How to Read a Food Label

Reading food labels is a useful skill for weight loss and it's simple to master. There are three components to a food label you need to be aware of; its nutrition claims, ingredients list and nutrition information panel:

1. Nutrition Claims

Manufacturers use nutritional claims on their packaging to encourage us to buy their products. These need to be factual by law but they can still be quite misleading unless you read the whole label. Here are a few examples:

Lite/Light – does not necessarily refer to the fat content, it can refer to the colour, taste or texture
Reduced/Lower/Less Fat – product may still be high in fat but lower in fat than its competitors’ products
90% Fat Free – contains 10% fat
No Added Sugar – may be high in calories due to natural sugars or fats
Cholesterol Free – May contain saturated fats which can increase your blood cholesterol levels

2. Ingredients List

Ingredients must be listed from largest to smallest by ingoing weight, therefore it makes sense to avoid products that contain fat or sugar at the top of the list.

A trick that manufactures to disguise the presence of fat, sugar and salt is to call them different names. Here are a few common examples:

Fat – vegetable oil, shortening, dripping, coconut oil, milk solids, monoglycerides
Sugar – glucose, dextrose, lactose, fructose, glucose syrup, sorbitol, xulitol
Salt – sodium, Na, MSG, sodium phosphate, vegetable salt, sea salt

3. Nutrition Information Panel

This is the best source of nutritional information on a food label. The Nutrition Information Panel lists the amount of protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar and sodium in a product. It also lists any nutrient referred to in the product’s nutrition claim.

First, look at the total amount of energy and fat in the product. Compare the serve size recommended to the amount you would consume. It can be deceptive!

Nutrition information is provided for two measures of the product: per 100g and per serve. The ‘per 100g’ column is very useful as it allows you to compare different products and calculate the percentage of fat that they contain.

Next time you visit the supermarket practice reading food labels. You may be shocked by the fat and sugar content of some of your favourite products - and then pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to find alternatives that are lower in fat and sugar.

How to Make Healthy Choices at the Supermarket

To lose weight you need to reduce your calorie intake, which means selecting foods that are low in fat and sugar. Here’s a quick guide to making healthy choices at the supermarket to save you time sifting through the shelves.

The trick is to locate the product’s food label, find its nutrition information panel and look for the ‘per 100g’ column. Good choices are foods that contain the following amounts of fat and sugar:

Fat Content

Less than:
Cereals – 8g/100g
Biscuits – 5g/100g
Cheese – 15g/100g
Milk and yoghurt – 2g/100g
Mayonnaise and sauces – 3g/100g
Spreads such as cream cheese – 10g/100g
Meat products – 8g/100g
Frozen/packaged foods – 5g/100g

Sugar Content

Less than:
Cereals and biscuits – 5g/100g

How to be a Food Label Detective – Make informed decisions about what you eat!

Lite, All Natural, 93% Fat Free, these are just some of the common nutritional claims made by food manufacturers that are meant to be eye-catching and entice you to select their product over another variety.

Investigation Step 1: Always proceed with caution as nutritional claims can be misleading and it is important to read the whole label.

• Lite/Light – Does not always refer to fat content and can simply be a description of the colour, taste or texture.
• All Natural – Usually this product has no added colourings, flavourings or preservatives. Don’t assume something natural is always healthy. For example, cream is all natural but only healthy in moderation.
• 93% Fat Free – It is still 7% fat! Depending on the type of food and how much you eat it may or may not be a good choice.
• Reduced Fat– Indicates the fat content is 25% less than the original product though it may still be a high fat product. Remember that a ‘low fat’ product must have less than 3g fat per 100g and ‘fat free’ product must have less than 0.15g fat per 100g.
• Cholesterol Free – Does not mean the product is low in fat.
  
  

Investigation Step 2: Collect quality nutritional evidence from the Nutrition Information Panel. 

• Energy – First look at the total energy and the amount of fat in the food. If the energy is high whilst the fat content is low, you can assume the majority of the energy would be coming from carbohydrate or sugar.
• Carbohydrate – Products with less than 10g of sugar per 100g are a good choice. If the product contains fruit (e.g. Yoghurt) allow for 25g of sugar per 100g.
• Fat – Products with less than 10g per 100g but consider the product type and serving size. Minimal saturated and trans fats are the most desirable.
• Fibre – Select high fibre products (greater than 10g per 100g).
• Salt – Try select ‘low/reduced salt’ products with less than 120mg of salt per 100g.

Remember: Use the ‘per 100g’ section of the nutrition panel to compare calories and fat between products. Check that the serving size stated is the same as yours and adjust accordingly (e.g. If a serving size of yoghurt is 100g, you may need to double it!)

Investigation Step 3: Interrogate the ingredients list, these are always listed from greatest to smallest by how much they weigh. Also, be wary of disguised names for sugar and fat including:

• Sugar – Sucrose, maltose extract, high fructose corn syrup
• Fat – Milk solids, shortening, vegetable oil

Now use your detective skills to compare products to find the guilty food criminals - the less desirable products. Try to select a product that contains less fat, sugar and overall energy and you can reduce your overall calorie intake without eating smaller portions!