Interpreting Food Labels

Hi there! Slight warning, you're in for a long (and extremely interesting) read!

Welcome to my third (and definitely not final) blog post. Today I will be helping everyone reading this post, dissect and properly interpret food labels in South Africa! I used the word 'dissect' for a reason, because often times we find ourselves not completely understanding what all the gibberish on the back of a food package means, and sometimes not at all!!!

First of all, foods are divided into different components, those components include your macronutrients which are your carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and your micronutrients which are your minerals, vitamins and water. A healthy balanced diet for a normal individual will provide all of the above mentioned components on a daily basis.

In South Africa, you will usually find the following information on any type of food item you can purchase from any store:

- The name and a picture of the product, usually on the front of the package.

- An ingredients list, listing all the ingredients used during the manufacturing of the specific product.

- The nutritional information, usually in table-format at the back of the packaging.

- The possible allergens in the specific food item, usually listed or mentioned just below the ingredients list.

- The country of origin.

- The weight or volume indication or net value of the contents.

- The name and address of the supplier of the product in South Africa.

- The best before date, production date and batch number.

- And last but not least, nutritional claims where applicable.

You will usually get stuck in the table of nutritional content, this contains all the nutritional value and is usually where you go to look for the amount of sugars and fat in the specific food item that you have bought. On a package, in the table of nutritional contents right at the top, there will always be readings of the following:

1. Per 100g (this is variable, but is usually 100g or 100ml)

2. Per serving (this is also variable)

3. %NRV** per serving.

NRV refers to the Nutrient Reference Values for individuals 4 years and older. The serving size will always be indicated in grams and milliliters where applicable and will always be that of the container of the item, if the consumer (that's you) is likely to eat or drink the whole unit.

Let us start. Fibre is a type of carbohydrate that does not raise your blood glucose levels. In fact, the presence of fibre can slow down the impact of other carbohydrates in a meal. Therefore, when counting carbs, we subtract the grams of fibre from the grams of total carbohydrates. This will give you a number which is variously called effective carbohydrates, or usable carbohydrates, or impact carbohydrates. This figure is the amount of carbohydrates in a food that affects you blood glucose levels. Viscous fibres thicken the contents of the gastrointestinal tract to help lower your blood cholesterol and lower the glycaemic impact of foods.

The grams of total carbohydrates is the first thing to look at. If it's very high, you can almost always put that food right back on the shelf, and leave it there. Even if the carbohydrates are coming from a "good" (nutritious) source, too much carbohydrates at once will shoot your blood glucose levels through the roof. The exact amount that is "too much" for you, will depend solely on your own body's ability to tolerate glucose, and on the particular diet you are on.

Beneath the Total Carbohydrates line, there will be two or three other lines - fiber, sugars, and sometimes sugar alcohols. You may notice that these figures often do not add up to the total, this is because starch is not listed on food labels. Therefore, any missing carbohydrate can be assumed to be starch. In processed foods, starch (which are made up of long strands of glucose) generally raises blood glucose as much or more than sugars, because the processing makes the carbohydrate more susceptible to a higher glycaemic index. This means that a food such as white bread (one of many examples), goes through a number of processes before it arrives in the store, and some of these processes may give the bread a higher glycaemic index. There are different stages and different components that may affect the glycaemic index of foods.

In a nutshell, when looking at a package, and wanting to buy a healthier version of a snack or specific food item, the things to look for will be as follows:

When looking at carbohydrates, a generally healthy amount, would be no more than 15g of carbohydrates per serving size. In this, the total amount of dietary fibre should be around 4g per serving although the recommended daily intake of fiber is around 25g per day (you just don't want to get it in all at once!), sugars no more than 4g per serving and sugar alcohols (where applicable) no more than 3g per serving.

Choose your carbs wisely, and avoid added sugars. Carbohydrates ("carbs") are often demonized in the media, but in truth, they're abundant in whole foods and are a very important source of energy. The key thing to keep in mind when choosing carbs, is that complex carbohydrates (i.e., the carbohydrates in natural, fibrous foods like fruits and vegetables) are infinitely better for you than simple carbohydrates such as refined sugars. When there is fibre present such as in complex carbs, it causes your body to break down the food more slowly, thus preventing sudden spikes in blood glucose levels. This is why you've most likely heard that eating a piece of fruit is much healthier than simply drinking fruit juice - the whole piece of fruit contains fibre, while the juice has been processed and has been stripped of fibre.

When you look at a food label, you'll notice that there's no recommended daily amount for sugar; the amount of sugar in the specific food is simply listed in grams. Most of us can't really visualize a gram of sugar. Here's how to get a better picture: try converting grams to teaspoons, by dividing the amount given, by 4 (4g for every teaspoon). For example, 20 grams of sugar will be the equivalent of 5 teaspoons of sugar. As you read labels, you may notice that your daily sugar intake includes a LOT more than just what you add to your coffee!!!

When choosing sugars, look for sugars with nutritional benefits. White sugar is highly processed and has been stripped of other nutrients. Instead of white sugar, look for less processed sugars such as:

- Brown rice sweeteners, which usually include fibre.

- Honey, which contains beneficial antioxidants.

- And Molasses, which contains trace minerals such as calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium.

Be aware of 'hidden' sugars, sugar masquerades under many different names.

Be on the lookout for dextrose, fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, levulose, maltose, sucrose, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, beet sugar, corn sugar, corn sweetener, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, isomalt, maltodextrins, maple sugar, sorghum or turbinado sugar. You might sometimes find more than one listed. These are all just variations on high-calorie, low-nutrient, added sugars.

The recommended amount of fibre to consume per day, is around 25g. Fibre is good for a number of reasons, of which most have been mentioned earlier. Fibre helps to maintain good blood glucose levels, helps with a healthy gut, and will probably keep you fuller for longer. So get your fibre on!!!

- A 'low fat' or 'low in fat' food product must contain no more than 3g of fat per 100g. In a liquid the item must contain no more than 1.5g of fat per 100g or 100ml.

The amount of fat in food isn't generally an issue when you follow a low-carb diet, but the type of fat can be. Some diets limit saturated fats, but all individuals would be advised to limit the intake of trans fats. As a dietitian though, I would not recommend a low-carb diet as a balanced diet is very important for your health, and a healthy balanced diet will include sufficient carbs as well. Although not usually labeled, choosing foods where most of the fats are monounsaturated fats (MUFA) is a good guide.

Now, making the right food choices depends on a variety of things, for example, the recommended maximum daily intake of sodium is 2300mg per day (that's about 1 teaspoon of salt), or 1500mg per day if you are over 40 and have hypertension. This means that buying foods with high sodium levels (mostly processed foods and sodas) is a risk for your health, so limiting you sodium intake will always be recommended by both your dietitian and your health care provider. Consuming excess sodium is correlated with hypertension because it draws in water, which increases blood volume, which in turn increases your blood pressure. The increased pressure strains your heart and increases the risk of atherosclerosis. If you have hypertension or heart disease, consider talking to your health care provider to determine your recommended daily limit of sodium.

The best route to take, would be to keep your ingredients list short. Ingredients are typically listed in order by weight, so the first items on the list will make up the bulk of the food. Look for foods containing UNPROCESSED, recognizable ingredients. If you can't pronounce it or don't recognize some of the ingredients, you probably shouldn't be eating it, so get that baby right back on the shelf!

Always be on the lookout for ingredient changes. Even if you've been buying the same particular product for years, it's still a good idea to have a look at the ingredients list every once in a while. Things change!

Once you begin to read, and understand, food labels, it almost starts to feel like a second job, but once you get into the swing of it, it becomes more natural. Most importantly, it puts YOU back in control of exactly what you're eating! Start with a close examination of one or two packaged foods on a weekly basis, and take a moment or two to fully understand what you're really putting into your body and then... Let me know how it's going!!!

Remember that you should consume enough proteins too!!! The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein in normal individuals vary from 0.8g of protein per 1kg body weight and may increase depending on your level of activity throughout the day. This is because individuals who follow more active lifestyles, will need more proteins to make sure their muscles get replenished in time for them to avoid any injuries when performing sports activities.

I hope all of you enjoyed this post, because I really enjoyed writing it! Remember that you are welcome to contact me at any time should you have any questions or want to book your appointment! Keep your eyes open for an AMAZING winter special coming up soon!

Remember to stay active and healthy, and always get your groove on! :-D

Yours Truly

A