"Worst" vs. "Better" Food Products

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Created on 12, January, 2012

An article comparing “worst” food products with better alternatives compares calories, fat, sodium and sugar. 

What should be compared is fat, sodium and sugar for equal calorie portions. Fiber and other beneficial nutrients also should be compared. Calories per serving is not a measure of “healthiness,” otherwise, anything higher in fat (even items with lots of nuts, which contain “good fats,” minerals, etc. ) will lose. Also, the serving sizes (weight) of two products could be very different, depending on whether FDA serving sizes were properly applied or if one item is considered an “individual item” and the other an “entree/meal” (the latter must show a larger serving size and would almost certainly have more calories for that reason). Then there’s the math: a 300 calorie item with 500 mg sodium actually has a much higher concentration of sodium than a 600 calorie item with 700 mg sodium. Dumbing down nutrition information can make it incorrect/misleading.