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What's in it? Mind your nutrition labels
How many of us know that "fat-free" doesn't mean there's no fat at all? Let's just admit it: Most of us have no clue about it
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How many of us know that "fat-free" doesn't mean there's no fat at all? Let's just admit it: Most of us have no clue about it.
Perhaps because we hate numbers and don't understand scientific names, we pay less attention to nutrition labels, which can explain what's behind that "fat-free" claim. After all, the label is on the back of the food's packaging, and we're more interested in the fancy and colorful packaging, aren't we?
Well, we've all heard the adage "Don't judge a book by its cover", yet that's just what many of us do with food. The more colorful and attractive the packaging, the more you're likely to go for them. But calling yourself a savvy - and health conscious - shopper, you shouldn't let the packaging and those claims fool you.
"Don't get tricked by claims like, fat-free or rich in vitamin C," says Purwiyatno Hariyadi, director of the Southeast Asian Food and Agricultural Science and Technology (Seafast) Center.
"Some food packaging can be misleading. The point is to take a detailed look at the nutrition label to see what *the food* really contains."
A product that claims to be fat-free, for instance, just means it has less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving. The same goes for the claim "sugar-free": it actually contains less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving.
Meanwhile, the claim "low-fat" means a product contains less than 3 grams of fat, while low-calorie means it has less than 40 calories.
Still get confused? Don't worry: as soon as you know how to read the nutrition label, you'll understand. But first, let's start with what the nutrition label itself is.
A nutrition label, Purwiyatno explains, contains information on nutritional values, like calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium or salt content, carbohydrates, vitamins, calcium and other minerals in a food product.
In Indonesia, the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has issued a guideline for nutrition labeling, but it's not mandatory yet for local producers to put it on their products.
"So the onus is on the consumers themselves, whether they're concerned enough to look for products that provide with them with nutritional information," says Purwiyatno, also a professor at the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB).
Checking the nutrition label, according to him, is just as important as looking at safety-related information - like the BPOM-issued registration number or the Halal logo from the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI).
"In checking the label, people should refer to their interests and needs," he says.
"For instance, those with high blood pressure must take a look at the sodium or salt content."
Minding the nutrition facts can actually help us choose the right food for dieting, although sometimes the data can be confusing. The key is to know how to read the label. So, where to begin?
First, look at the serving size and the total number of servings, which is usually in the uppermost portion of the label. Knowing this part is important so we can understand the rest of the entries of the label.
For instance, a container of ice cream may only have 200 calories per serving, but if the entire container contains three servings, then you would be getting 600 calories if you eat the whole of it. And there's a rule of thumb here from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA): 40 calories is low, 100 is moderate and 400 is high. So are you concerned about controlling your calorie intake now?
Second, check for the percentage of the daily values (% DV), which is at the right of the label. This entry simply tells you what percent of the recommended daily nutrient is contained in each serving of the product. It helps you determine if each serving is high or low in a particular nutrient.
The standard daily calorie requirement is 2,000 calories and the percentage shown in this entry is based on this standard. The rule is simple: 5 percent and less is low, while 20 percent and more is high.
So if your goal is to limit fats, choose food with less than 20 percent of the % DV of fat. On the other hand, if you're into getting more vitamin A, look for the one with more than 5 percent of the % DV for vitamin A.
Now let's move on to the upper part of the nutrient panel, which usually provides information on total fat, cholesterol and sodium (or salt in some products). These are nutrients you should limit.
"In a nutrient label, total fats are usually divided into saturated fat and trans-fat," Purwiyatno says.
Saturated fat, he says, is a type of fat that is solid at room temperature and found mostly in animal products. Trans-fat on the other hand, is mostly formed when liquid oil is made into solid fat, like shortening and margarine. Both these fats can raise the "bad" cholesterol (or low-density lipoprotein, also known as LDL) that increases your risk of coronary heart disease. Therefore, knowing their amount in the nutrition label is essential.
Cholesterol, on the other hand, is a fatty-like substance, of which the intake must be limited to 300 milligrams daily. As for sodium, it's recommended not to consume more than 2,300 milligrams per day. An easy guide: one teaspoon of table salt has 2,000 milligrams of sodium.
So, we're done with the upper part of the label; let's go on to the lower part - the last thing we check. This part contains nutrients like carbohydrates (which include sugar and dietary fibers), proteins, vitamins, calcium and iron.
Unlike the first part, of which the intake of nutrients should be limited, nutrients in this second part are recommended to be consumed at an optimum percentage. The same simple formula is applied here: 5 percent and less is low, while 20 percent and more is high.
Quite simple, isn't it? So the next time you go shopping, don't let the packaging fool you: turn that package over and read the nutrition label.
Remember this
Fat-free: The product has less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving. Low-fat: The product has 3 grams or less of fat per serving. Reduced or less-fat: The product has at least 25 percent less fat per serving than the full-fat version. Calorie-free: The product has less than 5 calories per serving. Low-calorie: The product has 40 calories or less per serving. Reduced or fewer-calorie: The product has at least 25 percent fewer calories per serving than the non-reduced version.
- Source: The US Food and Drug and Administration
Quick tips
Besides consulting the nutrition label, it's also important to read the list of ingredients. Why? Because it helps give a better understanding of the nutrition label.
For instance, if a product claims to contain no trans-fat, it would be wise to check in the ingredients list for the words "partially hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated oils". These are sources of trans-fat.
Claims like "enriched flour", "wheat flour", or "unbleached wheat flour" are all code words for refined flour with just a small amount of whole wheat added.
Beware of hidden sugars like fructose, sucrose and dextrose. "High-fructose corn syrup", for instance, simply means refined sugar. Again, check the ingredients label.
Don't get fooled by fancy words. Olestra is a fake fat, while lard shortening is pure animal fat. Nitrates, on the other hand, are a substance used to preserve meat.
Codes like E102 or E125 are artificial colorings. E100, for instance, is the same as Yellow 5 or tartrazine.
