Understanding food labels
Posted on Jul 22nd 2010
Filed under: Food for thought, Food Facts
Food labels can be hard to understand, but our 10-step guide tells you what to look for and what to avoid, making it easier to eat healthily...
1. Check the serving size
Portion distortion will add inches to your waistline, so check the serving size before you tuck in. You may find that tiny diet-friendly 400-calorie ready meal was actually loaded with 800 calories, as it was intended to serve two.
2. See the 'light'
'Lite' or 'light' don't mean much on food labels. Often there is little difference between foods that claim to be light and those that don't – so check the calories and fat before you buy. In order to quality as 'low fat', food should contain less than 3g of fat per 100g. 'Fat free' should be used only when foods contain less than 0.15g of fat per 100g.
3. Not so natural
'Natural' or 'pure' means the manufacturer started off with a natural ingredient, but the finished food may have been so processed that is no longer anything natural or pure about it. Don't buy a product just because the label makes it sound healthier than it really is.
4. Not so sweet
It's wise to keep sugar to a minimum, so avoid foods that feature any of the following high up in the ingredients list: high fructose corn syrup; honey; molasses; fruit juice concentrate; evaporated cane juice; malt; dextrose; maltose; fructose. They all mean the same thing: sugar.
5. Get Fruity
Don't confuse 'fruit drinks' with 'fruit juice'. Look for products that say '100% juice' as that means you're buying genuine fruit juice. 'Fruit drinks' usually contain little more than water, sugar and flavourings.
6. Get the whole story
Just because a product is made with wheat, rye or multigrains, this doesn't mean it is a wholegrain product. Look for the word 'wholegrain' on the ingredients list to be sure. If you spot 'enriched flour', 'wheat flour' or 'unbleached wheat flour', this means the food is made with refined white flour, with just a small amount of whole wheat added.
7. Know your fats
Trans fats have been linked to a heart disease and high cholesterol, so it makes sense to avoid them. 'Partially hydrogenated' or 'hydrogenated' oils are code words for trans fats, so check the ingredients list and avoid them where you can.
8. Fresh from the farm
Some manufacturers have started to take advantage of customers who are willing to pay extra for foods that are organic or free range. Labels that read, 'organically grown', 'pesticide free' or 'farm fresh' don't mean anything; only trust labels that say 'certified organically grown' or show the Soil Association or Freedom Foods kite marks.
9. Spot the salt
It's wise to monitor your salt consumption, so check the ingredients list and check for the following: Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), brine, disodium phosphate, garlic salt, onion salt, sodium alginate, sodium benzoate, sodium caseinate, sodium hydroxide, sodium nitrate, sodium pectinate, sodium propionate, sodium sulfite, baking powder, baking soda and soy sauce. All of these mean the product has high levels of salt, so don't indulge too often.
10. Read it out loud
As a rule of thumb, try to read the ingredients list out loud to yourself in the supermarket. If it is packed with a long list of ingredients that you can't pronounce, then it's likely that the food is heavily processed and you would do better to look for a healthier option. Instead, opt for products that are made from whole foods, with few preservatives or artificial sounding ingredients and no trans fats.
1. Check the serving size
Portion distortion will add inches to your waistline, so check the serving size before you tuck in. You may find that tiny diet-friendly 400-calorie ready meal was actually loaded with 800 calories, as it was intended to serve two.
2. See the 'light'
'Lite' or 'light' don't mean much on food labels. Often there is little difference between foods that claim to be light and those that don't – so check the calories and fat before you buy. In order to quality as 'low fat', food should contain less than 3g of fat per 100g. 'Fat free' should be used only when foods contain less than 0.15g of fat per 100g.
3. Not so natural
'Natural' or 'pure' means the manufacturer started off with a natural ingredient, but the finished food may have been so processed that is no longer anything natural or pure about it. Don't buy a product just because the label makes it sound healthier than it really is.
4. Not so sweet
It's wise to keep sugar to a minimum, so avoid foods that feature any of the following high up in the ingredients list: high fructose corn syrup; honey; molasses; fruit juice concentrate; evaporated cane juice; malt; dextrose; maltose; fructose. They all mean the same thing: sugar.
5. Get Fruity
Don't confuse 'fruit drinks' with 'fruit juice'. Look for products that say '100% juice' as that means you're buying genuine fruit juice. 'Fruit drinks' usually contain little more than water, sugar and flavourings.
6. Get the whole story
Just because a product is made with wheat, rye or multigrains, this doesn't mean it is a wholegrain product. Look for the word 'wholegrain' on the ingredients list to be sure. If you spot 'enriched flour', 'wheat flour' or 'unbleached wheat flour', this means the food is made with refined white flour, with just a small amount of whole wheat added.
7. Know your fats
Trans fats have been linked to a heart disease and high cholesterol, so it makes sense to avoid them. 'Partially hydrogenated' or 'hydrogenated' oils are code words for trans fats, so check the ingredients list and avoid them where you can.
8. Fresh from the farm
Some manufacturers have started to take advantage of customers who are willing to pay extra for foods that are organic or free range. Labels that read, 'organically grown', 'pesticide free' or 'farm fresh' don't mean anything; only trust labels that say 'certified organically grown' or show the Soil Association or Freedom Foods kite marks.
9. Spot the salt
It's wise to monitor your salt consumption, so check the ingredients list and check for the following: Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), brine, disodium phosphate, garlic salt, onion salt, sodium alginate, sodium benzoate, sodium caseinate, sodium hydroxide, sodium nitrate, sodium pectinate, sodium propionate, sodium sulfite, baking powder, baking soda and soy sauce. All of these mean the product has high levels of salt, so don't indulge too often.
10. Read it out loud
As a rule of thumb, try to read the ingredients list out loud to yourself in the supermarket. If it is packed with a long list of ingredients that you can't pronounce, then it's likely that the food is heavily processed and you would do better to look for a healthier option. Instead, opt for products that are made from whole foods, with few preservatives or artificial sounding ingredients and no trans fats.
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Comments:
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Friday 23 July
By Jack Knights
Why do your staff insist on publishing dramatic half truths instead of getting their facts right. For instance the comment about natural or pure starts with the supposition that natural is safe and wholesome. Most of the most toxic materials in the food supply are of natural origin. Many of the natural products such as tomatos, potatoes, rhubarb and many other fruits and vegetables naturally contain substances which are not permitted as additives to food because they are too toxic. Your list of materials containing salt is misleading as only a very few of them actually contain salt. the remainder just contain the sodium ion without the chloride ion. The publication of scare stories does not help the consumer to get a good balanced diet.
You also have the unproven supposition that organic foods are somehow better for one. There is absolutely no evidence to support this.
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Friday 23 July
By Donna
If you're like I was, overweight and continually trying all the weight loss systems, pills, and supplements that don't work, you need to spend 10 minutes watching the free video at Http://WeightLossOptions.co.uk the information there is eye opening, and in my case, life changing.
Saturday 24 July
By Paul
I would like to more about the foods that naturally contain toxins. Can you tell me where to find some information please.
Saturday 24 July
By eva
Whether organic is better for you or not it sure tastes better!
Saturday 24 July
By pink princess
Al l this is driving me crazy!!! If I looked at every item I bought to make sure it contains no fat, sugar. salt or chemicals to the point where I have ti read the list of ingredients out loud; then quite frankly I might as well give up shopping for food altogether!
I am very careful to buy products with low amounts of saturated fat and stay well away from processed foods, but for goodness sake aren't people getting a little obsessed with being a stick insect?
People come in all different shapes and sizes and what suits one may not suit another. My mum eats what she wants and she's 83.
Unless you're prepared to take forever to do your shopping or follow exactly the same diet week in week out, the above is quite unrealistic.
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Saturday 24 July
By Alan Smith
There are two simple rules in my life-don't spend more than you've got and, don't eat more than you need.
Reply
Saturday 24 July
By Tony
Can anyone tell me why fresh meat has a longer use by date than root vegetables?
Reply
Saturday 24 July
By Heathercollyer
After many years struggling with my weight I recently found a great little site that has helped me enormously: www.NoMoreBigKnickers.com
Reply
Saturday 24 July
By David
How much do you people get paid for adding your adverts to a posting, or is this your company?
Saturday 24 July
By Jackie
Quite simply, good food goes off - you just need to eat it first.
Packaged and processed food are full of fat, sugar and artificial preservatives.
Eat organic or free range wherever possible otherwise you are increasing your intake of antibiotics and hormones that are pumped into animals to make them grow bigger, quicker for more profit- obvious to anyone with an ounce of sense and it doesn't need scientific proof to be true. As for toxins in 'natural foods' - unless you are going to eat tonnes of tomatoes etc at one sitting it's not an issue. The problem is when 'science' removes one active ingredient then uses it in isolation.
Oh, and I am a qualified Naturopath/nutrition specialist with 16 years experience and not advertising anything except common sense.
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