By: Diana Cagliero, MA
Nutrition information labels can be puzzling. The informational boxes on theback of food products are often filled with hard-to-pronounce and unfamiliar words. Because of these challenging labels, many buy food based on what is on the cover of the packaging. Words like “Heart Healthy” are often shown in big, bright letters on food products, suggesting that they are the healthiest option for us to buy.
However, usually below the big words “HEART HEALTHY” are a set of words in much smaller print, that are often ignored. This post will try to clarify what the “Heart Healthy” label means and suggest some tricks you can use to determine how healthy the food you are buying really is.
The Heart Healthy label is given to foods that fall within a set of guidelines set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)¹. For an item to be labeled as “heart healthy” it must fall under some guidelines set out by the FDA like:
Confusing, right? Understanding what these number and names mean is complicated!
Here are a few simple guidelines to keep in mind when trying to decode a food label to see if it’s heart healthy:
We hope these tips help you interpret food labels and better understand what a “heart healthy” label means next time you’re at the grocery store!
1 “Heart-Check Food Certification Program Nutrition Requirements,” American Heart Association, https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/company-collaboration/heart-check-certification/heart-check-in-the-grocery-store/heart-check-food-certification-program-nutrition-requirements
2 “How to Read Food Labels for a Heart-Healthy Diet,” Johns Hopkins Medicine, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy_heart/eat_smart/quick-qas-do-you-know-how-to-read-food-labels-for-a-heart-healthy-diet
3 “Guidelines for a Low Sodium Diet,” UCSF Health, https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/guidelines_for_a_low_sodium_diet/
4 “Heart-Healthy Eating on a Budget,” Johns Hopkins Medicine https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy_heart/eat_smart/heart-healthy-eating-on-a-budget