Baking & Snack - February 2020 - 66

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

"INGREDIENT LISTS CAN BE TRICKY
FOR CONSUMERS TO UNDERSTAND.
THE MORE INFORMATION AN
ICON, A REGISTERED TRADEMARK
SYMBOL A COMPANY CAN
PROVIDE ON THE PACKAGING
IS OF BENEFIT TO ALL."
Nancy Farrell Allen, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

of a food item. Those with food allergies should avoid
those allergen ingredients that would cause distress."
However, there are some ingredients relating to health
conditions that baking and snack companies can incorporate - or exclude - from their products.
Eliminating added sugars is a must, and the "no added sugars" claim is a consumer demand across the entire
health and wellness spectrum. Some research points to a
relationship between added sugars and diabetes, obesity
and heart diseases, and the Mayo Clinic Health Systems
notes that added sugars increase calories but don't add
nutrients.
Ms. Farrell Allen has been working with natural sugars. "One-fourth cup agave nectar is equivalent to 1 cup
of sugar," she said. "Date nectar is something new I'm experimenting with a bit. It has 25% less sugar than honey."
For consumers with osteoporosis, too much salt can
cause the body to lose calcium. For those with heart
conditions, a product's sodium content is key because
reducing salt intake lowers blood pressure or prevents
hypertension from developing. The American Heart
Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg sodium per day, but approximately 1,500 mg is best.
Saturated and trans fat, which can raise cholesterol,
are also avoided by health-minded consumers who seek
low-fat products instead. The American Cancer Society
gives this advice to consumers: To know if a product is
low-fat, read the food label and check that 30% or less
of the calories come from fat. If there's 3 g fat or less for
every 100 Cal, it's low-fat.
In addition to vegetables, fiber is a well-known positive addition to snacks and baked goods, and this provides an opportunity for the industry. "The research is
revealing that the spectrum of human health from
cardiovascular diseases to metabolic issues to cancer
prevention may be impacted by an ingredient that
is truly intrinsic to grain foods: fiber," said Christine
Cochran, executive director, Grain Foods Foundation.
"Bakers and snack makers need to keep their eyes on
peer-reviewed research and the direction it is taking with respect to fiber and, separately but relatedly,
gut health."
Within a variety of bakery items such as cookies,
muffins, pastries and breads, fiber can be increased
through the inclusion of oats, flax meal and whole
wheat, according to Ms. Farrell Allen.
In addition to specific ingredients, portion control is critical. "The one common denominator in all
of this though is the serving size," Ms. Farrell Allen
noted. "Greater food or drink quantities translate
Consumers turn to fiber as a primary ingredient to help regulate a
variety of health problems.
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Baking & Snack - February 2020

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