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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.