Another Chaff column
February 21st 2009 22:16
This week I'm going to talk about reading nutritional information panels (NIP) because sometimes they're not particularly easy to understand. There are eight things I think you need to look at when reading the NIP - energy, fat, protein, fibre, carbohydrates, sodium, Heart Foundation Tick, and ingredients list.
Energy
The energy content of the food or drink product can be shown as kilojoules (Kj) or calories (cal), where 1 calorie is equivalent to 4.2 kilojoules. The NIP shows how much energy there is per 100g of product and per serve. This can help you monitor how much energy you are taking in. According to the Ministry of Health, men need approximately 11000Kj per day, whereas women need about 8000Kj per day. Your energy needs also depend on your activity levels, weight, and age. For example, the heavier you are, the more energy you need.
Fat
25-35% of your energy intake should come from fat, which is approximately 50-80g per day. The NIP should show fat content in grams per 100g of product and grams per serve. There's a few types of fat that you should know about. There's polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat, which are "good" fats, and there are saturated fat and trans fat which are "bad" fats. So make sure that go for something that is low in saturated and trans fats. Additionally, the total fat of the product (excluding oil, margarine, avocadoes etc) should be less than 15%.
Fibre
Fibre helps keep your digestive system healthy, and control your blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Look for breads and cereals with at least 6% fibre.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates, these also include sugars. Carbohydrates provide us with glucose that helps your body function correctly. Carbohydrates should make up the bulk of your diet. The thing to watch is the sugar content - this should be less than 15% if the product does not contain fruit and less than 25% if the product contains fruit.
Sodium (salt)
Sodium is essential for good health, however you can have too much sodium in your diet. Look for products with less than 400mg of sodium per 100g.
Protein
Most people get about the right amount of protein in their diets, which is 15-25% of energy intake.
Ingredients list
Ingredienst are listed in order of in going weight. If flour is the main ingredient it will be first on the list. Allergens on the ingredients list are highlighted in bold. If there are additives in the product, there will be numbers on the list. These are called E numbers and you can find out what they are by having a look at the NZ Food Safety Authority website Really Long Link
Heart Foundation Tick
This tick indicates what foods and beverages are the healthiest in their catergory. However, if a product has the Heart Foundation Tick, it doesn't mean that you can binge on that product. Please note that the manufactuers have to pay for the Heart Foundation Tick, so don't ignore the foods without the tick as they could be just as healthy or better.
If you have any questions, then please email me at nutrition.advice@gmail.com.
Krissi
Energy
The energy content of the food or drink product can be shown as kilojoules (Kj) or calories (cal), where 1 calorie is equivalent to 4.2 kilojoules. The NIP shows how much energy there is per 100g of product and per serve. This can help you monitor how much energy you are taking in. According to the Ministry of Health, men need approximately 11000Kj per day, whereas women need about 8000Kj per day. Your energy needs also depend on your activity levels, weight, and age. For example, the heavier you are, the more energy you need.
Fat
25-35% of your energy intake should come from fat, which is approximately 50-80g per day. The NIP should show fat content in grams per 100g of product and grams per serve. There's a few types of fat that you should know about. There's polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat, which are "good" fats, and there are saturated fat and trans fat which are "bad" fats. So make sure that go for something that is low in saturated and trans fats. Additionally, the total fat of the product (excluding oil, margarine, avocadoes etc) should be less than 15%.
Fibre
Fibre helps keep your digestive system healthy, and control your blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Look for breads and cereals with at least 6% fibre.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates, these also include sugars. Carbohydrates provide us with glucose that helps your body function correctly. Carbohydrates should make up the bulk of your diet. The thing to watch is the sugar content - this should be less than 15% if the product does not contain fruit and less than 25% if the product contains fruit.
Sodium (salt)
Sodium is essential for good health, however you can have too much sodium in your diet. Look for products with less than 400mg of sodium per 100g.
Protein
Most people get about the right amount of protein in their diets, which is 15-25% of energy intake.
Ingredients list
Ingredienst are listed in order of in going weight. If flour is the main ingredient it will be first on the list. Allergens on the ingredients list are highlighted in bold. If there are additives in the product, there will be numbers on the list. These are called E numbers and you can find out what they are by having a look at the NZ Food Safety Authority website Really Long Link
Heart Foundation Tick
This tick indicates what foods and beverages are the healthiest in their catergory. However, if a product has the Heart Foundation Tick, it doesn't mean that you can binge on that product. Please note that the manufactuers have to pay for the Heart Foundation Tick, so don't ignore the foods without the tick as they could be just as healthy or better.
If you have any questions, then please email me at nutrition.advice@gmail.com.
Krissi
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