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02/13/2017
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Keeping an eye on the list of ingredients, the portion indicated and the "critical" nutrients are some important steps
Published 09/02/2017
If you care about maintaining a healthy diet, you already know that you have to make good choices in the supermarket. And when it comes to deciding what goes into your cart, the food label is an important ally: it brings precious information about the composition of the product that should not go unnoticed.
However, not everyone understands the information described on the packaging very well. To help solve this problem, Idec lists the following 6 tips for the consumer to "decrypt" the label. Check it:
1. Read the list of ingredients
The list of ingredients says a lot about food. It is organized in descending order, that is, the first item is the one that is present in greater quantity and the last one is smaller. So, avoid those that contain sugar or sodium among the top ingredients on the list.
Another tip is to avoid products with complicated name ingredients, which you do not know the meaning of - they are usually substances extracted from food (glucose syrup, maltodextrin, protein isolates) or additives (like dyes, preservatives etc.) and there are The food being ultraprocessed.
2. Check the portions in the nutritional chart
The amount of nutrients indicated in the nutritional table refers to a particular portion of the product, and most of the times it does not correspond to the total contents of the package.
The portion may refer to only one tablespoon, one cup or a few units of the food.
Also be aware when comparing different brands of the same product, as they can adopt varied portions.
3. Check the Percent Daily Values (% DV)
The Daily Value, or% DV, refers to how much the content of the nutrients present in the portion represents, in percentage, the maximum amount recommended by the Ministry of Health for ingestion per day.
For example, if the "sodium" item appears 20% in the% DV indication, it means that the product portion contains 20% of the amount of sodium recommended for consumption in a whole day.
But care is needed because% DV is calculated based on a diet recommended for healthy adults. For children, for example, the daily intake limit of each nutrient is much lower, but even products with children's appeal usually use the same reference for% DV.
Pay special attention to% DV of calories, saturated fat and sodium. For these items, the higher the% DV, the less healthy the food will be. In the case of fibers, whose consumption is desirable, the opposite is true.
Be aware: when the% DV has an asterisk (*), which indicates that there is no reference quantity for that nutrient, it does not mean that the amount present in the product is insignificant. This only means that the Ministry of Health has not set a daily limit for the consumption of these nutrients and therefore it is not possible to calculate the recommended value. This occurs with trans fat, for example.
4. Fibers, Minerals and Vitamins: Be Critical
These three nutrients are very important for healthy eating. However, it is important to be critical: a food that has vitamins added, but many calories and fats, for example, is not among the healthiest.
Do not be fooled by the phrases on the packaging (they are there to draw attention to what matters to the industry), note the overall composition of the product.
5. Keep an eye on the type of fat
Fats can be divided into: total, saturated and trans. The first name refers to the sum of all types of fats present in the food. Saturated fats deserve attention because too much can increase the risk of heart disease.
Trans fat should be avoided to the maximum, as the human body does not need it for any function. It only brings losses. This type of fat is usually present in ultraprocessed foods like margarine, biscuits, ice cream, and saltine.
However, more attention is needed because not always a product whose nutritional table indicates having zero trans fat does not really have this nutrient.
The legislation allows them to be declared as zero content if there is up to 0.2 g of trans fat per serving. To find out if there is or not, you need to check the list of ingredients. If you have hydrogenated vegetable fats, for example, you certainly have trans fat.
6. Check the expiration date
The expiry date shall indicate the day and month of expiration when it is less than three months from the date of manufacture. If it is higher, it can be informed only the month and year of validity.
The origin of the product is another important information. With it, it is possible to verify where it was manufactured and, in this way, to value the local production.
The origin of the product is another important information. With it, it is possible to verify where it was manufactured and, in this way, to value the local production.
In addition, the label shall state the batch number used by the industry to control production. You do not have to pay attention to it at the time of purchase, but if there is a problem, the product can be analyzed or collected through this information.
Source: Idec
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This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.