Journalists & Bloggers

 

• Background on Dietary Fats and Fat Replacers

  Dietary fat is a nutrient needed for an overall healthful lifestyle. Like carbohydrates and protein, dietary fat is an important source of energy for the body. Fat is the most concentrated source of energy in the diet, providing nine calories per gram compared with four calories per gram from either carbohydrates or protein.

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• Everything You Need to Know About the Functions of Fats in Foods

  Fats provide much of the great taste and texture for which we prize these and other foods. Indeed, the fats in foods play a vital role in their ultimate acceptability. Neither the amount nor type of fats can be changed indiscriminately without changing the very features that make a food appealing. Without fats, foods—and eating—just wouldn't be the same.

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• Effective Communication of Dietary Fats: An Exploration of Language

  As consumers have increasingly had access to more information via the Internet about health and nutrition, many have found information about dietary fats to be confusing. Language used to communicate about dietary fats (e.g., saturated, unsaturated, omega-3, trans fat) has been particularly unclear to consumers.

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• Understanding Food Allergy

  Understanding Food Allergy provides an overview of food allergies, including the Big 8 food allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, soy, wheat, and shellfish), food allergy symptoms (including anaphylaxis), avoidance, and management. Understanding Food Allergy also describes how a food allergic reaction differs from a food sensitivity or food intolerance.

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• Helping Your Overweight Child

  Healthy eating and physical activity habits are key to your child’s well-being. Eating too much and exercising too little can lead to overweight and related health problems that can follow children into their adult years. You can take an active role in helping your child—and your whole family—learn healthy eating and physical activity habits that can last for a lifetime.

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• Sugar Alcohols Fact Sheet

  Sugar alcohols or polyols, as they are also called, are sugar replacers and have a long history of use in a wide variety of foods. Recent technical advances have added to the range of sugar alcohols available for food use and expanded the applications of these sugar replacers in diet and health-oriented foods.

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• Weight Loss: Finding a Program That Works for You

  This easy-to-use booklet provides information and checklists for evaluating weight loss programs and helps consumers to choose a safe and effective weight loss method.

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• Gestational Diabetes and Low-Calorie Sweeteners: Answers to Common Questions

  Gestational diabetes occurs when high blood sugar levels develop during pregnancy. This happens when the mother’s body can’t make and use all of the insulin it needs to “process” blood sugar normally. Women with gestational diabetes are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes at any time after the baby is born if diet is poor and too much weight is gained.

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• High Fructose Corn Syrup: Consumer Communications

  To help address questions on the topic of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the International Food Information Council (IFIC) has conducted qualitative consumer research aimed at better understanding consumer perceptions of HFCS and developing effective and accurate communications to address those perceptions. This At-A-Glance summarizes the findings of that research.

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• 2007 Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes toward Food, Nutrition & Health

  The IFIC Foundation Food & Health Survey provides ongoing insights into the many connections Americans make between the food they eat and their health.

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