Food nutrition labels are an important part of any food products packaging, as it informs you about the number of calories and nutrients contained in each serving portion. At FlexiBake, we understand the importance of food nutrition labels, and how they can help you follow a healthy diet, while also making it easier to choose the most nutritious foods.
Understanding the Food Nutrition Label Basics
Food nutrition labels are specifically designed to provide consumers with useful information about the product and how it would fit into their daily diets; however, not everyone knows how to properly read these labels. Here are some of the things you should consider when reading a food nutrition label:
- List of ingredients – provides an overview of the products recipe. Ingredients in this list are arranged from the largest to the smallest amount.
- Be aware of health-sensitive ingredients – these ingredients, such as fat, sugar, and salt, can cause obesity, heart problems, diabetes, etc. When reading the food nutrition label, you should look for products that have small portions of these ingredients.
- Watch the nutrient amounts – nutrient amounts are given as either per 100g or the product or the recommended energy and nutrient intake. Looking at this section of the label allows you to compare the different brands of a particular food.
- Choose low energy-dense foods – energy density refers to the ratio of calories to the weight of the food. Less calories per portion size is generally better for weight management.
- Understand nutrient content claims – a zero-calorie product can actually contain up to 4 calories per serving; a fat-free product can contain up to 0.5 grams of fat per serving; and a low-fat product can contain as much as 3 grams of fat for solid products and 1.5 grams of fat for liquid products.
Helping You Make Healthy Food Decisions
Being able to properly compare food nutrition labels on similar food products is a great way to help any consumer make better healthy food decisions. Using food nutrition labels as a guide can also help consumers lose weight, as well as consume the full daily amount of fibre, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C, which most people do not get enough of.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of food nutrition labels, or if you are interested in one of our solutions or services, please contact FlexiBake at 604-637-6528 or by filling out a contact form on our website.