| Losing weight and being on a diet means knowing | | | | labels. Package labels now boast of ingredients that |
| exactly what you're eating at every meal. This usually | | | | can cure your cancer, lower your risk of heart disease |
| rules out going out to restaurants because it's always | | | | and make you immune from Alzheimer's disease |
| a mystery how your food is being prepared and with | | | | based on ingredients that have changed only slightly or |
| what ingredients. Portion sizes are also a challenge as | | | | in some cases, not at all. After all, slapping a label on a |
| they are usually way bigger than you're supposed to | | | | bag of apples that says "Gluten Free" is a little |
| eat in one meal. | | | | misleading to people who don't realize that apples |
| The good news is, due to the lobbying efforts of | | | | never did and never will contain gluten. |
| community activists, more and more states are now | | | | The goal of all this increase in information is to make |
| providing detailed nutritional information on their menus. | | | | consumers more aware of what they're eating and |
| In some cases, this is mandated by law and in others | | | | how healthy their food choices are. This effort seems |
| restaurants are providing the information voluntarily in | | | | to be succeeding, too. The Food and Drug |
| an effort to give the consumers what they want. | | | | Administration did a survey of health and diet in 2008 |
| In many restaurants it's now becoming common to | | | | that seems to indicate that people are becoming much |
| see a wealth of detailed information on menus such as | | | | more label savvy. Over half of the people surveyed |
| calorie counts, sodium levels and amount of saturated | | | | answered that they read nutritional labels in the |
| fats. Now, along with the ingredients that went into | | | | grocery store and almost 40% of respondents claimed |
| your lasagna you can also see how much salt you're | | | | that they weren't fooled by spurious claims of "low fat" |
| taking in as well. You have to be a little careful though | | | | or "high fiber". |
| to make sure that just because it says "low fat" next | | | | Business owners in the food and beverage industry |
| to a menu item that there isn't a high level of other | | | | are now getting clued in to the benefits of consumer |
| undesirable ingredients such as sodium or cholesterol. | | | | education to their bottom lines as well. The recognition |
| Low fat is a good idea but not if it's at the expense of | | | | that giving the customer what they want by offering |
| other nutritional goals. | | | | specialty menu items that appeal to people who had |
| The increased focus on providing the information on | | | | few choices in the past is helping to drive up sales. |
| what's in your food has lead some food makers to | | | | This works out well for the customer and it's good for |
| get a little creative with the claims they put on the | | | | the business as well. |