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As consumers we are constantly bombarded with healthy
eating products and reduced fat foods
and drinks. How often do you take the time to read the nutritional
label and fully understand what it tells you?
Nutritional content:
- It is law for all food labels to show Food’s nutritional
content. It is common sense to purchase foods that are
low in their "% Daily Value" of fat, saturated
fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Aim for your maximum daily
requirement of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals.
How much fat do you need? A mature adult requires
a minimum of 30 grams of fat per day, 4 grams
of that should be essential fats, which are found
in nuts and polyunsaturated oils.
Beware of marketing Don't be drawn in by clever marketing techniques.
Just because the picture on the front of the product is of a healthy
individual holding a measuring tape around a slim waist, it doesn't
mean that it's going to be of benefit to your health
or waistline.
Beware of additives and sweeteners
There may be a number of additional additives in the product that
are not so healthy. The addition of aspartame, a sweetener, in
low-cal soft drinks is a dangerous substitute. Tests conducted
on this substance have revealed that there is potential harm to
the brain of people who aren't able to metabolise Phenylalanine,
one of the two amino acids in aspartame. Beware of labelling
Here are some examples of what they really should say.
Low fat
Each serving will actually give you 3 grams of fat or less.
Fat free
No not exactly, lets try less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving.
Reduced fat, less fat
This is reduced by about 25% on average.
Light
This varies from about half the fat of the original product to
only a third of the fat. check the pack.
Sugar free
No, wrong again. It usually contains per serving, less than 0.5
grams of sugar.
Nutritional content
Stick to foods low in % of fats, cholesterol and sodium.
How much fat per
day? 30 grams per day.
Marketing
Don't be drawn into suggestive labelling check the contents.
Additives
and sweeteners
Aspartame is a dangerous substitute for sugar.
Label translator
What the labels really mean.
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