differences include an explanation of what proteins are healthy — poultry, fish, beans and nuts — emphasizing the need for healthy fats, such as olive and canola oils and explaining that potatoes aren’t a healthy vegetable choice.

Harvard’s plate also replaces milk with water and recommends only one to two servings a day of low-fat milk.

“Modest dairy consumption is OK, but having a glass of milk wtih every meal is exessive and does not reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures,” Willett said.

The USDA has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Thumbs Up From Some Nutritionists

When the USDA unveiled its plate in June, nutrition experts praised it for its simplicity and for emphasizing the importance of key food groups, such as fruits and vegetables. While they say it’s an improvement over the food pyramid, some also support Harvard’s changes, saying the alternative plate offers more specific information about what to eat and what to avoid and also makes healthy recommendations.

“The Harvard plate . is detailed in its recommendations, differentiating among foods in a given caterogy and more importantly, it is explicit about foods not to eat,” said Dr. David Katz, founding director of theYale University Prevention Research Center.

“I believe whole grains and fiber are very important to cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health,” said Paul Ehrmann, founder and medical director of Family Health Care Center in Royal Oak, Mich. “It’s also beneficial with weight management.”

“This would be the type of diet that would reduce obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia [an abnormal level of fats and/or cholesterol in the blood] and cardiovascular diseases,” said Dr. Carl Lavie, a cardiologist at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, although he said he doesn’t see the harm in additional servings of low-fat milk.

Dr. Donald Hensrud, the chairman of preventive, occupational and aerospace medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., also supports the changes and said the Mayo Clinic offered a revised food pyramid several years ago with similar elements. The main difference, Hensrud said, is that Mayo’s pyramid has an allowance for 75 calories worth of sweets per day.

Are Recommendations Too Complicated?

Other experts, however, expressed worry that Harvard’s model is too complex.

“People struggle to make changes, so simple steps make changes seem less daunting,” said Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis. “Healthy eating is about proper food choices and portions, along with enjoyment — not fear or avoidance.”

“Perhaps we should aim to show a breakfast plate, lunch plate, snack plate or in some cases, a bowl to illustrate the concept, i.e., a turkey wrap with roasted veggies and an apple embraces the plate, but in one item,” said Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She believes visual elements are more effective.

Others disagree with some of Harvard’s dietary recommendations.

“Not everyone needs whole grains with every meal,” said Molly Kimball, sports and lifestyle nutritionist at Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans. “If they get penty of fiber-rich veggies and they have the carbs from fresh fruit and/or low-fat dairy, they may not need to double up on the carbs/calories of a whole grain starch.”

“Milk and dairy should not be limited for children, women and for the elderly. Low fat types of dairy should instead be chosen,” said Carla Wolper, assistant professor of eating disorders research at Columbia University.

But Willett believes the Healthy Eating Plate will ultimately lead people to make better choices.

“There is a huge amount of data to support the benefits of healthy food choices, and they make a very, very big difference in people’s health,” he said.

Harvard Researchers Unveil New Healthy Eating Plate

Nutrition and wellness site GlycemicEdge.com adds expanded glycemic index food lists & charts to help those looking for a healthy, carb smart, diabetic friendly lifestyle.

(PRWEB) October 18, 2011

GlycemicEdge.com, a leading nutrition & health wellness community site, has updated & expanded its popular glycemic index food list and now features food scores from 12 categories of foods and nearly 200 individual foods.

The glycemic index is a scoring system which rates foods on a 0-100 basis according to their impact on digestion & insulin, based on the type of carbohydrates used. The glycemic index diet plan has become increasingly popular for wellness, weight loss, and has been particularly well received by pre-diabetics, diabetics, and those following a heart healthy cardiovascular health plan.

According to Wayne Mitchell of GlycemicEdge.com, the best part about the glycemic index diet is it’s realistic approach to choosing foods while not banishing carbs. “Low carb and no carb diets are really challenging to follow. They also don’t have the health benefits that “low GI” or good carb foods provide. With low glycemic foods, you get the benefit of feeling “fuller” with foods that put much less strain on your digestive system and pancreas, controlling the release of insulin.”

Another popular benefit for low glycemic foods is weight loss, as your metabolism adjusts and switches from primarily burning carbs as a fuel source to burning fat. Whole grains and complex carbohydrates are emphasized while simple carbohydrates and foods which result in a sudden, rapid spike in insulin during digestion rank high on the GI scale and should be avoided.

“Our users love the ability to compare foods, find some surprising foods that are good low GI choices, and print and take lists with them when they do their shopping and planning for their families. About 70% of our users are moms planning for their families, and the charts and food lists are a great resource to make this easier for them.”

Users can print the lists for free and are invited to share questions and submit food scores of their own to help grow community awareness. Also featured are south beach diet food list and printable shopping guides.

###

Wayne Mitchell
Pendragon Express Inc.
(303) 870-0198
Email Information

Updated Glycemic Index Food Charts, Healthy Low GI Food Lists for Diabetics

COMMENTARY | Who says fast food has to be fatty for kids?

Across the United States, 19 fast food and family restaurant chains have unveiled plans to introduce more health-friendly children's menu choices. The changes come with a National Restaurant Association program to improve dining-out diets for children in America.

Good Morning America served up the story today, along with scary U.S. government statistics claiming the US has more than 2 million obese kids.

What fast foods will become more fit?

Participating restaurants include these dine-in and take-out spots: Au Bon Pain, Bonefish Grill, Burger King, Burgerville, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Chevy's Fresh Mex, Chili's, Corner Bakery Cafe, Cracker Barrel, Denny's, El Pollo Loco, Friendly's, IHOP, Joe's Crab Shack, Outback Steakhouse, Silver Diner, Sizzler, T-Bones Great American Eatery and Z Pizza.

To qualify, each healthy kids menu choice must offer at least one package deal totaling no more than 600 calories. The side dish included cannot exceed 200 calories. Children's new fast food options are supposed to incorporate fruits, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, vegetables and whole grains.

Will these alternative food choices help to trim the bulging child obesity statistics in America? Physicians and health-minded parents may welcome the change, but fitness will only follow, if kids actually choose and consume the healthier foods.

What if Mom and Dad keep loading up on super-sized fat attacks? Won't kids reach across the table, skipping those carrot sticks and apple slices, and grab fistfuls of fries?

And just how many fast food meals do children need each week? What happened to bag lunches, picnic baskets or eating at home?

Just for fun, consider a couple of good, old-fashioned kid-friendly favorites. A basic peanut butter and jelly sandwich totals about 330 calories. A bologna and cheese sandwich could max out just less than 500. Which choices are best for healthy kids?

These healthier fast food alternatives for kids may be small potatoes, but this is a start. Hey, Arby's, Culver's, McDonald's, Sonic, Taco Bell or Wendy's Wanna make it an even 25?

Linda Ann Nickerson brings decades of reporting and a globally minded Midwestern perspective to a host of topics, balancing human interest with history, hard facts and often humor.

19 Fast Food Joints Offering Healthy Kid Choices May Be Small Potatoes

Los Angeles, Calif. (PRWEB) March 23, 2010

Healthy lifestyles and kids nutrition have been consistently leading the headlines. From the health and nutrition movement championed by First Lady Michele Obama and schools to Jamie Olivers Food Revolution television show and the many newly-released books, Americans are more aware than ever before about the importance of developing good eating habits.

With Easter rapidly approaching, stocking kids Easter baskets with healthy alternatives to chocolate and candy is a smart start to lead children down the path of healthier eating. While parents know its important to provide nutritional treats for their children, they may not understand how to do so. To help educate parents, kids and healthcare professionals, a mom that is also a registered dietitian created SuperKids Nutritionto offer expert tips and tools for healthy eating.

More more parents and kids want to learn how to incorporate healthy food choices into their daily lives, said Melissa Halas-Liang, SuperKids Nutrition founder. With Easter right around the corner, taking the time to learn how to pack a health-conscious Easter basket is a perfect way to kick-start healthy eating habits.”

Healthy Easter Basket Tips
SuperKids Nutrition is challenging parents and kids to jumpstart a healthy lifestyle change starting with healthier Easter baskets. To continue the nutritional challenge long after the holiday, superkidsnutrition.com offers free tips, tools and resources. The website empowers parents to build a healthy family through easy-to-read information, coloring pages, activities, recommended childrens book and more. Here are a few suggestions for creating a healthy Easter basket from SuperKids Nutrition.

Healthy, Sweet and Fun Easter Basket Ideas:

• Bunny Cupcakes Bake or purchase whole grain carrot mini muffins decorate with bunny cupcake toppers for extra fun.
• Mix-It-Up – Fill Easter eggs with sugar free gum, colorful Easter erasers, popcorn, stickers, Easter tattoos or trail mix with dried cranberries and golden raisins.
• Too Cute Clementines will add a bold splash of spring color and are a sweet treat kids will love to eat. Mini red and green apples work well too.
• Frozen Fun Freeze-dried fruit tastes just like candy kids love bananas, mangos and apples. Be sure they brush their teeth afterwards.
• Egg Hunt – Replace egg-shaped chocolate with egg-shaped chalk. Place the chalk eggs in colorful mesh netting and tie with ribbon.
• Veg Out Now that spring is here, inspire kids to grow a vegetable and herb garden by packing a garden tote (in place of a basket) with a seed kit, mini pots and kid-size gardening gloves and spade.
• Book-It Include Easter coloring books and crayons as well as educational books teaching kids eating healthy can be fun. Super Baby Abigails Lunch Time Adventure is a neat read with a garden theme that will take children on a healthy eating journey with the Super Crew kids.

SuperKids Nutrition aims to empower children and families to reach their full potential by having the energy and good health needed to accomplish their life goals, said Halas-Liang. While providing information is important, I knew that it should also be fun for kids. As a result, we created the Super Crew characters.

Super Crew Makes Healthy Eating Fun for Kids
To make learning about healthy eating fun for kids, Melissa created the Super Crew characters, superhero kids who get powers from eating healthy foods of certain colors. Brought to life through the website, coloring pages and beautifully illustrated childrens books, the Super Crew encourages kids to understand and value the importance of good nutrition. In addition to children books, the Super Crew are featured in fun learning activities that can be downloaded on superkidsnutrition.com and deliver nutrition concepts in activities that also teach science, math, reading and fitness.

Havoc at Hillside Market and Super Baby Abigails Lunch Time Adventure are two books that feature the Super Crew. The books offer adventures that engage children and come to life on the vibrant pages. In addition to the stories, each book provides parents with ideas on how to peak their childs interest in learning about healthy nutrition and trying new foods. Books are available at superkidsnutrition.com.

About SuperKids Nutrition
SuperKids Nutrition Inc. was founded in August 2006 by Melissa Halas-Liang, MA, RD, CDE to save the world one healthy food at a timeTM. The SuperKids Nutrition team also represents a diverse, nationally recognized group of Registered Dietitians and nutrition professionals who specialize in childhood, school and family nutrition. The SuperKids Nutrition website, books and other educational resources are available to parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals looking for tools and information on eating healthfully and raising a healthy family. To learn more, visit http://www.superkidsnutrition.com.

Create Healthy Easter Baskets Join the Food Revolution

Food Nutrition Labels

THURSDAY, Oct. 20 (HealthDay News) — U.S. agencies should revamp the labels on the front of food and beverage packages to make it as simple as possible for consumers to figure out how nutritious a product really is, a new Institute of Medicine report concludes.

“There are a lot of different [rating] systems out there,” said Ellen Wartella, chair of the IOM committee that wrote the report, and director of the Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University. “But no one system has all the features we think are most helpful. Our goal is to say no one has to be a nutrition scientist to discern whether a packaged food is healthy or not healthy.”

“We want something that’s readily identifiable, easily understood and that cues the consumer that this is a healthy product,” Wartella added.

The report suggests creating a rating system that uses symbols to convey calorie counts by serving size, and a point system that tells consumers whether the levels of saturated fats, trans fats, sodium and sugar in the products are more or less healthy than recommended.

Front-package labels have grown in popularity over the last decade, but because there are so many different nutrition symbols and rating systems, many shoppers have just become confused, Wartella said.

The IOM committee recommends that front packaging labels be standardized and, at the same time, motivate food and beverage companies to reformulate products to be healthier and get food stores to prominently display products that meet healthier standards.

The committee’s concept is for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop and test labels that are visual and easy to understand. The idea is that government food labels can serve the same purpose as the government’s Energy Star program, which rates appliances by their energy efficiency.

The label should also be located in the same spot on all products, and reflect the current healthy dietary recommendations from the USDA and other groups.

A single system would let consumers quickly compare choices within a variety of food categories, the report said.

Determining whether or not a product can carry a healthy food package label would be done on a point system based on how much sugar, salt and fat it contained. These were picked because they are linked to obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, among other illnesses.

To be eligible for a “healthy” label, the product would have to have limited amounts of sugar, salt and trans fats, the IOM committee said.

“For example, 100 percent whole-wheat bread could earn all three points; graham crackers could earn two points for fats and sodium; and an oat-and-peanut butter bar could earn one point for sodium,” the committee noted.

Items with the most points would signal to consumers that these are the healthiest choices.

Samantha Heller, clinical nutrition coordinator at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., said that “one of the reasons nutrition labels are so confusing is that nutrition is very complicated.

“In fact, the current labeling system is so confounding to consumers that as part of a series of adult nutrition classes, I devote a one-hour class to reading and understanding the Nutrition Facts Panel,” she added.

Simplifying front package labeling so consumers can make healthier choices is a great idea if the IOM can make it work, Heller said. “It is a huge undertaking and fraught with difficulties on many levels, from the food companies push-back to consumer understanding and education,” she said.

It is difficult to apply the same standards to all foods, Heller said. “Some healthy foods may come up short and some less-than-healthy foods may end up getting more checks than they really deserve,” she noted. “All this said, we do need an easy guidance system of some kind that will encourage consumers to make informed decisions about their food choices. The real question is, will a ratings system ultimately affect peoples buying habits or their health?” she added.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association has already come up with its own labeling system.

“In January, the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute launched Facts Up Front, a fact-based, front-of-pack nutrition labeling system to help busy consumers — especially parents — make informed decisions when they shop,” said association spokesman Brian Kennedy.

The IOM report is an addition to the national dialogue about such nutrition labeling, Kennedy said.

“However, it is largely an academic exercise, like many before it. The point-based system recommended by the IOM is unproven, complex and therefore likely to be confusing. It would also fail to provide consumers with the simple and clear facts they want,” he added. “Meanwhile, food and beverage companies have developed a real-world program that delivers real value to consumers in real time.”

More information

For more information on healthy diets, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Food Nutrition Labels

Food Nutrition Labels Must Be Made Simpler, Experts Say