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Health Canada approves new health claim for barley and cholesterol

There’s good new for barley! Health Canada has just approved the following heart health claim: “Barley fibre helps reduce cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease.” To qualify for this claim, the food must contain at least 1 gram of beta-glucan from barley grain products per reference amount and per serving of stated size. Research shows that 3 grams of barley beta-glucan per day is effective in lowering blood cholesterol levels. About 44% of Canadians have high blood cholesterol which is a risk factor for heart disease.

Image source: Wikia.com

Nutrition Facts Education Campaign

According to research, food labels are the most trusted source of nutrition information. The % Daily Value (%DV) found on the Nutrition Facts table is a quick and easy tool to help consumers understand if there is a little or a lot of a nutrient. I served as a spokesperson for this educational campaign which was a partnership between Health Canada and Food Consumer Products of Canada. We held a bloggers’ event in March, and I was featured in a number of radio interviews.

Here’s a picture of a “cereal box” (aka old shoe box) that my kids gave me for Mother’s Day when they were four and five years old. It was filled with different types of cereal. They called it “Mama-O’s” and even drew a Nutrition Facts on the back of the box!

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