
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, October 26, 1993                   TAG: 9310260029
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

LOOKING BEHIND THE FOOD LABELS

Many people are misled by food labels and advertising claims, many confuse sweetness with fat content, and many believe that a food that is wholesome in one respect or that is sold in health food stores is necessarily low in fat.

Here are some facts:

Foods such as peanut butter and vegetable oil labeled as containing no cholesterol may derive most or all their calories from fat, and some may contain significant amounts of saturated fat.

Turkey bologna labeled 82 percent fat-free can derive 75 percent of its calories from fat, and turkey franks labeled as having 30 percent less fat than regular beef or pork franks may still derive 81 percent of their calories from fat.

A fast-food breaded-chicken sandwich may have more than 50 percent calories from fat, but a regular fast-food hamburger typically has only 39 percent.

Peanuts have more fat than chips, and regular microwave popcorn has as much fat as most cookies.

A 4-ounce Sara Lee banana nut bran muffin has 350 calories and 18 grams of fat, which means that 46 percent of its calories come from fat.

Two Girl Scout Tagalong cookies have 160 calories and 12 grams of fat, or 67 percent of calories from fat, while two Nabisco Fig Newtons have 120 calories and 2 grams of fat, or only 15 percent calories from fat, in addition to wholesome fiber.

Premium ice creams contain 60 to 100 percent more fat than supermarket store brands.

Those discouraged by such statistics may find solace in this fact: snacking can lower blood cholesterol if the snacks are wholesome. If instead of eating three meals a day, the same foods are eaten in 17 portions at hourly intervals, cholesterol levels can drop by an average of 8.5 percent and harmful LDL cholesterol can fall 13.5 percent.

Nibblers, like mice, may be on to something.

by CNB