Posted by Nikoletta Ventseslavova

Gain: knowledge of food labels and ideas for smarter nutrition choices

Food labels and health claims on foods can be very confusing and sometimes it is hard to see the connection between the information given on the front of a package and the nutrition facts on the back. In the 19th century food labels barely identified what was inside a package or container. At that time people had to buy goods and hope for the best. In 1924 the FDA started regulating the safety and quality of foods. Since then ingredient lists have become a must for food manufacturers. Nowadays we are surrounded by labels and recommendations. But do we know how to interpret them?

As a person who prefers healthy diets, I have looked into the topic to help readers of anotherway.org to make smarter nutrition choices. It is important to know what our foods contain, because we put them into our bodies and our health depends on them. Usually, we are most interested in the front label. When we see a low-fat or dietary slogan on a product, we grab it, without thinking it over. Manufacturers use marketing hype: They can’t lie on labelling, but they can disguise the truth using attractive messages. “Rich in Vitamin C” doesn’t mean much if the rest of the ingredients are junk. Skip the marketing message and go straight to the ingredients!

The meaning of health claims:

Quality and quantity

Our bodies need different nutrients to function properly. It’s important to take care not only for the quality, but also for the quantity of the foods we consume. Thus, the FDA has set a Percent Daily Value indicator, which displays the percentage of the total recommended daily amount of each nutrient (fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and proteins) in one serving. It is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. It is important to draw a line between Percent Daily Value and Percent Daily Values. The second one doesn’t indicate how much nutrient is in a product. It shows how the food per serving compares to our total daily intake. Our daily intake can vary, according to our specific needs.  The nutrients we have to adapt to our regime are total fat, saturated fat, carbs and fiber.  Sodium and Cholesterol remain in the same amount, no matter how many calories we consume.

Each nutrition label has a Nutrition facts panel, which shows detailed information on calories and essential nutrients- total fat, saturated fat, sodium, cholesterol, fiber, total carbohydrate, sugars, protein, vitamins and minerals – listed in grams or milligrams. It is obligatory for manufacturers to include those nutrients. It turns out that they can add additional ones, without listing them.

The total fat content is equal to the number of grams of fat per one serving. It is divided in saturated and unsaturated fats. This helps people regulate fat intake and maintain a heart-healthy diet, with limit on foods containing saturated fats, Trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium. We all know that too much fat leads to becoming overweight.  The American Heart Association recommends that our diet “provides no more than 30% of total calories from fat”, which means that the energy we receive from fat per day should not comprise more than 600 calories and logically – higher fat foods should be consumed in small portions.

At the top of a label you will find Serving Size, Amount per serving and Servings Per Container. Serving Size is a standard measure of food. A serving per Container represents the number of servings found in the food package. Serving size is usually expressed in well-known kitchen terms – cups, spoons, slices, ounces, and also in grams. Serving size tells us how much food makes up a single serving and it should be based on realistic amounts of food we consume. If we want to know the number of calories per portion – we have to take a look to the Amount per serving. However, some brands use too small serving sizes to attract our attention and make us buy their products. For example, if we have a label saying that the serving size is ½ cup, with 4 servings per container and 30 calories per seving, this means that the whole container/package/box/bottle contains 120 calories.

Finally, don’t omit the “Total carbohydrates” section. It represents how many grams of carbohydrates are in each serving and the percentage of the Daily Value it represents. This number includes starches, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, added sugar sweeteners, and non-digestible additives. In addition, fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate and helps in elimination. FDA recommends at least 15 grams of fiber per day.