The truth about nutritional panels
October 14th 2006 01:38
Here is some info on nutritional labels to help put you to sleep.
All info was found at Really Long Link I have developed this quick guide:
Firstly, the ingredients must be listed in descending order of weight in the product - the major ingredient comes first. So if sugar is the first ingredient, and it is a breakfast cereal, its probably not the best choice.
Food labels are not permitted to make claims that are false or misleading. But watch out for lite foods, this could mean they are light in colour, or even flavour.
Labels are also not supposed to make health claims about foods. For example, a food label may not state that eating a particular food will prevent heart disease, bowel cancer or any other condition.
No food may be labelled as being suitable for diabetics and none may be classified as being "slimming" or to have weight-reducing properties.
Health authorities are working on precise definitions for terms such as "natural" and for regulations governing what is "low" or "reduced" or "high" in particular foods.
Kilojoules/calories - Certain foods can be described as "low joule" or "low calorie" if a prescribed serving of the food has no more than 70kJ (17 Cals).
Fats - Some foods now have laws governing claims for fat-reduced or low fat. For example, low-fat ice cream must not contain more than 4% fat (by weight); reduced-fat ice cream must not have more than 6.5% fat (by weight).
One of the most important points is stated below, and it was made by the US Food and Drug Administration at: Really Long Link
Pay attention to the serving size, including how many servings there are in the food package, and compare it to how much YOU actually eat. The size of the serving on the food package influences all the nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the label.
This is especially important with desserts. You know those small tubs of Yogo, which they sell separately, apparently there are two servings in each tub, even my three year old would eat the tub in one sitting. This is also true for some flavoured milk, just be aware! Also I looked up the word lite in my dictionary, apparently there is no such word???????
extract from "Good Friends Bring Salad" by Anita Campbell
All info was found at Really Long Link I have developed this quick guide:
Firstly, the ingredients must be listed in descending order of weight in the product - the major ingredient comes first. So if sugar is the first ingredient, and it is a breakfast cereal, its probably not the best choice.
Food labels are not permitted to make claims that are false or misleading. But watch out for lite foods, this could mean they are light in colour, or even flavour.
Labels are also not supposed to make health claims about foods. For example, a food label may not state that eating a particular food will prevent heart disease, bowel cancer or any other condition.
No food may be labelled as being suitable for diabetics and none may be classified as being "slimming" or to have weight-reducing properties.
Health authorities are working on precise definitions for terms such as "natural" and for regulations governing what is "low" or "reduced" or "high" in particular foods.
Kilojoules/calories - Certain foods can be described as "low joule" or "low calorie" if a prescribed serving of the food has no more than 70kJ (17 Cals).
Fats - Some foods now have laws governing claims for fat-reduced or low fat. For example, low-fat ice cream must not contain more than 4% fat (by weight); reduced-fat ice cream must not have more than 6.5% fat (by weight).
One of the most important points is stated below, and it was made by the US Food and Drug Administration at: Really Long Link
Pay attention to the serving size, including how many servings there are in the food package, and compare it to how much YOU actually eat. The size of the serving on the food package influences all the nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the label.
This is especially important with desserts. You know those small tubs of Yogo, which they sell separately, apparently there are two servings in each tub, even my three year old would eat the tub in one sitting. This is also true for some flavoured milk, just be aware! Also I looked up the word lite in my dictionary, apparently there is no such word???????
extract from "Good Friends Bring Salad" by Anita Campbell
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