Food labels that display the amount of exercise required to burn the calories of a product are touted as a way to reduce obesity, but not everyone is convinced.
Researchers at Loughborough University in the UK believe that labeling certain foods with a physical activity calorie equivalent (PACE) can indicate how much walking or running is required to “digest” the food. I’m here.
“PACE labeling seeks to effectively convert the energy in food,” said Professor Daley.
“Just give people a number [of calories or kilojoules] The lack of context doesn’t really help them make decisions.
“[If] For example, I said, “One bag of potato chips has 150 calories,” but what does that really mean to you as a consumer? Just three numbers, right? ”
Professor Daley recently presented his PACE idea at the International Obesity Conference in Melbourne in October.
The Loughborough University team is still piloting PACE labels in cafeterias and vending machines, but says early results are promising.
“Our initial findings show that placing the PACE label in situations where people have to make decisions about food reduces the number of calories that the general public chooses to consume. is exactly what we’re trying to do,” she said.
“Most people are overweight and most of us eat a little too much and don’t exercise enough.
“We also see that the public is saying that if PACE labeling were introduced, it would not only help them think about what to eat, but they would buy less really high-calorie foods. I did.”
Majority of Australian adults are overweight
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics Health Survey conducted in 2018 found that 67% of Australian adults and 25% of children are overweight or obese.
Some listeners of ABC Radio Perth said they found the PACE label helpful.
Hendou: “I’m a big chocolate addict. I think the new label is a good idea to let me know how much physical activity the chocolate bars I eat every day require.”
Haley: “Pace labeling is a great idea. Informed consent is required before jumping into a chocolate bar. It might even encourage people to exercise.”
Kim: “I love this idea. It motivates me to walk back to the store instead of driving when I really want a chocolate bar.”
Others had reservations:
Ciara: “I don’t like this idea. As a recovered bulimic and anorexic, we don’t need labels that make people obsessed with numbers and calories in this food-obsessed culture. We eat mainly fresh food.” You need to focus on eating.With a chocolate bar.Ingredients list is good enough.
Alex: “One donut gives you 300 calories, and one slice of fish gives you 300 calories. They both have the same calorie value, but one is satisfying, the other is just empty calories. Where do the calories come from?” or is more important.”
Food is ‘more than calories’
Sheri Cooper, Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, says that while the PACE display can provide people with useful information, a healthy lifestyle is much more than counting calories. said it was important.
“We know food is much more complicated than that. It’s packed with nutrients, and it matters whether those calories come from a nutrient-rich source or are arbitrary calories.” .
“In terms of weight management, we need to lead a healthy lifestyle, which means eating a balanced diet that includes enough of the five food groups and not eating too many high-content foods. We really need to make sure that our saturated fats, sugars and sodium.
Calories and equivalent exercise may be very useful information that individuals receive as part of personalized advice from a nutritionist, but she is less certain of its value as a population-level strategy. .
“Over the past 20 years, certified practicing dietitians have used this as an educational tool to help some clients manage their weight,” she said.
“This is a good tool to show the difference between how calories contribute to the energy of a meal and how those calories are consumed.
“If you extend that to labels for public health nutrition messages, it’s a whole other thing.
“We really need high-quality research to show that putting that message out there actually reduces the incidence of chronic disease in the population.”
Promote a healthy lifestyle
Dr. Cooper said that exercise should be seen as part of a healthy lifestyle that not only burns calories, but has many benefits.
“We need to get back to the message of the Australian Dietary Guidelines, which emphasizes incorporating some form of exercise every day.
“[As well as burning calories] You can also do a lot more — reduce stress, increase lean muscle mass, and increase your metabolic rate.”
Dr. Cooper was also unsure if the label would motivate people to exercise more.
“People operate on different levels,” she said.
“There is no evidence of that.
“Even the researchers proposing this strategy acknowledge that there are gaps in the evidence and that more research is needed before public health policy can be formulated on this.”
no food guilt
Eating the occasional chocolate bar or muffin should be something people can do without feeling guilty or needing to quickly compensate with exercise, Dr. Cooper said.
“That’s healthy eating. As you can see from the Australian Dietary Guidelines, healthy eating is eating foods that don’t fit on the healthy eating guidelines plate.”
Professor Daley agreed that no single strategy is likely to reduce the number of overweight or obese people.
“I think there’s a lot we can do,” said Professor Daley.
“Keeping in mind that most of us are overweight or obese, we need all the information and strategies we can to help the public make these decisions.”
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