By JJ Virgin
A colleague recently shared a Wall Street Journal article about grocery stores using a new nutritional-scoring system called NuVal. The system scores foods on a scale of 1 to 100 (1 being devoid of nutritional value and 100 being super-healthy). It’s based on a complex algorithm that can only be modified by a seven-member panel of food and health experts from various universities.
I’m a bit conflicted about this concept. On the one hand, it’s valuable for consumers to think about the nutritional makeup of their food and understand that it’s more complicated than simply counting calories or fat grams! (Those low-fat or low-calorie products probably have extra sugar or sodium to compensate and add flavor).
All foods are not created equal. There’s a huge range of nutritional value in every aisle of the grocery store. Consider two spaghetti sauces sitting side by side: one may have a huge amount of sodium, while the other is high in fat due to its processed cheese flavor. A third one may offer little sodium but lots of nutritious vegetables.
Still, I’m skeptical about whether a simple numeric rating gives consumers the whole picture. It certainly doesn’t give context on how food fits into a healthful eating plan. For instance, that whole grain bread may score in the sixties, but if you’re subsisting on bread products (even if they’re whole grain) at every meal and skimping on the veggies and protein, then you’re missing out on important nutrients and probably consuming too many carbs.
Rather than fixating on numbers, most consumers should simply focus on real whole foods. Skip the snack and soda aisles, the sugary cereal section, and the bakery with its fat bombs waiting to attack your mid-section. Instead, shop the perimeter of the store and fill your cart with colorful, fresh produce and lean protein. It’s much healthier and simpler than any math equation, but it works.
©2010 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. Celebrity nutrition and wellness expert JJVirgin is a media personality, in-demand public speaker and best-selling author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy, The 5-Step Plan to Sleek, Strong and Sculpted Arms. Get her biweekly LEANzine chock full of tips to get you slim and sexy fast at http://www.jjvirgin.com.
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