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The point here is that you need to look at the fine
print, not just the nutrition claim to make decisions about what you buy.
Whenever a nutrition claim is made, for example, “high in fibre” or “fat-free”,
a nutrition facts table will appear on the product label. The nutrition
facts table is your guide to making healthy food choices.
The following guidelines will help you make sensible
choices when shopping.
Fat-free: Provides less than 0.5
g fat per serving
Fat-free does not mean calorie free. While fat-free
products offer important fat saving, they won't help you achieve a healthy
weight if you eat limitless amounts. Calories still count and excess calories
contribute to weight gain.
Low in fat: Provides no more than
3 g of fat per serving
Check the labels on your favorite foods or at your
fast food stop. To be called low in fat, any food, including salad dressing,
muffins, yogurt, etc., must contain no more than 3 grams of fat per serving.
That means, a low fat muffin containing 2.6 grams of fat would qualify
but one containing 6 grams of fat would not.
Low in cholesterol: Must have no
more than 20 mg of cholesterol per serving and is also low in saturated
fat.
Cholesterol-free: Must have no more
than 2 mg of cholesterol per serving and is low in saturated fat.
People who are concerned with cutting back on dietary
cholesterol should also check the amount of fat per serving on food labels.
High intakes of fat , especially saturated and trans fat, contribute to
high blood cholesterol levels. To keep in line with current nutrition
recommendations women should limit their total daily fat intake to less
than 65 grams and men to less than 90 grams.
Low in saturated fat: Must contain
less than 2 grams of saturated fat and trans fat combined per serving.
Free of trans fat:
Must contains less than 0.2 grams of trans fat per serving and be low
in saturated fat.
Currently trans fat is receiving a lot of media attention
and food companies are scrambling to reduce the amount of trans fat in
their food products. Unfortunately not all food labels show the amount
of trans fat as food companies have until December 2005 to put trans fat
on their food labels. In the meantime to reduce trans fat in your diet,
cut back on foods made with "hydrogenated" or "partially
hydrogentated oils", including many commercial baked goods, snack
foods and deep fried foods.
High source of fibre: Look for at
least 4 grams of dietary fibre per serving.
To even be considered a source of fibre, a food must
contain at least 2 grams of fibre per serving. If you are looking for
a high fibre food, choose one such as a breakfast cereal, that contains
4 or more grams of fibre per serving. Whole grain foods containing wheat
bran and oat bran are usually high in fibre as are many vegetables and
fruits. Adults should aim for 25 -35 grams of fibre per day.
What does the % Daily Value on the food label
show?
The % Daily Value appears on the new food labels. It is a simple benchmark
for evaluating the nutrient content of foods quickly and easily. The %
Daily Value can be used to determine whether there is a lot or a little
of a nutrient in a serving of the food. The Daily Values are based on
recommendations for a healthy diet. You can us the % Daily Value to compare
information on foods labels to find foods that are higher in calcium,
iron or vitamin C.
Need more information? Visit Healthy
Eating is in Store for You and Health Canada's nutrition
labelling website.
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