Understanding Food Labels — How to Avoid Being Tricked by Your Supermarket?
Multigrain, low-fat, no additives and fresh — Is this true or just a marketing strategy? How many of us only look at the “calories” on a product? Calories count, but it may not be the only thing, there’s always more than what meets the eye. With the enormous number of products displayed on shelves in a supermarket and lack of time in this fast-paced world that we live in today, it can get quite annoying if you end up buying the wrong products. Research suggests that most consumers find food labels to be challenging to comprehend or confusing. But learning to read labels can help you make better food choices because understanding what you put into your mouth is either going to add years to your life or take you a step closer to your grave. It’s one of the most important things that you could do for your health, especially if most of what’s on your plate is packaged food.
Decoding Food Labels:
Ingredients: Look for products that have a short list of ingredients (10 or less). The ingredients in the product listed by weight. The first ingredient on the product is the main ingredient, and the one at the end is in the least amount.
Serving Size & Calories: Information is based on a single serving. If you take a double serving, you’ll be consuming double the number of calories and nutrients of that product. While comparing brands, keep an eye on the serving size and check if it’s the same. On the other hand, calories will measure how much energy you receive from a single serving. Everyone’s nutritional needs vary based on their weight, height, activity level, hormonal and metabolic status.
% Daily Value: This percentage tells you the amount of nutrients present in one serving of that food. For example, if the label states 10% of iron, it means that a single serving provides 10% of the iron you need every day based on a 2000 calorie diet for healthy individuals. Your daily values may be higher or lower, depending on your caloric needs. Foods that contain 5% DV or less of a particular nutrient for a single serving, it is usually considered low in that nutrient. On the other hand, 20% DV or more is considered to be high.
Saturated and Trans Fats: Saturated fats are what people call as “the bad fat” as they raise LDL (bad cholesterol) which can increase your risk for stroke and heart disease. Often found in milk, butter and meat. It’s essential to consume less than and no more than 20 grams in total for that day.
Trans fat: Avoid trans fat entirely as these go through the chemical process of hydrogenation of oils. Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils thus increasing shelf life and flavour of foods that contain them. This can wreck the body’s ability to regulate cholesterol that increases your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Often found in crackers, cookies, fried foods, margarine and snack foods.
If the ingredients list includes the term “partially hydrogenated” it may have up to 0.5 grams of trans fat in one serving even if the label says 0g Trans Fat.
Cholesterol: Blood cholesterol is more important than the amount you get from foods. There is very little correlation between blood cholesterol and dietary cholesterol. Hence this is not as concerning as it once was.
Sodium: Sodium is a mineral, and one of the chemical elements founds in salt. You can tell how salty they are by how they taste, such as pickles. On the other hand, hidden salts are present in things like salad dressing, canned soups and other packaged food. Check the serving size and the number of servings to know how much sodium you are consuming.
Total Carbohydrates: Fiber and sugars are forms of carbohydrates. As we know, “not all carbohydrates are created equal.” Check if the first ingredient in the ingredients list is whole grain such as quinoa, oats, brown rice or whole-grain flour etc. Limit or avoid foods with added sugars such as glucose, sucralose, fructose, maple or corn syrup. If foods like soups or snacks have 0 fibre in them, avoid them. Look for food products that have 3 grams of fibre or more per serving.
Protein: This is one of the main building blocks for your muscles and other body tissues. If you’re already eating a balanced diet that includes nuts, whole grains, lean meat — you don’t have to fret over it as you’re already getting enough protein from the sources mentioned
Other minerals and vitamins: The percentage of calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C and others that the food provides based on your daily needs are listed on the food label.
Food manufacturers may still use attractive packaging ideas that may lead you to buy the same unhealthy products time and again. Hence, learning to read labels and making informed choices will help you stay healthy and happy.
