Many people are confused by the nutrition labels they see on packaged foods in the supermarket. Before we talk about some simple tips for reading those labels, it's important to remember that some of the healthiest foods in the store, like fresh fruits and vegetables, or a filet of fish. These foods don't need nutrition labels to tell you they're nutritious. So one simple strategy for eating sensibly, is to try as much as possible,to avoid foods with nutrition labels. Because by definition, these are packaged, and more heavily processed,than fresh foods. Having said that, since the majority of us eat at least some packaged food items, it's good to know what to look for,especially if you're comparing two packaged items and
trying to make an informed decision.
Firstly, it's important to keep in mind that the nutrition label may not reflect
the contents of the entire package. There's often more than a single serving in one container and this can be confusing and misleading to many people. I saw a mini loaf of banana bread in a shop the other day and thought hm, not bad. The sugar, fat and
calories in this are pretty reasonable. Then I saw that there were five servings in that mini loaf. Multiplied by five, the nutrition label didn't look so healthy any more. Underneath the serving size, we see total calories. This probably isn't the best way to judge whether something is good for you or not because some foods like nuts and avocados, for example,
are high in calories but also very healthy as long as they're eaten in reasonable amounts. But if weight loss is a goal, and you're comparing two cereals for example, the calories in a packaged food item are something you want to keep an eye on. The next thing to look at especially for comparing breakfast cereals is the dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is important for
maintaining gastrointestinal health, stabilizing blood glucose levels after eating,
and delaying the return of hunger. So, choosing a cereal that's higher in fiber is usually a sensible thing to do.
Next, we want to look at the sugars in the cereal. There is convincing evidence that
our modern epidemics of obesity and diabetes are at least partly related to the fact that we eat far too much sugar. To convert the amount of sugar in grams to teaspoons, just divide by four. You might be alarmed to see that some children cereals contain 5 or more teaspoons of sugar per serving.
Next, we want to look at the total amount of fat and the breakdown of the fat
content in the food. In general, the fats in processed foods tend to be less healthy than the fats found in plant foods like avocados or nuts. These are naturally occurring unsaturated fats. Saturated fats like those found in red meats and butter can be eaten in reasonable amounts. And trans fats, which are more commonly found in processed foods, these kinds of fats should be avoided entirely.
According to 2017 estimates, every year more than 1.5 million deaths in India is attributed
to coronary heart disease, of which nearly 5 per cent (71,000) are due to trans fats intake.
43 countries have now implemented best-practice policies for tackling trans-fat in food, with 2.8 billion people protected globally.
Many countries in America and Europe have phased the substance out with bans on partially hydrogenated oils.The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has stated that all food items should contain less than 2% of trans fat from Jan 2022
Choosing foods with less sodium is also a good idea given the fact that packaged foods often contain much more added salt than the less processed versions of those foods. Nutrition labels will also often contain a list of vitamins and minerals found in the food. And this can be misleading. Because added vitamins and minerals don't necessarily mean that the food is healthy. And in fact, some unhealthy foods have added vitamins and minerals because the manufacturers of those foods know that nutrition claims tend to increase sales to the health conscious consumer. Helping patients use nutrition labels to compare packaged food items is important. But just as important is encouraging them to eat fewer packaged foods and crowd those out with plant based foods that don't come with nutrition labels.
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