A recent poll shows that 80 percent of Americans like to read those Nutrition Facts labels on packaged food when they go grocery shopping. The same poll shows that 44 percent those same Americans who so carefully reading food labels are eating fattening food anyway, according to an article on CNN.com.

About two-thirds of Americans are overweight. The labels, which became standard back in 1994, are supposed to help them make better food choices. Yet even though Americans say they're reading the labels, evidently they aren't following through with better food choices. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of overweight people in the United States has risen from 56 percent in 1994 to 66 percent in 2006.

The survey of 1003 adults, which was conducted from May 30th to June 1st, 2006 revealed that women tend to look at the labels more than men do. They also pay more attention to a food item's nutrition content. Married men pay more attention to the labels than their unmarried counterparts do. Younger people tend to look for the caloric content of foods than older people do, but even when they find that they've picked up a high calorie item, 60 percent will still put it in their grocery cart.

Not everybody who looks at food labels is aiming to lose weight. Diabetics, for instance, use the labels to help them control their blood sugar. People with high blood pressure check the labels for sodium content.

The article reports that the government is considering making yet another change to the labels, hoping to make them even easier to understand. But that strategy is not likely to go far in solving the problem, since Americans are eating out more often than ever. Some are getting as many as one-third of their daily calories from restaurants. Most restaurants don't offer nutritional analyses of their menu items, but they do offer substantial portions for their patrons since so many Americans love to get a lot for their money. Unfortunately, getting a great deal at a restaurant can also mean a gaining a great deal of excess weight.

While the food labels are certainly a valuable tool for those who are watching their weight, it appears that just having them available is not enough

About the author: In her spare time, knotheadus writes for Epinions.com and maintains her own Web site, knot-heads.com.