FOOD ANALYSES: CAUTIONS

By Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Food labels are required to tell us more and more about what is in our food. However, there are a few important problems with these analyses of foods. They are:

1. Cooking. When a food analysis indicates certain mineral content of a vegetable, it usually does not tell you that you must cook that vegetable in order to release all the minerals it contains.

This is a very important consideration, especially in cases where the vegetable could be eaten raw or cooked.

2. Bioavailability. A food analysis does not tell you whether the nutrients present in a food are in a bioavailable form. This is a very important consideration, in some cases.

3. Average nutrient content. Often food analyses just give average nutrient content. The actual nutrient content will depend on the freshness and the overall quality of the food. The actual nutrient content may be higher, or lower than the analysis suggests.

4. Serving size. This is not a problem with food analyses, but just a caution. It is very important to consider the serving size when you look at a food analysis. At times, the serving may be larger or smaller than you might imagine.

5. The forms of the nutrients. A food analysis usually does not tell the reader in what forms or compounds the nutrients are in. Yet this can influence the nutritional value of the food a lot.

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