Food Labels….Do you understand how to read them?
First things first, when reading a food label, make sure you are clear on whether you are looking at the value per 100g or the value per serving size. Per 100g is great for comparing products. But if you are looking at the per serving size values, check that are you actually having that size of serving. Be truthful to yourself, are you having more than the labels suggest?
Foods such as cereals, for example, are often consumed in much larger quantities than the portion size on the box. Drinks are another one where they often only list per 100ml (or they say that a 150ml = 1 serving). However, a standard small glass is about 200-250ml, and we often drink a lot more. There are many foods and drinks where it is too easy to exceed the recommended portions, so keep that in mind.
The Traffic Light System
The traffic light system was put in place in the UK to help us read labels, but not all companies use this system at the moment. So what should you be looking for in terms of your nutrients when reading a label?
Total Fats
Low fat is 3g or less per 100g of food. However, remember that low fat isn’t necessarily better, as we need good fats for our hormones and brain function alongside many other bodily functions. Often, low fat also means higher sugar to make up for the poorer taste, so watch out for increased sugar values on low fat products. Choose high fat over high sugar if you are faced with a choice.
Saturated Fats
Low in saturated fats is 1.5g or less. Food that is low in saturated fat is a good thing. Although we do need some saturated fat, a lot of the Western diet contains too much. There is a link between excessive saturated fats and heart disease/strokes so keeping the saturated fat levels on the low side is advisable. But there is no need to cut it out completely.
The NHS Recommended men should have no more than 30g and women no more than 20g of saturated fat per day. So choose lean cuts of meat, cut the fat off meat if there is some, eat more vegetarian food and look for products low in saturated fat. And remember that a good saturated fat to have is coconut oil.
Sugar
Sugar – you want 5g or less per 100g. However, please note on the attached table, medium sugar levels go up as high as 22.5g which is only just below the recommended daily amount of sugar for an adult by the World Health Organisation = 24g. So if you have one item that is 22.5g of sugar in it, then you are essentially done for the day. To give you an idea, one glass of orange juice is your entire recommended amount of sugar in a day. This does not leave much room for anything else.
Salt
Salt – try to keep products to 0.3g or less per 100g. A diet high in salt can contribute to high blood pressure. High blood pressure puts you at much higher risk of heart attack and stroke. The NHS recommends not having more than 6g of salt per day = 2.4g of sodium. It is very easy to go above these amounts, especially if you are eating pre-made/processed foods.
If you are someone who adds salt to all your food you need to be especially careful. Also, on top of the blood pressure issue, having salt all the time numbs your taste buds. When you reduce the salt in your diet you soon start to taste the actual food, rather than the salt. That said, you cannot live without any salt, so having a little in your diet is fine.
In conclusion
You have so much more control over your food if you do not buy anything pre-packaged and therefore don’t need to read the labels. In an ideal world you would avoid packaged food and just make everything from scratch. I realise that isn’t usually possible for most people. So read your labels and make smart choices.
