Knowing How To Read Food Labels -
Pathway To Better Health
Sandra was told by her dietitian and doctor to reduce her calorie intake and take in food with lower fat content. She was thinking very hard how to go about it. Have you ever wondered what are the functions of food labels besides decorating the packaging? I always find it exciting when it comes to reading a label; sometimes it makes me sigh and sometimes it delights me. It serves as a boost to encourage me to eat well when I know from the label that what I just ate was healthy.
Since March 2004, the majority of the commercial foods sold in Malaysia are required to put on food labels to give the public an informed choice of food selection. Reading these labels can be confusing and what follows are some tips on how information pertaining to the label can help you in making healthier food choices.
What benefits can you get from knowing how to read a label?
Before we embark on what the terms are and how we can use them, let‘s take a step back to understand the benefits we can harness if we understand the LABEL well:
Reach of healthy and wholesome foods
It is a vessel for manufacturer to communicate the health benefits of the product, gives you an idea of the amount and type of nutrients present in the food
Assessment of the foods
Knowledge is key; understanding what it means on a label enable us to compare food such as the nutritional contents and quality of ingredients used
Ensure product quality
With the declaration of information on label, manufacturers will have to carry out procedures and take responsibility to ensure whatever information is declared stays; this is especially true when it comes to nutritional content of a product, this will help to ensure the quality.
Elements of food label: what information does a label tell you?
Label serve more than to just decorate the packaging, if we really take time to read and understand the label it will definitely enhance our diet and make us wiser when come to making food choice. On the label one will be able to get to know some of the following key information:
- The nutritional content: This information can always be obtained from the Nutrition Information Panel on the label, it tells you the amount of nutrients one would get after consuming this particular food.
Ingredients List: Ingredients that make up the products
Expiry date: We should always be aware of the date and consume it before the stated date; as the quality and nutritional contents of food will degrade or spoil if we consume it past the expiry date.
Manufacturer: Who and Where this product is made. Origin of product.
Label Claim : When a food carries a nutrient content claim such as high in ” "; this tell you that this food is specially formulated to provide you the specified nutrient.
We often see some of these terms on labels and it would be useful if we understand what it means more so it can help us in making food choices:
“Free” means the food contains none or trivial amounts of a substance, such as sugars free, fat free, cholesterol free.
"Low-fat" means 3 grams off or less per serving.
"Source of" means a serving must contain 5 to 10 percent of the Nutrients Reference Value for a particular nutrient established by the health authorities(e.g., vitamin A).
"High" (e.g., high-iron) means the serving contains 10 to 20 percent or more of the Nutrients Reference value of that nutrient.
Label reading : Where to start & what does it mean?
As mentioned before, a label is comprised of many elements; we are going to focus on the following 2 key elements that matter our health most.
A ) Nutrition Information Panel
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Nutrition Information | |
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Serving size: 200ml |
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Serving size
Serving size is based on the amount people normally eat; the serving on the food label may not be the same as the serving size in your food plan or the serving you normally eat. If you eat twice the serving listed on the label, you would need to double all the numbers in the Nutrition Facts section.
Energy
Calorie count, so pay attention to the amount of calorie per serving. Fat-free doesn‘t mean calorie-free. Lower fat items may have as many calories as full-fat versions. If the label lists that 1 serving equals 3 cookies and 100 calories, and you eat 6 cookies, you‘ve eaten 2 servings, or twice the number of calories and fat.
Fat & Carbohydrate Fat
If you want to try to cut down on fat, or you just want to watch how much fat you are eating, you can compare the labels of different food products and choose those with less total fat and less saturated fat.
In Malaysia, a product can only claim —“Low in fat“ when the food contains 3.0g or lower in fat per 100g of solid or 1.5g off at in per100ml of liquid food.
Carbohydrate
Carbohydrates can be derived from whole grain cereal, rice, potato, sugar and etc. Not only one should one watch for the amount of carbohydrate, the source of the carbohydrate should also be considered. For example: Product A & Product B both contain 15g of carbohydrate; the source of carbohydrate for Product A is from wholegrain cereals; however, the source for Product B is mainly from sugar. Judging from the source, one should choose Product A instead of Product B
Vitamins & Minerals
With the newly gazetted food laws in Malaysia, companies are only allowed to declare the vitamins & minerals content if the level present is at a significant level, as established by the Ministry of Health.
Sodium & Cholesterol
By law in Malaysia, sodium and cholesterol are not mandatory to be listed on the food label; however, you would still find in listed on some. Sodium is part of salt, so for people who want to manage their salt intake or manage their blood pressure; it is wise to look out for foods that contain lower sodium content. As for cholesterol,
B ) What does the ‘ingredient list’ tell you ?
All food labels list the product's ingredients in order by weight. The ingredient present in the greatest amount is listed first. The ingredient in the least amount is listed last. Check the ingredient list to spot things you'd like to avoid due to individual health preferences or medical issue; for example, if you would like to cut down on your sugar intake, then you should choose foods that:
- do not contain sugar
- do not have sugar or it‘s similar form (sucrose, glucose, fructose)listed as the first few item listed in the
ingredients list.
The ingredient list is also a good place for people to look for the right ingredients to enhance their health. For example, if you have a family history of heart disease, you may want to look for heart-healthy ingredients in your diet such as soy; monounsaturated fats such as olive, canola; or whole grains, like whole wheat flour and oats. Again, if you wish to enhance your bone health, then you should look out for foods that contain Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin D.
Tips & Conclusion
Understanding and applying the information on the label does take time. You may want to start reading the label next time when you get hold of a product. Get familiar with the location of specific information; for example: which panel to look for when you want to know the fat content. To optimize health, consult your dietitian on what are the key things you should look out for, then apply your knowledge in reading food label to assist you in making wise food choices.
