Q. My local supermarket has added ‘NuVal’ nutrition scores to most of the labels in the store. How accurate do you think they are for judging the healthfulness of food? I can’t find details about how the NuVal score is calculated but sodium seems to be a factor. A low sodium version of the same product will score higher.
A. NuVal is the commercial incarnation of the Overall Nutrition Quality Index or ONQI, a nutrition scoring system that’s been in development for several years. Foods are scored on a scale of 1 to 100, using a complex equation that takes into account a long list of vitamins, minerals, fiber, types of fat, protein quality, energy density, glycemic load, and so on. “Good” nutrients like antioxidants or omega-3 fats bring the score up; “bad” nutrients like cholesterol, sugar, and sodium bring the score down. The basic idea is to save shoppers time and simplify the task of selecting healthy (or at least healthier) foods.
NutritionData.com, a website I used to be affiliated with, developed a similar system called the ND Rating, which scored foods on a scale of 0 to 5, based on similar criteria.
Advantage: Simplicity
The main advantage to nutrition scoring systems is simplicity. Faced with 100 kinds of breakfast cereal, it’s a lot easier to scan the shelf for the highest NuVal score than to study the nutrition facts labels on every box. The NuVal also evaluates nutrition information that’s not always readily available on the package or the nutrition facts label, such as glycemic index.
Disadvantage: Simplicity
I see two main disadvantages of these scoring systems. First, they set the nutritional priorities, not you. For example, foods “lose” points if they are high in cholesterol and “gain” points for being high in fiber. What use is that if you’ve embraced the “paleo” diet theory, which emphasizes animal proteins and eschews all grains?
The other disadvantage is that crunching all the data into a single number obscures the various “plusses” and “minuses.” For example, a food that’s high in sodium but low in sugar could end up with the same rating as a food that’s just the opposite: low in sodium but high in sugar. But depending on whether I have diabetes or high blood pressure, the two choices are hardly comparable.
How to Use NuVal
Inevitably, a system that attempts to rate everything from soup to nuts with a single formula will frequently run afoul of common sense. For example, unsalted, unbuttered popcorn (relatively harmless as snack foods go but not exactly a nutritional powerhouse) rates twice as high as a skinless chicken breast. Systems like these are probably most useful (but still not infallible) when used to compare foods within fairly tight categories, such as breakfast cereals or canned soups.
Also, keep in mind that the NuVal scoring system doesn’t take serving size into account. That’s still up to you. High NuVal Scores don’t necessarily mean that a food can or should be eaten in unlimited quantities.
An Alternative Way to Find Healthier Foods
Finally, it seems as if the main application of these scoring systems is to rate and rank processed foods. A simpler way to improve nutrition might be to buy more food without labels and ingredient lists.
I’ve been searching for a simple system to use as a guide for making food choices. A nutritionist recommended your book, The Inflammation Free Diet Plan and I am beginning to follow the plan. The one drawback, for me at least, is that I would like to be able to record what I eat online and have it automatically keep track of my IF total, along with other data such as calories, fat, fiber, protein, etc. Does such a site exist, and if not, is one being developed?
Also, has the table of IF Ratings been updated/added to?
Thanks.
Do you have an iPhone or iTouch? If so, the IF Tracker app does exactly what you’re looking for–and has an expanded and updated list of foods! Check it out here: http://lookingglass.mobi/if
Do you have anything like that for android yet?
Yes the IF Tracker is also available in the Google App Store.
Our local grocery store has started putting NuVal on the shelves and it’s helped some with my shopping. Sometimes it’s just annoying when I’m in a hurry to decide and I won’t lie. I’ve used it. Shredded Wheat or Total Raisin Bran? I dunno, what’s the score. OK. There we go. (that conversation happened in my head.) Mostly I try and buy things that don’t have labels, but when it comes to labels I think the NuVal helps… altho the bad score it gives Nutty Bars almost killed me! They’ve got peanut butter, they’re practically a health food! *grin* OK. Maybe not.