Understanding how to read nutrition information panels can help making healthy food choices simple. Relying on the claims of the front of the label can be misleading and not a true indication of the healthiness of the product. For example ‘Light’ or ‘Lite’ could be used to describe the texture, colour, or flavour, and not necessarily that it contains less fat or sugar.
- Looking at the ‘Quantity per 100g’ allows you to compare products, rather than looking at serving sizes. The general target for saturated fat is less than 2g per 100g, and for sugar less than 15g per 100g.
- The ingredients list describes the ingredients in the product. Ingredients are actually listed in order from the highest to lowest quantity in the food product. Foods that contain fat, sugar, or salt within the first three ingredients mean that is mainly what the product is made up of, and should be avoided if possible.
- Snack or drink items can be high in energy simply because of their serving. For individually packaged snacks (e.g. muesli bars) or drinks, aim for items with 600kJ or less per serving on the label.
Reading labels can be tricky for many of us, so hopefully we’ve simplified it a little here, but if you’d like more advice relating to this or any other part of your diet, we’re here to help send us a message letting us know what you’re after and we’ll be in touch to help you achieve your goals!
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