Download Nutrition Labelling and Weight Maintenance

Nutrition Labelling and
Weight Maintenance
Weight Maintenance
The balance of energy intake and
energy output so that we are neither
overweight nor underweight.
Benefits：
 Reduce the risk of developing a
number of chronic diseases, such as
diabetes and heart diseases

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Energy Intake and Energy Output

Energy intake – The energy we get
from eating foods and drinks

Energy output – The energy
required for body functions and
physical activities
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The Relationship Between
Energy and Body Weight

Sources of energy:
 1 g fat = 9 kilocalories
 1 g protein = 4 kilocalories
 1 g carbohydrates = 4 kilocalories
 *1 kilocalorie (kcal) = 1 Cal ≈ 4.2
kilojoules (kJ)

Unused energy will be stored as fat in
the body
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Weight Reduction / Maintenance



Should not just focus on fat intake when thinking
about weight reduction or maintenance
Reduce sugars intake as sugars being “emptycalorie”, i.e. providing energy but no other
nutritional value.
For weight reduction or maintenance, most
important is:
 To reduce energy intake (i.e. cutting energy
intake, not just cutting fat and sugars intake)
 Increase the activity levels (e.g. exercise,
sports)
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Weight Maintenance and
Nutrition Labelling

Using nutrition
label can help us
to find out and
calculate energy
intake
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Read and Use Nutrition Labels
Examples of Recommended
Format of Nutrition Label
Tabular format
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Examples of Recommended
Format of Nutrition Label
Linear format
(for small packages with total surface area of less than 200 cm2)
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Required Nutrients on Nutrition Labels

1+7 (energy plus seven nutrients
specified for labelling) –
i.e. energy, protein, total fat, saturated fat,
trans fat, carbohydrates, sugars and
sodium.

Nutrient(s) involved in nutrition claim(s)
(when the nutrition claim is on any type
of fat, the amount of cholesterol must be
declared as well).

For other nutrients, declaration is
voluntary
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Making Use of Nutrition Label
Consumers can:

Compare the nutritional content among
different foods for a healthier choice, e.g.
choose food that is lower in fat, sodium
(or salt) and sugars

Understand the nutritional content of
food and estimate their contribution to
the overall diet

To meet individual’s dietary needs
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Three Simple Steps to
Read Nutrition Label
Three Simple Steps to
Read Nutrition Label
Step 1
 Take note of the reference amount of food
being used in the nutrition label
Step 2
 Read the energy and nutrient content
together with the reference amount
Step 3
 Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food
contains a lot or a little of energy or a
nutrient in the food
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Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of
food being used in the nutrition label

Expressed as
per 100 g (or
per 100 mL) of
food
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Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of
food being used in the nutrition label

Expressed as per serving (the serving size
(in g or mL) and the no. of servings must be
specified on the package)
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Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of
food being used in the nutrition label

Expressed as per package (if the package
contains only a single serving )
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Step 2: Read the energy and nutrient content
together with the reference amount
A) Use nutrition label to compare
between products
B) Use nutrition label to calculate the
amount of energy and nutrients
you get from food
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Step 2A: Use nutrition label to
compare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed
in the SAME reference amount
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand C biscuit
If reference amount is the SAME, you CAN
COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY
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Step 2A: Use nutrition label to
compare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed in
DIFFERENT reference amounts
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit
(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand D biscuit
If reference amounts are DIFFERENT, you CANNOT
COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY
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Step 2A: Use nutrition label to
compare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed in
DIFFERENT reference amounts
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Step 2B:
Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of
energy and nutrients you get from food

The more you eat, the more you get

If you eat 1 serving of biscuit
 Get 8 g of fat, 3.5 g of saturated fat

If you eat 2 servings of biscuit
 Get 16 g of fat, 7 g of saturated fat
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Step 2B:
Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of
energy and nutrients you get from food

Energy and nutrient content expressed as per 100 g/mL
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Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains
a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food

%NRV is usually on a scale from 0% to 100%.
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Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains
a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food


For nutrients that needed to limit their intake

E.g. total fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugars

Look for foods that have lower %NRV
Get enough of nutrients that are good for health

E.g. dietary fibre

Look for foods that have higher %NRV
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Use Nutrition Label to
Choose Healthy Food
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Principles of Healthy Eating

Choose a variety of food and eat cereals as the
largest portion of food in every meal.

Eat a lot of vegetables and fruit.

Reduce the consumption of foodstuffs with
high salt, fat and sugar content as well as
those which are preserved.

A daily fluid intake of 6 to 8 glasses (including
clear soup, fruit juice and tea).

Take meals regularly and in adequate amounts.
(Source of information:
Department of Health)
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Nutrition Labelling is a Useful Tool
for Practising Healthy Eating

Nutrition label and nutrition claim can
help consumers choose healthier food in
accordance with healthy eating principles
and the Food Pyramid, e.g.

Choose biscuits lower in fat and sodium
(or salt)

Choose dairy products lower in fat

Choose beverages lower in sugars
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How to Choose Prepackaged Foods
Lower in Energy, Fat and Sugars
Choosing Prepackaged Foods
Lower in Energy, Fat and Sugars

Cut down on foods that are high in energy,
fat and/or sugars

Look for a lower fat version of a food item


Fat provides the largest amount of energy
amongst all nutrients, cutting one gram of
fat intake means subtracting 9 kcal from a
diet.
Reduce sugars intake as sugars being
“empty-calorie”, i.e. providing energy but no
other nutritional value.
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Choosing Prepackaged Foods
Lower in Energy, Fat and Sugars
1. Take note of relevant nutrition
claim as a quick screening tool;
and
2. Take three simple steps to read
nutrition label
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Choosing Prepackaged Foods
Lower in Energy, Fat and Sugars

Focus more on energy claims as claims on fat
and/or sugars may not be good indicators of the
energy content of the products

Nutrition claim only gives a rough idea about the
content of a particular nutrient, one should not
make a food choice solely on the basis of a
nutrition claim. In order to eat healthily, we should
take note of other nutrients as well. For example,
when buying a product with a “low sugars” claim,
one should take note of the content of fat and
other nutrients.
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Choosing Prepackaged Foods
Lower in Energy, Fat and Sugars
Nutrient content claims in relation to energy, fat and sugars
are classified into “Free” and “Low” claims.
Specific Conditions of Nutrient Content Claims Claim：
Free; No; Zero; Without; Does not
contain
Claim：
Low; Little; Low source; Few;
Contains a small amount of
Meaning of Claim :
Insignificant amount of a particular
nutrient found in the food
Meaning of Claim :
A small amount of nutrient found in
the food
Example: Energy free
(Contain not more than
4 kcal (17 kJ) per 100mL of food)
Example: Low sugars
(Contain not more than 5g of
sugars per 100g/mL of food)
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Choosing Prepackaged Foods
Lower in Energy, Fat and Sugars
Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label
Step 1
 Take note of the reference amount of food
being used in the nutrition label
Step 2
 Read and compare the nutritional content
Step 3
 Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference
Value (%NRV) (If available)
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Choosing Prepackaged Foods Lower
in Energy, Fat and Sugars (Example 1)
Milk Beverage A
Milk Beverage B
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Choosing Prepackaged Foods Lower
in Energy, Fat and Sugars (Example 2)
Corn Flakes D
Corn Flakes C
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Choosing Prepackaged Foods Lower
in Energy, Fat and Sugars (Example 3)
Soup E
Soup F
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ENDS