Well today we’re going to learn the basic of reading and understanding food labels. Food labels are all different around the world, so I’ll be sharing with you the general points to look for when reading a food label. There are 5 categories to watch out for. If you can, take a pen and paper and jot down key information. So let’s start with the 1st section to read on a food label.
Understanding the Basics (Basic Guidance)
1) Serving Size
Be careful to note the serving size and number of servings per container on food labels. Most of the time, calories written on the packaging is based on one serving size and not the total calories for the entire pack.
For example, the label on 1 pack of 175g crisps may list 150 calories per 30g serving, but if you finish the whole packet of crisps, all the label values must be multiplied by 6, so that’s almost 900Cals for the entire pack!
Failing to take the number of servings into account is one of the most common mistakes consumers make when reading food labels. So if you are trying to reduce on your portions, it’s best to shop around for lower-calorie alternatives or buy smaller pack size, which is one serving per pack.
2) Food Calories
The 2nd section is Food Calories. In the UK, the food label offers you 2 columns for calories, 1st is the food and nutritional values based on 100g and the 2nd column is the nutritional values based on serving size suggestion.
So if you are shopping around for lower calorie option, it’s best to compare the products by looking at the nutritional values based on 100g, because different products may offer different serving size, so the calories count per serving isn’t the most accurate.
And the 3rd column, Reference Intake (RI) or also known as Daily Values (DV) is a general guideline for nutrient requirement of an average adult.
So for instance the calories recommendation will be based on 2000Cals intake per day. Consuming one slice of bread at 105Cals per slice, means you have eaten 5% of your calorie allowance. Not all of us need 2000Cals per day, so adjust according to your calories requirement.
I would say, pay attention to the first 2 columns, know your serving size and stick to your daily calorie need. You can watch my video here to find out how many calories you should be consuming in a day.
3) Nutritional Values
3rd is to read and understand the nutritional value. Nowadays, it can be very confusing with all the food tags such as
- Low Fat
- Fat Free
- Low Sugar
- Sugar Free
- Low Cholesterol
- Low Calories
Here’s a table to help with the Common Food Labelling Terms and how the FDA generally defines them: Food TABLE
It's important to remember that fat-free doesn't mean calorie free. People tend to think they can eat as much as they want of fat-free foods. Even if you cut fat from your diet but consume more calories than you need, you will also gain weight.
Also, fat-free or low-fat foods tend to contain high amounts of added sugars or sodium to make up for the loss of flavor when fat is removed. For example, a fat-free muffin may be just as high in calories as a regular muffin. So, remember, it is important to read your food labels and compare products.
Full-fat Yogurt
An 8-ounce serving of plain full-fat yogurt provides about 140 calories, 8 grams of protein, 7.4 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbohydrates and sugar, and 275 milligrams of calcium.
Nonfat Yogurt
The same serving size of nonfat yogurt contains about 130 calories, 13 grams of protein, 0.4 grams of fat, 17.4 grams of carbohydrates and sugar, and 450 milligrams of calcium.
Nonfat, Plain Greek Yogurt
Eight ounces of nonfat, plain Greek yogurt has 130 calories, 23 grams of protein, no fat, 9 grams of carbohydrates and sugar, and 250 milligrams of calcium.
The UK has just recently implemented the “Traffic Light” labelling found on the front of some packs to show how healthy or unhealthy the product is for you and helps you to compare similar products. This combination of colour coding and nutritional information is a convenient way to offer key information “at a glance” – amount of calories, fat, salt, and sugar in each product.
So green, amber and red indicate low, medium and high amounts respectively so that you can see at a glance how healthy a food is. The idea is to choose more items with green lights and fewer with red lights.
How is this determine then? All these figures are based on 100g
Total fat
• High: more than 17.5g of fat per 100g
• Low: 3g of fat or less per 100g
Saturated fat
• High: more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g
• Low: 1.5g of saturated fat or less per 100g
Sugars
• High: more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g
• Low: 5g of total sugars or less per 100g
Salt and sodium
Salt = sodium x 2.5.
• High: more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
Low: 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium)
In short, the more greens on the label, the healthier the choice. Amber means neither high nor low, so you can consume them in moderation. But any red(s) on the label means the food is high in fat, saturated fat, salt or sugars and should be eaten in small quantity.
4) Ingredients
Besides the Nutrition Facts label, most food packages also have an ingredients list. Ingredients are listed in order of weight, so the main ingredients in the packaged food always come first.
If you're trying to avoid high fat food, limit foods that list the first few ingredients as high-fat ingredients, such as cream, butter or oil.
If you are concerned about your sugar intake, make sure that added sugars are not listed as one of the first few ingredients.
If you're trying to increase your fiber intake, choose foods with whole grain, such as whole wheat, listed as the first ingredient.
Nonfat, Plain Greek Yogurt
Eight ounces of nonfat, plain Greek yogurt has 130 calories, 23 grams of protein, no fat, 9 grams of carbohydrates and sugar, and 250 milligrams of calcium.
The UK has just recently implemented the “Traffic Light” labelling found on the front of some packs to show how healthy or unhealthy the product is for you and helps you to compare similar products. This combination of colour coding and nutritional information is a convenient way to offer key information “at a glance” – amount of calories, fat, salt, and sugar in each product.
So green, amber and red indicate low, medium and high amounts respectively so that you can see at a glance how healthy a food is. The idea is to choose more items with green lights and fewer with red lights.
How is this determine then? All these figures are based on 100g
Total fat
• High: more than 17.5g of fat per 100g
• Low: 3g of fat or less per 100g
Saturated fat
• High: more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g
• Low: 1.5g of saturated fat or less per 100g
Sugars
• High: more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g
• Low: 5g of total sugars or less per 100g
Salt and sodium
Salt = sodium x 2.5.
• High: more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
Low: 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium)
In short, the more greens on the label, the healthier the choice. Amber means neither high nor low, so you can consume them in moderation. But any red(s) on the label means the food is high in fat, saturated fat, salt or sugars and should be eaten in small quantity.
5) Food-Labelling Claims & Mind Games
Nowadays, a lot of our purchasing decisions are based on food labeling claims on the products. Claims like 100% natural, organic, health food or gluten-free are encouraging people to turn to these products, thinking that they are ‘healthier’ choice for us.
So let’s start with:
1. 100% Natural
The FDA has no official definition for natural. However, the current policy is not to restrict the use of the term natural except for added colour, synthetic substances and flavours.
So, Just because a product is written ‘100% natural’, or made with ‘real fruit’ or ‘fresh fruit’ this doesn’t make it any lower in calories or any better for you, either. You will still need to check the calories, sugar, fat content etc.
So for instance buying snack foods with claims like ‘made with vegetables’ or ‘real fruit’, doesn’t guarantee much of these ingredients – it could be as little as 1-5%. Instead, these snack foods are full of ‘empty’ calories and low in nutrients. Your best source is still to eat REAL fruits and vegetables.
2. USDA Organic
What does it really means? According to the FDA, Organic products must meet the following requirements:
• They must be produced without excluded methods (such as genetic engineering, ionizing radiation or sewage sludge)
• They must be produced per the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances
• They must be overseen by a USDA National Organic Program – authorized certifying agent, following all the USDA organic regulations.
In short the product must have an ingredients list and the contents should be 95% or more certified organic, meaning free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and dyes, and must not be processed using industrial solvents, irradiation, or genetic engineering. The remaining 5% may only be foods or processed with additives on an approved list.
So again, none of these terms have any impact on the calories and nutritional values of a food, nor are they necessarily any better for you.
3. No added sugar or unsweetened
"No added sugar" or "unsweetened" refer to sugar or sweeteners that are added as ingredients. It is a healthier option but they do not mean that the food contains no sugar.
A food that has "no added sugar" might still taste sweet and can still contain high sugar. Sugars occur naturally in food such as fruit and milk. But we don't need to cut down on these types of sugar: it is food containing added sugars that we should be cutting down on.
4. Whole Grain VS Multigrain
5. Gluten-Free
6. Free-Range Eggs
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