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READING FOOD LABELS
On most food packaging in New Zealand you will find a list of ingredients, a nutrition information panel and possibly some nutrition
claims. These will help you make healthy choices about what you buy; they can be used to compare one product against another.
Here’s a breakdown of what each item on the label means:
ENERGY
Energy is another word for calorie (Kcal) or kilojoule (Kj). Every extra
Kcal/KJ eaten will be stored as fat if not needed by the body. A product
low in fat or sugar may still be high in energy. Always check the label.
PROTEIN
Protein is the building block of muscle. A LivFit:Lean principle is
to have protein with every meal (5g – 25g).
FAT
Watch the total fat content – fat can contribute a lot of extra energy.
Too much saturated fat can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase
the risk of heart disease. A LivFit:Lean principle is less than 3g
saturated fat per 100g, per day.
CARBOHYDRATE
This is broken down to glucose (sugar) and must be balanced with
exercise and/or medication in people with diabetes. It is important
to have carbohydrates in your diet. A LivFit:Lean principle is no
carbohydrates after 3pm.
SUGARS
Sugars are part of the total carbohydrate in a food. A small amount
is acceptable. Beware of the other names for sugar e.g. fructose, sucrose
(anything ending in ‘ose’). A LivFit:Lean principle is choose foods with
less than 10g of sugar per 100g.
FIBRE
Having a high fibre diet is good for many aspects of health.
SALT OR SODIUM
Choose foods with lower salt/sodium content, especially if you have
high blood pressure. A LivFit:Lean principle is no added salt. Choose
foods low in salt and sodium.
Golden Munchies
Nutrition Information
Servings per package: 15
Serving size: 30g
Per serve
Per 100g
500KJ
1670KJ
119Kcal
379Kcal
Protein
2.2g
7.4g
Fat
0.6g
1.8g
- Saturated
0.3g
0.9g
Carbohydrate
26g
87g
- Sugars
4.2g
14g
Dietary Fibre
2.1g
7g
117mg
390mg
Iron
3mg
10mg
Folate
50g
167g
Energy
Sodium
INGREDIENTS
Wheatmeal, Rice, Flour, Maize Flour, Sugar, Sultanas, Skim
Milk Powder, Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate, Iron, Folate, Tumeric
Ingredients
Ingredients are listed in order of quantity, starting with the largest amount first. If water makes up
more than five per cent of the final product, it must also be listed as an ingredient. The amount of
the key ingredient, eg. apricots in an apricot muesli bar, must be listed as a percentage of the total
product. In some products, such as plain bread, there are no key ingredients.
Food Additives
There are more than 3000 different chemicals that are purposefully added to our food supply. Some
are added for flavour, others to preserve or stabilise. Rule of thumb: avoid ingredients that sound like
chemicals. Commonly used food additives include emulsifiers, flavour enhancers, preservatives, food
acids, colouring and raising agents. Food additives are listed in the ingredients list by their functional
name and also by a number or chemical name, e.g. flavour enhancer (621 or monosodium
glutamate).
Homework Exercise
Find one COMPLIANT, and
one NON-COMPLIANT
food item in your pantry or
supermarket and bring it
(or the packet) to your next
weigh-in. Its good to share
ideas and make sure you are
reading labels correctly!
PREPARED BY:
Diana Parry, LivFit Director and writer.
Lynne Wright, is a LivFit Director, successful personal trainer and bodybuilding coach.