Ask Chef Walter (food labels…) – Walter Potenza

by Master Chef Walter Potenza

Each week Chef Walter will take your questions and provide his answers. Think about all that holiday cooking coming up – what would you like to ask?

Here is a question that came in this week to Chef Walter, and his responses:

Ask Chef Walter question from Alice P, Barneston Nebraska

“Suggestions and mistakes to avoid when reading food labels”

Hello Alice:

Reading food labels is necessary to maintain a balanced lifestyle with good health. Informing yourself on the labels allows you to make logical choices about the foods you eat and share with others your healthy message.

It can help you avoid unhealthy ingredients and excessive sugar, sodium, and fat, detrimental factors in our everyday struggle to fight food manufacturers. One of the most important steps is to analyze the size you want to consume your serving on a food label.

This tiny particular tells you how much food is in a serving. You can calculate how many calories and nutrients are in each serving. Be aware that the listed serving size on the label may differ from the portion size you usually eat, so adjust your calculations accordingly.

Next, check the calorie count per serving, keep a log of your daily calorie intake, and make adjustments as necessary. Not all calories are created equal. Rich calories with high nutrients (such as fruits and vegetables) can still be a healthy part of your diet. Another critical aspect of food labels is the list of ingredients.

It is the most accredited way to see what is in the food you’re eating, and it can help you avoid ingredients you may be allergic to or sensitive to. Ingredients are always listed in order of quantity; therefore, the first few ingredients constitute most of the food.

The five mistakes most people make when reading labels.

1. Not checking the serving size: One of the most common mistakes people make when reading labels is not paying attention to the serving size. Unfortunately, the nutritional information on a label reflects the serving size, so you may need to read it carefully to consume more calories or nutrients than you think.
2. Ignoring the ingredients list: People often focus on a product’s calorie or fat content and overlook the ingredients list. However, the ingredients list can reveal necessary information about the quality of a product and whether it contains any potentially harmful ingredients, such as artificial colors or flavors, preservatives, or high fructose corn syrup.
3. Falling for marketing claims: Labels have a few tricks designed to grab your attention with marketing claims like “natural,” “organic,” or “low-fat.” However, these claims can be misleading, and it’s essential to look beyond the marketing hype to the basic nutritional information and ingredients list.
4. Not considering the context: Labels can help compare products, but it’s essential to consider the context in which you’re consuming the product. For example, a product may be low in fat but high in sugar, which may not be ideal if you’re trying to manage your blood sugar levels.
5. Assuming all labels are accurate: While the FDA regulates food labels, mistakes and inaccuracies can still occur. Therefore, it’s essential to be aware that the information on a label may only sometimes be 100% accurate and to use your judgment when evaluating a product’s quality and nutritional value.

Hope it helps! Chef Walter

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http://www.chefwalterscookingschool.com/

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And look for Chef’s response next week in the Sunday column, “Ask Chef Walter…”

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Meet Chef Walter!

There is a constant, recognizable thread in the career of Walter Potenza to elevate the level of Italian culinary culture in the United States. Besides his unquestionable culinary talent and winning business perspective, Chef Walter has been a relentless educator with passion and knowledge who defeats stereotypes. His life, career, and values are a model, an example to follow by any chef of Italian gastronomy working outside Italy.  

Chef Walter appears regularly on National and International Networks such as Food Network, ABC, CBS, NBC, RAI, FOX, and Publications such as NY. Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Saveur, Gourmet, and several Italian media outlets.  And now – RINewsToday!

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