Nutrition, Obesity, and Heart Health

In the 1980's, the average amount of fat intake of Americans was approximately 32% and the obesity rate was less than 20%. Fast forward to 2010 where the average fat intake of Americans remained the same (32%), however the obesity rate was alarmingly high at greater than 30%. This rate continues to grow with reports from the CDC of over 33% in 2016. Obesity can be defined as an individuals BMI of 30 or higher which is determined by a person's height and weight. With the % fat intake unchanged over the past four plus decades, why is it that Americans are becoming larger? Yes, decreased activity level plays a role and that has certainly become an issue over the years with more desk jobs, more commute time, more TV time, and more leisure time just sitting playing on our mobile devices. But decreased physical activity is not the only (or the primary) culprit to this epidemic, it is more than that.

We have been told for years that fat is making us fat. Food companies have made available low fat options in effort to assist us from the battle of the bulge. Look on the shelves the next time you're in the grocery store and take note of all the labels that read "Low Fat" or "Non-Fat". (There used to be even more until just recently). The thing with removing fat from products is the fact that it needs to be replaced with something to make up for the loss in the flavor profile. The ingredient that is typically replaced with the fat is SUGAR, mainly in the form of refined carbohydrates or added sugar. This gives us a quick energy boost - ok, but it does not give us that feeling of satiety, so we eat more. We eat more and we gain weight.

New scientific information shows a strong link between added sugar in the diet and chronic diseases such as obesity and heart disease. One of the items added to the nutrition facts label, which will begin appearing on food products in July 2018, is "Added Sugars," which will be displayed in grams and as %DV (daily value) on the label. (manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales will have an additional year to comply). No more than 10% of your total daily caloric intake should come from added sugar.

The Nutrition Facts section on food labels can help you sort the good carbs from the bad carbs. Here’s what to look for on the New Nutrition Facts label:

Total Carbohydrate

For tracking the total amount of carbohydrate in the food, per serving, look for the line that says total carbs. You’ll find that often the grams of fiber, grams of sugars and grams of other carbohydrate (on current labels) will add up to the grams of total carbohydrate on the label.

Dietary Fiber

This tells you the total amount of fiber in the food, per serving. Dietary fiber is the amount of carbohydrate that is indigestible and will likely pass through the intestinal tract without being absorbed.

Sugars

Sugars tells you the total amount of carbohydrate from sugar in the food, from all sources -- natural sources like lactose and fructose as well as added sugars (that is, until the new labels are released in 2018) like high-fructose corn syrup. It’s important to know what has natural sugar and what has added sugar. For example a serving of 1% milk will indicate that it has 15 grams of sugar. Those grams are from lactose, as natural sugar in the milk, not from added sugar. Until the new labels come out, be sure to read the labels for added sugars such as high fructose corn syrup, white sugar or brown sugar. Futhermore, ingredients are listed in order of quantity, so if added sugar is in the top three to four ingredients, it's best to stay away from that product.

Added Sugars (coming in 2018)

The FDA has defined added sugar to includes sugars that are either added during the processing of foods, or are packaged as such, and include sugars (free, mono- and disaccharides), sugars from syrups and honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices that are in excess of what would be expected from the same volume of 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice of the same type. The definition excludes fruit or vegetable juice concentrated from 100 percent fruit juice that is sold to consumers (e.g. frozen 100 percent fruit juice concentrate) as well as some sugars found in fruit and vegetable juices, jellies, jams, preserves, and fruit spreads.

This latest research, the upcoming changes of food label, along with properly educating the public of this information is essential in fighting the obesity epidemic and improving heart health.

Krystin Weiss, NDTR, CPT, is founder of Impact Fitness and Nutrition. Krystin Weiss is a nutrition coach and personal trainer whose passion is helping women become healthier through fitness and nutrition. Krystin's philosophy is simple - make small changes to create the biggest impact, all while making sustainable changes that will last a lifetime. Krystin focuses on the individual's needs where all coaching and training programs are custom created to meet client's goals. If you're tired of diets or working out and not getting the results you're looking for, contact Krystin at Impact Fitness and Nutrition. Make that investment in YOU today for a better tomorrow!

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