Understanding Food Labels
- HealthyNutritionalConsult
- May 1, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: May 1, 2019
Food labels are a source of very useful information. Currently, by law, all manufactured food must have a food label on it. This information can help you find out if the food is healthy or not. You will notice that food labels will have a nutrition information panel and an ingredients list.
Follow these easy guides to understand your food labels:
INGREDIENT LISTS
Ingredients are listed in decreasing order by weight. In other words, the first ingredient is the major ingredient and the last ingredient would be much smaller. So if sugars, salt or fat are one of the first three ingredients on the list, the product may not be a healthy choice.
Be careful because there are some different names for sugar, salt and fat that you need to look out for:
NUTRITION CLAIMS
Low Fat: this food must have 3g of fat or less per 100g, but look at the label because it may be high in sugar instead
Fat Free: this food must have 0.15g fat or less per 100g food
Lite or Light: always check the nutrition information label on these foods because lite may mean the food is lite in colour or taste, or something else and not lite in salt, fat or sugar
No Added Sugar: this food has no ‘added’ sugar but may still be high in sugar so check your label
Low Joule or Diet: this food is either low in sugar and/or fat and is may be artificially sweetened
No Added Salt: this food has no ‘added’ salt but may still be high in salt so check the label for the salt content
Salt Reduced: this food has 25% less salt than a similar product. Lower salt is good but the food may still be high in salt so check the label
Low Salt or Low Sodium: this food must have less than 120mg sodium per 100g and is a good choice
High Fibre: this food must have more than 3g of fibre per 100g and is a good choice.
GLYCAEMIC INDEX
Glycaemic Index (GI) is a ranking given to foods to describe how quickly the carbohydrate
they contain is digested and absorbed into the blood. Carbohydrate is an important energy
source for the body and carbohydrate containing foods are an important part of a healthy diet.
Foods that are quickly digested and absorbed have a high GI whilst those which are slowly
digested and absorbed have a low GI. Foods with a high GI lead to simple sugar, or glucose
being absorbed into the blood quickly while those with a low GI have the opposite effect.
Low GI foods include:
wholegrain bread
pasta
oat
apples, apricots and oranges
yoghurt and milk
dried beans and lentils
cashews, chestnuts and pecans
High GI foods include:
white and wholemeal bread
processed cereals
short-grain rice
potato
most cracker biscuits
watermelon
Eating low GI foods may:
help to keep hunger at bay for longer after eating
provide gradual, continuous supply of energy from one meal to the next
help to keep blood glucose levels stable in those with diabetes, by providing a slower, more sustained release of glucose into the bloodstream.
Recent studies also show that eating low GI foods may help to prevent some diseases.
DAILY INTAKE GUIDE
You may have noticed labels on foods in supermarkets and food outlets called Percent Daily
Intake or %DI. This shows you the percentage of energy and nutrients in a serve of the
product. Because it is on the front of food packaging it’s easy to see, and can be a useful
guide for choosing foods to best meet your nutrient needs.
What is the Daily Intake Guide?
The Daily Intake Guide or %DI is a set of reference values for an acceptable intake of a set of nutrients including:
Energy
Protein Fat
Saturated fatty acids
Carbohydrate
Sugars
Sodium
Dietary fibre
%DI is based on the recommended amounts of energy and nutrients needed for an average
adult diet to meet their nutritional needs.
The percentages are calculated based on the below figures:
You can also calculate your %DI for energy at the My Daily Intake Website.
How do I use the Daily Intake Guide?
You can use %DI labels to find out what is in a serve and the percentage that the serve will
contribute to your daily intake. You can also use the %DI to compare similar products so that
you can choose the product that more closely matches the nutrients that you need. For
example, if you are trying to lose weight, you would choose the product with the lowest
percent for energy, lowest saturated fat and highest fibre.
WHAT IS A SERVE?
Serve or portion sizes in Australia have been on the rise for many years, just think of how the size of a ‘cookie’ or muffin has changed. While this may seem like value for money, the news isn’t as great for our waistlines. One of the keys to a healthy weight while still getting all the nutrients and energy you need to enjoy life, is watching your portions or serve sizes.
Serve size is the amount of food you eat at one time.
The recently updated Australian Dietary Guidelines has identified some basic serve sizes to help you get started:
Click on the links below to see what an appropriate portion size looks like.
Images from this = that: a life size photo guide to food serves
If you want to indulge in a treat food, enjoy a small portion and savour the flavour. To avoid temptation, buy single serves or individual portions of treat foods rather than big blocks of chocolate or family sized packets of biscuits. If you are eating out, try sharing a dessert or ask for an entrée serve size of a meal, especially if you know that serving sizes are large and order a side serve of salad or vegetables.
The number of serves from each food group you need to meet your nutritional needs depends on many things such as your age, height, weight and how active you are.
Comments