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THE FACTS ON NUTRITION LABELLING
Summer, 2004 EAP/EFAP Newsletter
By Heidi Niederer, Registered Dietician, H.B.Sc, B.Ed.
For Your Information
You’re at a local grocery store and you can’t decide which foods are the healthiest for you and your family. Reading a food label can be so confusing...% Daily value of sodium, how many grams of fat? There are a variety of brands to choose from with a variety of information listed on the label. Learning how to understand a food label can make grocery shopping easier and help you make healthier food choices. Nutrition information on food labels: ! Helps you make informed food choices ! Helps you follow Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Living ! Is required on most packaged foods ! Is based on Health Canada’s regulations The “Nutrition Facts” table is easy to find, easy to read, and on more foods. Here’s an example taken from a package of frozen mixed vegetables:
Nutrition Facts
Per 125 mL (85 g) Amount % Daily Value
Calories 60 Fat 0 g Saturated 0 g + Trans 0 g Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 35 mg 1% Carbohydrate 14 g Fibre 3 g Sugars 0 g Protein 3 g Vitamin A 40% Vitamin C Calcium 2% Iron 0% 0% 5% 12% 6% 8%
Serving Size The serving size tells you how much food you need to eat to get the amount of calories and nutrients shown in the Nutrition Facts table. Check the serving size - the serving size shown on the label may not be the same as the serving size you would actually eat. For example, the serving size for cereal may be ¾ cup, much less than you would normally eat. What is % Daily Value? Percent daily value puts nutrients on a scale from 0% to 100%. This scale tells you if there is a little or a lot of the nutrient in one serving of a packaged food. For example, the sample label on the left indicates that one serving has 5% Daily Value for carbohydrate. This is a little because it is relatively low on the scale. It also informs you that one serving has 40% Daily Value for Vitamin A. This is a lot because it is high on the scale.
The definition of “a little” or “a lot” varies for both individuals and nutrients. Even without being told what is high (a lot) or low (a little) for each nutrient, Canadians can use % DV to quickly assess if the nutrients they are trying to increase have higher percentages, and those they are trying to decrease, have lower percentages. For example, a food that has a % DV of 5% or less for fat, sodium or cholesterol would be low in these nutrients. A food that has a % DV of 15% or more for calcium, vitamin A or fibre would be high in these three nutrients. How is % Daily Value Calculated? The Daily Values are based on recommendations for a healthy diet. For example, it has generally been recommended that a healthy diet should not provide more than 30% of its calories as fat. For a 2000 calorie diet, this equates to 65 g of fat. This amount of fat is the basis for the Daily Value and the fat content in a serving of food is expressed as a percentage of 65 g. Therefore, a product with 10 g of fat would have a % Daily Value of 15% (10 g divided by 65 g times 100). It is important to note that the Daily Values for carbohydrates, total fat, and saturated + trans fats are based on a 2000 calorie diet. The recommendations for the other nutrients are not related to calorie intake and therefore, the Daily Values for these nutrients apply to most people, regardless of their calorie intake. Ingredients are listed on the food label in decreasing order by weight. Consequently, what you see first is what you get most of. A listing of ingredients must be found on all food labels by law.
Some Nutrition Recommendations Your energy intake should be consistent with maintenance of a healthy body weight. ! ! ! ! A balanced diet is composed of 55% of energy as carbohydrates, 15% from protein, no more than 30% of energy as fat, and no more than 10% as saturated fat. For most people, the sodium content of their diet should be reduced. Get less of fat, saturated fat and trans fat, cholesterol, sodium. Choose packaged foods with a low Daily Value of sodium, especially if you are at risk for heart disease or diabetes. Choose more carbohydrate, fibre, Vitamin A and C, Calcium, Iron. Select packaged foods with a high % Daily Value of these nutrients. Note that if you have diabetes, carefully monitor how much you eat as this will affect your blood glucose levels.
Links: Information on the new label: www.healthcanada.ca/nutritionlabelling Guide to Labelling and Advertising: www.inspection.gc.ca/english/bureau/labeti/guide/guidee.shtml Health Canada’s Food Program: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/food-ailment/ Information for this article has been adapted from: 2003 Canadian Diabetes Association and Dieticians of Canada, Nutrition Labelling Toolkit for Educators (Health Canada) and Tips for Reading Food Labels Handout.
Your New Wellness and Corporate Health Services!
As of November 1, 2004 the Behavioural Sciences Centre will begin offering additional personal and corporate wellness services to your Employee Assistance, Employee and Family Assistance, or Employee and Family Wellness program. Eligible employees and qualifying significant others can call directly to access a maximum of three sessions with either of two Kinesiologists or a Registered Dietician for assistance with wellness issues facing most of us including: · · · · · · · · · · Personal fitness - advice on fitness goals, interests, time, equipment needs Setting up fitness plans for individuals and families Injury prevention strategies Instruction for individuals and groups regarding back health Instruction for employee groups or individuals in proper body mechanics and ergonomics Advice on proper equipment and footwear and the like, for recreation and work Advice for healthy people on dietary choices Instruction for individuals and groups with respect to proper exercise intensity and duration How to determine target heart rate Instruction on proper stretching and warm-up techniques
Employers can also request up to two on-site group sessions for employees annually on topics that wellness team members have the expertise to present on. To learn more about the new Wellness and Corporate Health Services, contact the Behavioural Sciences Centre of St. Joseph’s Care Group, (807) 623-7677 or toll-free 1-888-423-5862.
Your EAP/EFAP services are implemented by: Behavioural Sciences Centre www.sjcg.net