FOOD LABELS
Choosing a healthier diet is easier
when you know how to read the labels on foods and drinks – although
this is sometimes not that easy.
Most foods and drinks come with a
nutritional panel, detailing the nutritional information for that
given product. This nutrition panel can be very useful – but only
if you understand what the figures mean.
Most foods provide two panels of
information:
-
Nutritional information
-
Guideline daily amounts
An example of a nutrition information
panel from a food label:
| Typical values (drained product) |
Per ½ can |
Per 100g |
| Energy |
- |
- |
| Calories |
143kcal |
119kcal |
| Protein |
8.6g |
7.2g |
| Carbohydrate |
19.3g |
16.1g |
| Of which sugars |
0.5g |
0.4g |
| Of which starch |
18.1g |
15.1g |
| Fat |
3.5g |
2.9g |
| Saturated fat |
0.4g |
0.3g |
| Fibre |
4.9g |
4.1g |
| Salt |
1.3g |
1.0g |
| Of which sodium |
0.5g |
0.4g |
Guideline daily amounts (GDA) are
provided on many food labels (see traffic
light labelling). This gives a guide to the number of calories
and amount of fat the ‘average’ adult should eat per day. You can
then take the information from the nutritional panel and work out
how much is in each serving in comparison to the amount recommended
in your daily diet.
Guideline daily amounts for
average adults
| |
Women |
Men |
| Calories (kcal) |
2000 |
2500 |
| Fat (g) |
70 |
95 |
| Salt (g) |
6 |
6 |
Always use the GDA to guide you to
making wise food choices, and as an extra help, the information is
usually at the bottom of the nutrition information panel on food
labels.
So, what does the nutrition
information on the label really mean?
When you are looking to make healthy
eating choices, the most important elements of food to concentrate
on is the energy, fat and salt quantities detailed on the
nutritional panel.
Energy
This can be expressed as kJ (kilojoules) or as kcal (kilocalories).
Strictly speaking, a kilocalorie is equivalent to 1,000 calories,
but in everyday language, the term ‘calorie’ is used for both
measures.
Fat
There are three main types of fats; saturated, polyunsaturated and
monounsaturated. Often on labels you will only see the total amount
of fat and the amount of saturated fat in the product – it is the
saturated fat that is the least healthy of the three.
Salt or Sodium
On a food label, salt is often called sodium. But don’t be fooled
by smaller quantities, 1g of sodium is roughly the same as 2.5g
salt and it is the sodium that causes health problems.