MAKING healthy choices isn't
always black and white, writes Grant Jones
It's usually all there in black and white, but both the nutrition
information and ingredients panels are not always top of mind when we choose a
food product.
Food labels tell us which nutrients, in what amounts, are in a product,
warn us if it contains food allergens, inform us if the food is fresh or out of
date and, when necessary, explain how to store, prepare or cook the food we
buy.
PANEL DISCUSSION
The current nutrition information panel is required for many foods and
must include energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars and
sodium content.
"It's not make or break on one single nutrient; you really should
look at all of them," says dietitian Dr Alan Barclay, spokesman for the
Dietitians Association of Australia.
Some foods are exempt from displaying nutrition information panels,
such as fresh fruit, meat and vegetables, but most packaged goods should
display a panel set by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The label
should also state where the food was produced and which company has marketed
it.
WEIGHT IN NUMBERS
Ingredients are always listed from greatest to smallest by how much
they weigh - including any added water. For example, in a strawberry yoghurt,
the ingredients could be listed as whole milk, concentrated skim milk, sugar,
strawberries (9 per cent), gelatine, culture, thickener (1442). You can safely
assume whole milk, concentrated skim milk and sugar make up the greatest part
of the product.
The 1442 listed is a food additive from the European-based Codex
Alimentarius, which uses numbers instead of complex chemicals, compounds or
ingredients.
Where there are small amounts of multi-component ingredients (under 5
per cent), labels may list the composite ingredient only, for example, tomato
sauce, rather than listing all the ingredients in the sauce. But any additive,
such as a preservative, must be listed.
ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS
Sometimes within an ingredients list, you'll see a percentage in
brackets, such as apples (26 per cent).
This lists the proportion of the ingredient included in the product -
in this case, how much of your apple pie is apple. This is required when the
ingredient has been highlighted in words or in a picture on the labels or an
ad.
NUTRITION LABELLING
Some food labels include information on percentages of daily intake
(seen as % DI) and nutrition claims.
Use these panels to compare key nutrients such as salt (sodium), sugar,
carbo-hydrate and fat, of the food you buy. To compare similar products, check
they have the same serving size first. If not, compare the average per 100g
column to ensure you are comparing like with like.
If 20g of fat is listed in the per 100g column, this means the product
is 20 per cent fat and therefore a high fat food.
"Every food group is different," said Dr Barclay.
"There are good and bad things added to the various food
categories. So, for example, in bread it is usually salt which is the issue.
"Where as with yoghurt it can either be the fat content or added
sugar content."
It's also a good idea to keep an eye on how many serves there are in
the pack. If you only eat half the serve, then you will consume half the values
shown. Similarly, if you eat two serves, you'll need to double it.
CHECK CLAIMS
Dr Barclay says nutrition claims on labels "only focus on the
positive aspects". "If you are looking to lose weight, choosing a
lower kilojoule variety is something people should certainly be thinking about
primarily," he says.
"There's a good rule of thumb that if there are more than six
ingredients or those ingredients are names you can't pronounce, chances are
it's a highly processed food and one you are better off without," he says.
Many of these claims are managed through a voluntary code, which meets
criteria set by Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
For example, low fat foods are those with 3g of fat or less per 100g,
while reduced fat foods contain 25 per cent per cent less fat than the regular
product and at least 3g or less fat per 100g.
Low salt foods contain 120mg of sodium or less per 100g.
"There is not one size fits all," Dr Barclay says. "The
over-arching issue for most of us is that we carry too much weight, and
therefore I would argue that kilojoules is the most useful information for most
of us."
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/how-to-read-a-nutrition-label/story-fneuzkvr-1226757882017
Bynaturael Products:
 |
| Natural Shampoo |
 |
| Liquid Castile Soap |
No comments:
Post a Comment