InFocus | Healthy Living
Reading between the lines
When it comes to understanding a food label, it is important to read between the lines so you can choose foods that make up a healthy diet.
- By Shikha Mishra, Staff Writer
- Published: 23:49 September 18, 2007
How to read a food label...
When it comes to understanding a food label, it is important to read between the lines so you can choose foods that make up a healthy diet.
The information in the main or top section of the food label contains mandatory product-specific details such as the serving size, servings per container, total calories per serving, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fibre, sugars, protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium and iron.
Essential ingredients
"The percentage daily values of these nutrients, except for trans fat, sugar and protein, are listed against each. Some labels may also have voluntary components like calories from saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, potassium, soluble and insoluble fibre and other essential vitamins and minerals," says Safeek Ali, Dietician, Welcare Hospital.
The general guide to calories on a nutrition facts label is usually based on a 2,000 (for women) and 2,500-calorie (for men) diet. If one serving contains 40 calories, it is considered low; if it contains 100 calories, it is moderate and 400 calories or more is high. Total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium, should be limited to five per cent daily value or less.
Nutrition facts label
"The first place to start when you look at a nutrition facts label is the serving size and the number of servings in the package. Serving sizes are standardised to make it easier to compare similar foods; they are provided in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by the metric amount, such as the number of grams," says Ali.
"Calories provide a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of that particular food, the number of servings you consume determines the number of calories you actually eat. For example, if there are 250 calories in one serving and 110 calories from fat, almost half the calories in a single serving are coming from fat. If you ate the contents of the whole package, then you would consume two servings, or 500 calories, and 220 would come from fat," says Ali.
The footnote in the lower part of the nutrition label usually states the per cent DVs (daily values), which should be used as a guide.
"Use the per cent DV as a frame of reference, as it helps you determine if a serving of food is high or low in a nutrient. Five per cent DV or less is low and 20 per cent DV or more is high. Look below on the ingredient lists for added sugars or sweeteners that manufacturers list as corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, dextrose, sucrose, honey or maple syrup," says Ali.
The good ingredients are dietary fibre, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium and iron. Eating enough of these nutrients can improve your health and help reduce the risk of some diseases and conditions.
"Getting enough calcium may reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a condition that results in brittle bones as one ages. Eating a diet high in dietary fibre promotes healthy bowel function. Additionally, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain dietary fibre, particularly soluble fibre, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease," says Ali.
The ingredients to avoid are saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium, eating too much of these may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, like heart disease, some cancers and high blood pressure.
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