How to read nutritional labels

If you’ve read the last 4 issues, you should be able (in theory) to read and understand the nutritional labels on food. Before this point, I wouldn’t have blamed you if you said you didn’t have a clue what any of it meant - that was me as well before I learned!

So, let’s first look at what a nutritional label looks like and we can start to break it down.

I should point out at this stage that there are two main labels. One on the front, which you may recall looking similar to “the traffic light system”. There is a more informative label on the back of food packaging as well, so, we’ll start with that:

This is taken from the NHS website (https://www.youbrand.net/index.php/2015-02-04-15-59-20/healthier-lifestyle/11-healthier-lifestyle/69-food-labels-nhs-choices) and this is what you’ll typically find on the back of food products.

From top to bottom, you should be able to make an educated guess at what everything means.

Typical values per 100g, each slice, %RI* and RI* for average size adults.

We’ve covered the first two in previous issues (100g and per slice).

RI* simply means Reference Intake-based on an average size man (again, very vague), you’d be eating 2000 calories per day as it states. %RI* refers to how much that food contributes to your day IF you base your calories upon 2000 as previously mentioned.

My honest opinion and advice? Forget this part! As we already know we don’t all have/require the same amount of calories per day and I’d say it actually confuses us more!

We then have the list of macros and micros starting with energy - which we refer to as calories (kcal) and kJ (kilojoules)-(this is a different scale of measurement for Australia) so, forget about this too!

Moving down, we have fat and of which saturates. You already know that fat is a macronutrient and saturated fat is the not so healthy type of fat that can higher cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease. It should be limited within the diet, but not excluded. Our bodies require a certain amount of fat and saturated fat for it to function, but unfortunately, they receive a bad reputation and consumers are led to believe through advertising that fat is the culprit. The truth is - humans abuse their bodies and eat too much of the wrong things, leading to the demonisation of fat as a total. Advertising companies have clocked onto this a long time ago, making us think that fat is to blame. It’s not, it’s ourselves (and misleading advertisements). Anyone with common sense will know that eating too many pasties, pizzas and fried foods lead to problems, and yes, if this is what your diet looks like then you are more likely, or are already, experiencing high cholesterol or heart disease. No-one tells us what to put in our mouths and consume it...

Think back to the last time you saw something advertised as 0% fat… I bet it was only today that you saw something!

Next down the list is carbohydrates and of which sugars. To make things simpler, there are two types of carbohydrates - complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, pasta, grains, cereals, starches etc. and simple carbohydrates which is sugar, so, typical sugary foods such as cakes, candy, soda, chocolates etc. The difference between a simple and complex carb is in how quickly it is digested and absorbed - as well as its chemical structure - which is why you feel full and bloated after pasta and potatoes. You may have also noticed how you rarely feel full after sweets and chocolates in comparison. This is because, as previously mentioned, it doesn’t stay in your digestive tract for very long and you may be ready to eat again after an hour or so. This can obviously lead to weight gain!

Fibre is an essential part of a healthy diet. It helps to keep your digestive system in good working order, including regular bowel movements. If you find you are constipated regularly, you may want to increase your fibre intake (around 15-20g a day). Fibre is found in many plant-based, carbohydrate-rich foods, such as wholemeal bread, fruit, vegetables and pulses.

Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. Hair and nails are mostly made of protein. Your body uses protein to build and repair muscle tissues. You also use protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.

Salt (or sodium) is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride, in its natural form it is more commonly known as rock salt or halite and is found in seawater in vast quantities. Salt should not be consumed in high amounts as over time, it will cause high blood pressure and higher the risk of heart attack. On the contrary, avoiding salt altogether can be equally as dangerous as it is a trace mineral (meaning your body requires very little of it). It is essential to have in your diet within moderation (around 1.5-2.3g per day) (especially if you sweat a lot as you lose more salt through sweating - hence why sweat tastes like salt) as it contributes to the body being able to function normally, effectively and efficiently. Unfortunately, due to the high levels of sea pollution, I’d suggest using Himalayan pink salt instead which provides all of the minerals that sea salt provides. Avoid table salt as all minerals are stripped away apart from sodium and chloride.

The “Traffic Light System” was created by the NHS and is used to easily identify how good are bad a certain food is by colour coding some essential information from the back of the packet such as calories, fat, saturates sugars and salt with its colour indicating how good or bad it is by using green - healthy to eat, amber - to be eaten in moderation and red - rarely to be eaten or in very low quantities. Here are some examples:

For more information on the NHS Traffic Light System guidelines and how to use it, please refer to the link below:

https://www.youbrand.net/index.php/2015-02-04-15-59-20/healthier-lifestyle/11-healthier-lifestyle/69-food-labels-nhs-choices

I do like this system as it offers a clear and simple way to judge whether or not a certain food is healthy for the average shopper who may not have the knowledge about nutrition, although it has got its flaws as the NHS states in the link above “Unless otherwise specified on the packaging, the percentage RI values are based on an average-sized woman doing an average amount of physical activity.”and as previously discussed, this is very vague and can cause weight gain in certain individuals. The NHS does suggest that this should be used as a guideline and not as a definite figure to base your calories and nutrients upon. Therefore, I’d suggest using it as a quick judgement to the foods overall quality- the greener the chart, the healthier/better choice of food it is.