How to understand Food labels and claims?

How many of you have checked the labels on food containers or packets before buying it from supermarket? Well it is important to take a note of food labels to know about the ingredients in the food and other nutritional information. Knowing what nutrition information to look for, can help you make the best choice for your health and avoid unnecessary saturated fat, added salt, added sugars, preservatives and kilojoules.

   1. Serving Size: 

     The size of the serving on the food package influences the number of calories and all the nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the label. This will tell you the size of a single serving and the total number of servings per container (package).

2. Food calories: 

      If you want to lose weight you should keep an eye on the number of calories per serving and how many servings you’re really consuming if you eat the whole package. If you double the servings you eat, you double the calories and nutrients. For 2000 calorie diet, 

·         40 Calories is low

·         100 Calories is moderate

·         400 Calories or more is high.

    3. Nutritional values: It is very confusing with labels like low fat, low sugar, sugar free, fat free, low calories and more. FDA guidelines for food labels and claims:

·                  Calories: FREE- < 5 calories per serving

                LOW- ≤ 40 calories per serving

·                  Total fat: FREE- < 0.5g per serving

                LOW- ≤ 3g per serving

Not more than 25% to 35% of calories from fat.

·                  Saturated fat: FREE- < 0.5g saturated fat and < 0.05g trans fat per serving

                       LOW- ≤ 1g per serving and15% or less of calories from saturated fat.

·                  Cholesterol: FREE- < 2mg per serving

                     LOW- ≤ 20mg per serving

Not more than 200mg per day.

·                          Sodium-  FREE- < 5mg per serving

                       LOW- ≤ 140mg per serving

·                  Sugars- FREE- < 0.5g per serving

                     Not more than 100 to 150 cals a day (6-9teaspoons). 
 It is important to note that low fat food doesn’t mean LOW CALORIES!! ‘Low fat’ and ‘fat free’ food may contain high sugar or sodium to enhance the lost flavor of food. 

   4. Ingredients list:Ingredients are listed according to weight. List of Top 5 ingredients to avoid in food are listed below.

i) High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS):

It’s cheaper than sugar and hence you will find it mostly in soft drinks, processed foods and junk food. Consuming too much of HFCS can cause several health problems like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and more. Limit or avoid the products containing HFCS.

                     ii) Artificial color:

       They are generally found in candies, snacks, soda drinks especially marketed to children. They will be listed as blue1,blue2, red3, yellow5 and more. These colourings do not add any nutritional value and may pose health issues.

Choose safe and natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, agave nectar which will help you in your weight loss progress.

iii) Artificial sweetner:

It is 180 times sweeter than sugar!! It is an excitotoxin and it leads to health problems like accelerates ageing, brain cancer, dizziness, fatigue, cramps, sleep problems, memory loss, headaches and more. It is mostly found in Sugar free or diet products like diet sodas, chewing gums, jellies, fruit juices and ice-creams. Artificial sweeteners are alternatives to sugar because they contain no calories, which mean no nutritional values. As artificial sweeteners increase your appetite and you tend to eat more and gain more weight.

 iv) Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): 

MSG is an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells and may cause brain damage to varying degrees. It can trigger learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease. It can also cause migraines, obesity, depression, fatigue, eye damage, seizures and more. MSG is a slow poison which hides behind dozens of names like glutamate, hydrolyzed protein, yeast food, calcium or sodium caseinate, textured protein, yeast nutrient, natural flavoring, gelatin, glutamic acid, yeast extract, autolyzed yeast, monopotassium glutamate and more.  

v) Partially hydrogenated oils (Trans fat): 

Trans fat is more harmful to your arteries than saturated fat. “Trans fat free” foods also contain 0.5g of trans fats per serving, thus it is important to read labels. It is mostly found in fried/ battered food, ready meals, frozen meals, cake mixes, margarine sticks, snack foods and more

   5. Food labelling claims: We purchase food products based on labels claims on the product. For example, 100% natural, organic, low carb, whole grains, fresh, cholesterol free, fat free, gluten free. But are these really healthier choices to make? Don’t trust on labels. If a product is claimed 100% natural then it must be free from added colors, preservatives, flavors and synthetic substances but it doesn’t mean it is good for you. It can still have loads of sugar, fat or calories. So check the ingredients list and nutrition facts!

 Simply, if you can’t pronounce the ingredients on the product, “Don’t Eat It”!! Go for real and unprocessed food as much as you can. Beware next time you go for shopping grocery and food items. Don’t forget to keep it Healthy!!

References:

1.      www.fda.gov

2.      www.nhs.uk

3.      www.eatforhealth.gov.au