Does “lean” on a food label mean the same thing as “low fat” and “healthy”?
Q: Are brittle nails that break easily a sign that I need more of a specific nutrient? Q: Do products that help people lose weight while they sleep really work? Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN American Institute for Cancer Research Q: Does “lean” on a food label mean the same thing as “low fat” and “healthy”? A: Food labels such as lean, low fat and healthy are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To qualify as lean, a main dish or packaged meal must contain no more than 8 grams (g) of fat, 3.5 g of saturated fat and 80 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per five-ounce serving. While choosing products marked lean can help you avoid high fat options, this labeling criteria is not as stringent as that for packages marked low fat or healthy. By comparison, according to FDA regulations a low fat main dish or meal can contain no more than 4.2 g of fat per five-ounce serving. To meet the criteria for a grade of healthy, a main dish or meal must be low fat, contain no more than 1.4 g o
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- Does "lean" on a food label mean the same thing as "low fat" and "healthy"?
