Reading food labels By Zani Alam WPGH

Make healthier choices

Food labels All Packaged foods have nutrition facts. All food manufacturers must include some details on labels. What do they mean? We invite you to join us to find out more…..

Some packages have : Nutrition claims Are used to attract the buyer’s attention such as: “low fat”, less sugar, and high fibre”. Do not rely in these claims.

All packaged food have Nutrition information Percentage daily value Tell what percentage of the daily recommended amount of each nutrient in in each serving. (This is based on a 2000 calorie per day) The Ingredient List Ingredients list are listed in descending order based on the weight of the ingredient.

This diagram shows the nutrition information and ingredients from a Weetbix package by Sanitarium.

Reading the labels 750 g net Sugar :this tells how much of the total carbohydrate is sugar (the total amount of natural sugar and added sugar in one serving). We don’t need too much sugar. Sugar can add a lot of calories. Serving size is the amount of food to be eaten at one time by an adult. Serving per pack tells you how many servings in that package This tells you the nutrients in 100 g of this food. It is the best way to compare similar products. Calories: tells you how much energy you will get from one serving of this food. Fibre: tells you how much fibre is in one serving. Eat food that are high in fibre. Sodium or salt: Try to choose foods with reduced or no added salt. Fat total: is the amount of all fat types in one serving. We need fat. But we should avoid saturated fat and look for zero trans fat. Finished Potassium and magnesium : minerals needed by the body. Some packages include vitamins section. Carbohydrate: this includes both sugars and starches in food. 750g net ( the weight with the package) Click on the hyperlinked words (in blue) for more explanation then click back to bring you back to this page. 750 g net

With numbers 750 g net Serving size: 2 biscuits Serving per pack : 24 Fibre: 3.3g Aim for a total of 30 g per day. Foods with 4 g or more is high in fibre . Serving per pack : 24 Calories: 107 per serve Sodium (Salt): 87 mg per serve Salt is added during processing or preparation. Fat total: 0.4 g and 0.1 g of fat total comes for saturated fat. The recommended daily value for sodium is less than 2400 mg per day (2.4 g per day) (less than a half tsp.) Amount: 1 tsp. of table salt equals 5.69 grams (g). Saturated fat 0.1 g Finished Carbohydrate: 20.1 g per serve 1g=1000mg Sugar :this tells how much of the total carbohydrate is sugar. 1g of carb per serve comes for sugar. You should not get more than 30% calories per day from fat. If you have 2000 calories in one day, no more than 600 calories should be from fat. 750 g net

Each gram of fat has 9 calories Each gram of Carbohydrate has 4 calories Each gram of Protein has 4 calories. 1 year old needs 900 calories 5 years old needs 1400 calories An adult needs 2000-2500 calories 1 Cal = 4.18 kJ

750 g net With some calculations 2biscuits=30g 1 biscuit= 15 g If you eat one serving, you get 107 calories. Each serving is 2 biscuits 24x2= 48 biscuits in the package If you eat two servings: 107x2= 214 calories. Calories in the whole container: Multiply the 107 (calorie per serve) x 24( serving per container) =2568 calories Each g of fat has 9 calories. 0.4 x 9 = 3.6 g calories per serve comes from fat. Work out the percentage of fat in one serving: 3.6/107 x100 = 3.36% which is much less than 30 % . Calculations Each g of carbohydrate has 4 calories. 4 x 20 = 80 calories per serve comes from carbohydrate. Each gram of fat has 9 calories Each gram of Carbohydrate has 4 calories Each gram of Protein has 4 calories. 750 g net

Fat There are four primary kinds of fats in the average diet: Saturated fats Trans fatty acids Monounsaturated fats Polyunsaturated fats Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are the so called "good" fats Back

Trans fat Trans fat are man made fat. They are in our chips, bakery goods, popcorn and cakes. Trans fat is a type of unsaturated fat that behaves like a saturated fat because of its chemical structure. It increases our risk of heart disease by increasing the “bad” LDL cholesterol, while also lowering the “good” HDL cholesterol in our blood. Naturally occurring trans fats are found in small amounts in dairy products, beef, veal and lamb. Back

Unsaturated fats Unsaturated fats are a healthy type of fat that are liquid at room temperature. They actually lower blood cholesterol and help reduce heart disease. There are two types of unsaturated fats, which are known as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Back

Monounsaturated fats Sources of monounsaturated fats include: Olive oil Canola oil Peanut oil Nuts Avocados Back

Saturated fats Saturated fats are found in animal products like meat and whole milk dairy products, as well as certain plant oils like coconut oils. They are the main cause of high cholesterol and heart disease. Back

Polyunsaturated fats Polyunsaturated fats can be divided into two groups known as omega-3 fats and omega-6 fats. These two types of fats have slightly different health benefits. Back

Fibre A fibre also known as roughage is essentially a carbohydrate that is found only in plants. The main purpose of fibre is to keep the digestive system healthy and functioning properly. It usually speeds up and aids the excretion of waste and toxins from the body, hence, preventing them from staying in the bowel for too long, which could cause several illnesses. Back

Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are found in a variety of foods—bread, beans, milk, popcorn, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, soft drinks, corn, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. The most common and abundant forms are sugars, fibres, and starches. Carbohydrates provide the body with the fuel it needs for physical activity and for proper organ function. Back

Calories are what gives us energy! Definition of Calories: a unit that expresses the energy-producing value of food If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight! Each gram of fat has 9 calories Each gram of Carbohydrate has 4 calories Each gram of Protein has 4 calories. 1 year old needs 900 calories 5 years old needs 1400 calories An adult needs 2000-2500 calories 1 Cal = 4.18 kJ Back