Understanding food packaging labels

Some components that must be looked at include sugar, protein, trans fat and total fat. However, what is also important to understand is that products that say they have no fat, really mean that the content is below the minimum requirement for disclosure.

First, look at the size of a single serving and how many servings the package has. This could also save money if one product will give you more bang for your buck with smaller servings that contain more of the recommended daily allowances.

Work out how many nutrients you are getting per serving and then consider how many servings of that product you usually take in. This sounds daunting but can be easily worked out with a measuring jug and a calculator.

Then, chat with your health professional to determine how much of each nutrient you should be taking in every day. This will help you to eliminate food that is doing you more harm than good.

Reading labels is especially important for people with heart issues, high cholesterol or diabetes and the more you read, the easier it becomes. Generally, recommendations readily available indicate that total fat should be limited to between 56 to 78 grams a day, which includes no more than 16 grams of saturated fat, under two grams of trans fat and less than three mg of cholesterol for a 2000 calorie diet.

Good nutrients include fibre, calcium, and vitamins, so make sure you take in all of what you need every day. Limit sodium (salt), sugar and fat intake as much as possible and compare labels of similar products to do so.

In addition, just because a label does not list an ingredient, it does not mean it is not present in another form. For example, a label on the front may say the product has no added MSG, but all that means is that none has been added, while some may have been in the raw ingredients to start with.

Do not take at face value what you see on a label. Delve a bit deeper in order to understand exactly what you are eating. The SureMark is the easiest way to see that the product is honest in its claims.