Q: How are ingredients listed on food nutritional labels?
Ingredients are listed according to quantity; the ingredient making up the largest quantity of all the ingredients is listed first, the smallest quantity is listed last. Generally only those ingredients that are required by law to be listed on the label are mentioned. So, you won't know of the other ingredients in the product.
Q: How do you determine the serving size and serving per container?
Many products write the nutritional value of food per serving. Serving sizes vary depending on the food. I believe this is partly to confuse the consumer as it is easier to sell a product that says 1g fat on the label rather than 10g fat. I ask my clients to pay close attention to the nutritional value per serving on the label. Then I ask them to convert that serving to 100g to understand the real value of the food.
Q: How can one understand the difference between the total calories mentioned on the label and the calories from fat.
Manufacturers confuse consumers by saying 95 per cent fat free or only two per cent fat, etc. Here it is important to look at the total kcal per 100g to get a better idea of how much fat is really in the product. When you see a product advertised as five per cent fat, this means that five per cent of the total weight of the product is from fat. The calories from fat can actually range from 30-60 per cent. For example, a popular luncheon meat is advertised as 95 per cent fat free. If you read the label carefully, you will discover that each slice of meat contains 50 calories and 3g of fat. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, so 27 of the 50 calories are from fat, or 54 per cent of the calories are from fat.
Q: What is a percentage daily value?
Daily value is based on research that basically tells us how much of certain vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are essential for our health and well-being. Today most of the food we eat has lost much of its nutritional value through storage and processing. Therefore the label doesn't always indicate the right information. It is also important to note that vitamins and minerals come in different forms and our body's ability to use the different forms varies. For example, a product could've added vitamin C which is very difficult for the body to absorb. On the other hand, if the vitamin C is naturally present in the product it is usually easier for the body to absorb. Most processed food is stripped of its nutrients and nutrients are sometimes added to the product again. This, of course, does not make the product possess the same nutritional advantage of the original. When it comes to choosing the right combination, I would not advise seeking it via these labels. Vitamins and minerals work together and affect the absorption of each other. For example if I take vitamin C with iron, my absorption of iron is much better. If I overdose on some minerals, I'm risking deficiency of other minerals. This is far too complicated for a normal consumer to understand and it is not necessary when choosing food.
Q: Can you bust the myth on total fat and trans fat, low fat, etc.
I am personally against low-fat products as they are usually highly processed and low fat doesn't always mean low fat. Low fat means it is lower in fat than the original product but it doesn't mean it is low fat in itself. This is a very important fact to keep in mind. Trans fat on the other hand, is the result of heated or processed unsaturated fat. Wholefoods, non-processed foods are far more important than choosing low-fat foods.
Q: What should the policy be on fat?
Fat, contrary to popular belief, is essential for your health and survival but this is not to say you can eat any type of fat. Trans-fat goes straight into storage in your body and is not used effectively as an energy source. It causes cardiovascular diseases, cancer, etc. Saturated fat can cause cardiovascular diseases as well but is not considered as dangerous as trans-fats. Unsaturated fat is mostly healthy except when it is processed, it converts to trans-fats. Opt for olive oil, omega 3 oil, fish, seeds and unroasted nuts as they are all healthy choices.
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