A Grad Student’s Perspective on NuVal
Guest Post by Angie Gaszak, RDE
To become a Registered Dietitian, students must graduate from an accredited university in the field of nutrition and then be accepted to a competitive internship program. As a series of unfortunate circumstances during my dietetic internship led me to forgo a three week rotation in the food service department at a long-term care facility, I must admit, I was both a little relieved (at the thought of not wearing a hairnet) and curious at the notion of getting a peek at the industry side of the nutrition field. I always wondered where the rubber met the road from the field of nutritional science and dietetics to the grocery store shelves. Thank goodness I was graciously accepted under the wings of Annette Maggi, a dietitian for NuVal!
The week before my assigned rotation, I did some homework on the internet to research NuVal. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was a remarkably comprehensive nutritional labeling program that literally takes the guesswork out of comparing products in the grocery store. While looking through the scores, I was dumbfounded by some of the products that I assumed would be higher (reduced fat, sugar, sodium, etc.) but were actually, due to other ingredients, not the best alternative. I guess after studying nutrition for so many years quite expensively, I thought I could master spotting the superior product. You would think, out of any shopper, I should be able to manage. But low and behold, nutrition labels can be confusing to even a nutrition grad student. With so many nutrients and ingredients taken into consideration, it would be impossible to quickly and accurately make the product comparisons that the NuVal system achieves with one little hexagonal number. Also, because NuVal’s algorithm is scientifically sound and represents positives, negatives, and weights the score for certain disease states, it goes beyond simply comparing nutrients and considers overall health and well-being.
Aside from being convenient from a personal perspective, I feel like this concept has great potential for the public’s health. Through its integration in schools, restaurants, and other establishments where food decisions are made, the NuVal system has the potential to affect a broad scope of customer choices. These collective selections have the potential to impact on the health status of the nation. With obesity rates as elevated as they are and the risk of disease associated with excessive body weight, an easy-to-use “nutrition GPS” guide might be just what our nation needs.
As I complete my work on my Masters degree in Public Health Nutrition, I will be sure to keep an eye on NuVal which I believe shows much promise in helping change the way our nation chooses food. They have created an empowering system and I look forward to seeing them expand in the future.
I would be grateful for any advice you might have.