Who has time to read the nutrition information panel on a food packet? Even if you did do you have the time to stand there and filter through all those ingredients and endless numbers? Do you know what to look for? Before I stepped into my Nutrition and Dietetic journey I was so confused by all the numbers and ingredients. I often thought "What does this mean?" "What number should I be aiming for?" "Why can’t food labels just be more obvious?"
Why should I pay attention to the nutrition label?
The nutrition label can be very confusing and I totally understand that most people, including myself, would put it straight in the too hard basket and just look straight past it. To most it looks like an endless bunch of numbers in a table... and well... essentially, it is but the nutrition information panel can provide you with lots of information about the product you are choosing. Most importantly it can help you choose among same items which is the better choice!
Navigating the Nutrition Label
Tips to help navigate the nutrition label like a champ
If you find nutrition labels confusing and difficult to read, don’t worry you are 100% not alone. We have all been there… Heck, I still find them confusing at times. So to help combat the world of nutrition labels here are some of the key info I look at when trying to decide which products to choose from.
1. Compare like with like
To make sure you are making a fair judgement between products remeber that you need to compar same food items. For example: a museli bar with a muesli bar. This way you are comparing which is the better choice for you.
There is not point compareing between a yoghurt and muesli bar. They are completely different foods from completely different food groups!
2. Ignore the front of the pack
Although the front of the pack may look good and claim to be healthy. The front of the pack is where food companies try to grab your attention and SELL! Don't get sucked in by their superb choice of words and emotive language!
To also gain your attention there are such things as "health claims" that companies can use of their products! I will talk about this is another post (so watch this space) but thankfully Australia has a tightly regulated policies around this but that doesn't mean that everything you read you should believe.
Things to be aware of:
Front of pack - the aim is to sell
Emotive language
Just because it is in the health food isle doesnt mean that it is healthy
3. Watch out for the ingredients list
Look at the ingredients list first. If there is sugar (in any form) in the top 3 ingredients it is generally going to be a product with high amounts of sugar. I would consider this a "sometimes" food and wouldn’t be something I have every day.
Look at the length of the ingredients list. The shorter the list, the more simple the more likely it is a great product. If the list is like an essay with a whole bunch of things added and words you can't pronounce then it is probably not the best option.
Now consider the image below... Let's say these are muesli bars. Which bar do you think is the better choice?
... if you chose the product on the right you're correct.
Handy tip: Sugar can be disguised using many different names. Some of these include: dextrose, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, rice syrup, maltose, glucose, fruit juice concentrate... (the list goes on)
You can just look the ingredients list and not numbers to see if it is a good product but if this isn’t enough or you’re a number lover than here some more points I like to look at.
4. Look at the 100g column
Looking at the numbers it is best to compare per 100g (this translates into a percentage). This is because serve sizes can vary between different food products and brands some companies may even change the serving size to make them look better.
Sugar (not CHO, just sugar)
This does count sugars from fruit and dairy. However, if a product contains fruit or is a dairy based product you can expect that the sugars are going to be higher.
Aim for: <10g per 100g (<5g/100 = low sugar)
Fats
You don’t need to go low fat for everything. We need fats to keep us full and absorb specific nutrients, especially good fats including mono and polyunsaturated fats. Fats that we should aim to reduce are the bad fats including trans and saturated fat.
Aim for: low in sat. fat and trans fats
Be aware that dairy will naturally have saturated fats but remember dairy contains many other essential vitamins and minerals that keep us healthy. It is the saturated fat in fried and discretionary ("unhealthy") foods that are most problematic.
Protein
Protein is important. Not only for muscle repair but it also aids to our satiety, meaning it can keep us fuller for longer. So aim to spread out protein throughout the day!
Aim: 10-15g per serve
Salt
Salt acts as a flavour enhancer and also shelf stability (processed meats, spreads, breads). However, too much salt is not good for us as it can increase blood pressure and increase risk of heart disease.
Aim: < 400mg/100 or <120mg/100g = best
Fibre
Fibre is found in many foods including fruits, vegetables and grains. Fibre can also help keep you fuller for longer but it can also help control blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol, maintain weight and maintain regular bowel motions. (Click here for an article about the benefits of fibre).
High fibre = 3g/serve.
Aim: the most about of fibre you can (Be sure to keep up your fluids/water!!)
Those were some of my handy tips when I look at food labels and I hope it helps tackle your way through the grocery store and make more informed choices about the products you choose.
Enjoy xx
For more information about label reading visit:
https://daa.asn.au/smart-eating-for-you/smart-eating-fast-facts/food-labels/
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/eating-well/how-understand-food-labels
https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/food-labels
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/labelling/Pages/interactive-labelling-poster.aspx
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