Discerning food labels is of utmost importance when it comes to the stake of health today, where everything labelled under tag healthy, organic is marketed with ease.
Let’s break down the concept in a few pointers to help you make informed food choices.
The food product labels entail mandatory content description that guide to simpler understanding of the given food product.
1.Serving size – The serving size mentions the amount of food an individual can consume in 1 serving at a time.The rest of the nutritional information on the label is based on this single, one time serving of the food.
Being higher in calories the portion per serve may vary from regular foods.
2.Calories – This part of label specifies the calorie it provides in single serving of the food product
3.Nutrient – it specifies the nutrient content in regards to proteins, carbohydrates, fats, sugars, sodium etc.Also it displays the quantity of food product in grams and %DV i.e. Daily Value of the said product.It specifies the nutritional value of the food in terms of serving size and how much it amounts to your daily nutritional intake based on a standard diet of 2000 calories.
4.Fats
Seeking for healthier fats like mono and polyunsaturated fats is of utmost importance in selecting foods.So its always better to compare the labels of food products in the market and seek for the one with lesser saturated fats and trans fats.
5.Carbohydrates – Carbohydrates like sugars, fibres, complex carbohydrates all come under the same tag.But foods with higher content of complex carbohydrates and fibre should be your preferred choices.
6.Proteins – This is the important ingredient and more the protein thats a better option to look forward for a purchase, as Proteins are the building blocks of our body.
7.Vitamins & Mineral – These are important content found in any food as they contribute towards better health and their qualitative content make meals balanced.More the vitamins and minerals, more is the nutritional value and better is the immunity.
8.Allergen – Cautiously check out for allergens if you are sensitive to food products.Check specifically mentioned allergens like wheat, nuts, dairy products.
9.Ingredients – This section mentions everything that the food product contains in decreasing order of their weight.
10.False claims – Beware of false claims like Natural, Organic, Pure, Low-fat. Not all terms are regulated and they can be marketing tactics too.