How to Be a Conscious Eater

is low relative to how much is recommended in a given day.

For instance, take a can of soup. The reduced-sodium version

could have 870 mg of sodium, whereas the original version had

1,160. That’s 25 percent less, so the “low-sodium” option is cer-

tainly better, but it’s still providing a significant portion of your

2,300 mg daily total.

“Natural”: A few years ago, a Consumer Reports survey found

that 84 percent of consumers thought the word natural on a

food label should mean no artificial ingredients or colors or

toxic pesticides were used, and 82 percent thought it should

mean no genetically modified organisms were used. Surprise!

All of these things have been allowed under the term. The

problem has been the lack of a formal definition for natural.

There are innumerable ways to interpret the vague parameters

the FDA did have in place, which were that a product wouldn’t

contain any synthetic or artificial ingredients “that would not

normally be expected to be in that food.” Thousands of people

weighed in through a comment period that ended in 2016, but

for the true clarity the public needs, the wait continues. Also

problematic is the term natural flavors, since a manufacturer

doesn’t have to specify what those flavors are exactly. If you’re

trying to avoid certain ingredients—like flavoring agents

derived from animals if you’re on a vegan diet, or if you have a

food allergy—this ambiguity can be quite serious.

Structure/function claims: Ever notice a callout on the package

such as “calcium builds strong bones”? That’s an example of a

structure/function claim. It says that a component in the prod-

uct has been linked to a certain function in the body. Often

these claims distract from unhealthy qualities in the product

or are a stretch, to say the least. Since they aren’t regulated by

the FDA, it’s best not to put too much stock in them.

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