In many countries, including Australia and the US, packaged food and beverages – the types that come in jars, cans, boxes, and bottles – include nutrition facts and a list of ingredients on their labels.
However, there are many misleading or difficult to decipher nutrition labels that make lots of consumers fall victim to marketing gambits.
In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, only one-third (31.4%) of people use nutrition facts labels when buying foods and beverages.
However, understanding what’s in the foods and beverages you consume is key to making healthy decisions.
The following is a quick guide to help you read the nutrition facts on food and beverage labels.
How to Read the Nutrition Information Panel
The Nutrition Information Panel in the Australian and US format must cover:
- Energy – kilojoules or kilojoules and calories (“kJ”, “Cal”)
- Protein – grams (“g”)
- Fat, including saturated fat – grams (“g”)
- Carbohydrate, sugars – grams
- Sodium – milligrams or millimoles
- Other ingredients – appropriate unit
While in Australia the measures are expressed both per serving size and per 100g (or 100mL), in the US the measures are only expressed per serving size.
Below you will find two sample labels:
Now, let’s see how to read each area on the Nutrition Panel Information:
1. Serving size/Servings per package
Serving sizes or servings per package are standardised to help you compare similar products. However, they are NOT a recommendation of the quantity of food you should eat during a meal.
They only reflect the amount of food that people typically eat or drink. So, bear in mind that the amount of calories you need each day is unique to your body and health goals.
That’s you you shouldn’t use the serving size or serving per package indicated on a product label to decide how much you should eat in a day.
2. Calories/Energy
Calories indicate the amount of energy in an item of food or drink.
Remember, how many calories you should eat each day depends on a variety of factors, such as your age, sex, activity levels, and health.
You should also consider that not all calories are equal – for example, 387 calories in 100 grams of sugar are not the same as 387 calories in 200 grams of avocado.
This means that you should carefully read the whole Nutrition Panel Information, and not just the number of calories in a product.
3. Main nutrients
The Nutrition Panel Information shows you all the key nutrients that affect your health (see the sample labels above).
Here are the nutrients that you should avoid as much as possible (meaning you should get less of them):
● Saturated fat – Saturated fat can raise the level of LDL cholesterol in your blood, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
● Sodium (one of the chemical elements found in salt) – Your body only needs a small amount of sodium per day (no more than 2,300 mg a day). High sodium consumption can raise blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke.
● Added sugar – Added sugar (e.g., brown sugar, cane juice, glucose, dextrose, fructose, corn syrup, honey, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, maple syrup, molasses. etc.) can increase triglyceride levels, which leads to heart disease. In addition, it promotes tooth decay.
Do note that in the US, added sugars included in the product are listed on the label. For example, the label of a yoghurt container might show “Included 5g Added Sugars”.
While in Australia, food labels only indicate the total amount of sugar in a product. In that case, I recommend you read the list of ingredients to determine whether or not the product contains added sugars.
On the other hand, the nutrients that can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, anaemia, and high blood pressure are vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.
Dietary fibre (that is only included on US food labels) is also essential for a healthy diet. It is well-known for its ability to prevent constipation, maintain a healthy weight and lower the risk of diabetes.
Note: In the US, food labels also include the Percent Daily Value (%DV), meaning the percentage of the Daily Value for each nutrient in a product.
The Daily Values refer to the amounts of nutrients to consume each day for a healthy diet.
4. Additional nutrients
You know about the main healthy nutrients and the ones you should get less of, but it is also important to know about the other nutrients indicated on the Nutrition Information Panel:
● Protein – Eating adequate amounts of protein helps you maintain your muscle mass and promotes muscle growth.
● Carbohydrates – There are three types of carbohydrates: starches, sugars and fibre. They provide your body with glucose, which is converted to energy used to support physical activity.
● Sugars – Sugars or simple carbohydrates (not added sugars) occur naturally in foods such as fruit or milk. When consumed in moderation, natural sugar provides fast energy and keeps your metabolism stable.
After carefully reading the Nutrition Panel Information, be sure to also have a look at the ingredient list.
All the ingredients included in a product are listed in weight order from biggest to the smallest.
So, if the first ingredients contain saturated fat (e.g., cream, butter, etc.) or added sugars, you can assume that the food is unhealthy.
A good rule of thumb is to carefully read the first three ingredients, as they make up the largest part of a product.
That’s why it is good practice to choose products that have whole foods mentioned as the first three ingredients.
You should also note that an ingredients list that is longer than two or three lines typically indicates that the item is highly processed.
Sources:
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) – How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
NIH (National Institute on Ageing) – How To Read Food and Beverage Labels
Health Direct – How to read food labels
Eat Right – The Basics of the Nutrition Facts Label
Correct Food Systems – Nutrition Panel Information – Australia
eatforhealth.gov.au – How to understand food labels
MedlinePlus – How to read food labels