Food labels It is worth taking the time to check food labels. This could radically change the way you shop. Food labels tell you about the ingredients as well as the nutritional values of the product (how much protein, fat, fibre, carbohydrate and salt).
Making sense of a food label We recommended that you undertake 2 simple checks: the amount of fat and sugar per 100g and the ingredients list.
Check 1 - Look at the amounts per 100g Firstly Find the nutrition information label. This may be on the side or reverse of the packaging.
Thirdly Check per 100g. • Total Fat • Saturated Fat • Sugar Compare the food to the traffc light guidance in the table below. Check the salt content. Although not affecting weight it can lead to high blood pressure which can increase your risk of heart disease. Sometimes salt is listed as sodium. 1g of sodium is the same as 2.5g of salt (so always multiply sodium by 2.5 to work out the amount of salt).
Secondly Look at the column for 100g (or 100ml) of the product. It is NOT the amount per serving! By focusing on the amount per 100g you can compare products like for like and check if they are red, amber or green.
Fat
Saturates
Sugars
Salt
LOW Healthier choice
3g or less
1.5g or less
5g or less
0.3g or less
MEDIUM OK most of the time
3.1g to 17.5g
1.6g to 5g
5.1g to 22.5g
0.31g-1.5g
HIGH Just occasionally
More than 17.5g
More than 5g
More than 22.5g
More than 1.5g
All measures per 100g/ml.
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