READING FOOD LABELS RIGHT

READING FOOD LABELS RIGHT

·         Most branded, packaged foods have a label on the back or on one side of the package, which gives you the nutrition information about the food you've just picked up.

1. What to look for on the labels

·         The serving size, servings per container, and the major nutrients per serving.

·         Most labels list the serving size and the number of servings on the package, with the nutrition information generally applying to one serving size.

·         For example, a 40gm pack of potato chips might suggest a serving size of 20gm, and the nutrition facts stated on the pack will apply to that serving size.

·         So if you chomp off the pack in one sitting, you're effectively consuming double the calories mentioned on the label!

2. Major nutrients

·         Step two is to look for the major nutrient groups including dietary fibre, proteins, vitamins, energy, fat, carbohydrates and sodium.

·         A high percentage of dietary fibre, protein, and selected vitamins are essential components of a healthy diet.

3. Calories and calories from fat

·         If you are looking to lose or manage your weight, choose ones that have lower amounts of calories from fat.

·         Also check for fat content, Trans fats, salt (humans require only 4gm of sodium per day) and fibre content.

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