Welcome to Ask Doctor Zac, a weekly column from news.com.au. This week, Dr Zac Turner helps with a question about reading food nutrition labels correctly.
QUESTION: Hi Dr Zac, I found myself looking at a nutritional label the other day but realised I had no idea what I’ve been looking at – what’s good, bad, and a potential heart attack in the making?! Can you help me with a code breaker so I can understand what it is I’m actually looking at? – Jackson, 27, Cairns
ANSWER: It’s important to check the nutrition labels, but it’s even more important to actually read them and understand the nutritional value of foods you are eating. It’s something that should be taught in detail in schools across Australia. Obesity is a leading cause of death in Australia, as well across the Western world, and that is one simple method of preventing it.
Furthermore, if we focus on schools and incorporating not only nutritional education but also the cooking application, we could change the culture of tuckshops into health shops. The same can be said for the absolute junk that is sold quite often at hospitals. Surely if we cared more for the carers/nurses and teachers in our society, we should be ensuring they’re at their peak nutritionally?
So why should you read nutrition labels? There’s a number of reasons. Firstly, you are actively making informed food choices, and assessing the nutritional value of your food. Here’s a quick game – go pick up one piece of junk food in your pantry, and read the nutritional label. You’ll become lost in the saturated fats, additives and chemicals. Heck, half of the things in many foods, especially long-life products, have got so many preservatives that I’m sure would struggle to pass our health standards today.
Secondly, nutrition labels can help you portion control. When you understand that each day you have a recommended daily intake, you will be able to appropriately portion control your foods. So many people are obsessed with counting their daily steps, so why don’t we also count our daily vitamin intake with the same passion?
Remember that daily intakes for the nasties should be spread throughout the day. This means don’t go and have one meal where you use up your daily glucose, fats and sodium levels. I recommend when looking at daily amounts to always break it into quarters using a quarter for each meal. That way you won’t hit the max target. Think of daily intakes as speed signs on the road. If it says 50km in residential areas, you don’t go faster or it’s dangerous, and you’ll get booked. Well, it’s same for health and food.
If you keep speeding and blowing your nutritional limits, it will come back to you. No one wants people to crash, so keep these limits in mind and no more than a quarter per serving:
- Sugar (glucose and fructose) is 10 per cent of energy from calories, so 50 grams or 10 teaspoons a day
- Fat is found in lots of ingredients, but a good rule is 25 per cent of your calories or 60 grams a day which is 4-5 tablespoons
- Sodium is 2300mg which is one heaped teaspoon
If you would like to take a more active role in your food choices, you should read nutrition labels in these simple steps.
- Serving size: Begin by checking the serving sizes at the top of the label. These are based on the food or drink’s nutritional value. Did you know the serving size of potato chips is around 18 chips? That means a whole family sized bag is actually meant for the family to share.
- Calories: Your eyes should now glance over to the calories section. This tells you the calorie amount in one serving. Be careful, it doesn’t refer to the entirety. Many people fall for this and end up having five times the amount of calories as they intended.
- Macronutrients: You now need to focus on total fat, carbs and protein. Fat can be healthy, it just depends on the type – saturated or trans fats need to be consumed in moderation. Carbs include fibre and sugar. You need to maximise fibre and limit sugar. Protein is essential for a number of bodily functions, so always prioritise this.
- Micronutrients: Now it’s time to look at the little guys, vitamins and minerals. Nearly all are essential for life, so it’s good to get a gauge of which foods have which micronutrients.
- Recommended Daily Intake (RDI per cent): Now that you know the nutritional value of the food, it’s time to understand how valuable it is. Check the RDI per cent. You are looking for foods low in calories but high in macro and micronutrient RDI.
- Ingredient list: Lastly, you need to look at what’s holding all these values together. This is listed in order of weight, so things at the top are more prominent than those at the bottom. This is where you‘ll find the pesky preservatives and additives.
These steps will help you make more informed choices with your food, and will help you avoid making poor diet choices. If you have further questions, I recommend you speak with your doctor, or a dietitian.
Got a question? Email askdrzac@conciergedoctors.com.au
Dr. Zac Turner has a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Sydney. He has worked as a Registered Nurse, both in Australia and internationally and is also a qualified and experienced biomedical scientist. | @drzacturner