Nutrition Labels: Finding Out About The Food You Eat

What can food labels tell you?

Most countries have nutrition labels on packaged foods. Although they may be slightly different from place to place, nutrition labels are designed to:

• help make informed choices for healthy living
• help better manage special diets where nutrition plays an important role
• help judge the nutritional value of more foods
• allow people to compare foods more easily

The following guide is based on the Canadian Food Label.

What’s on the label?

Serving size

All information on the nutrition label is based on a specific amount of food. It is very important to make sure the serving sizes are the same when comparing two similar foods. Here’s an example:

 Which canned soup has more fibre?

a) They have the same amount of fibre.

b) Canned soup A has more fibre.

c) Canned soup B has more fibre.

Answer: Canned Soup A. To compare the two soups correctly, the serving sizes must be the same. If you doubled the serving size of Canned Soup A to 250 mL (to match Canned Soup B), the amount of fibre would also double to 4 grams.

Remember, always compare the serving size to the amount of food you actually eat.

Calories

Nutrition experts agree it is important to focus on overall calorie intake by paying attention to serving sizes rather than trying to cut out fat or carbohydrates. Carbohydrate, protein, and fat are all made up of calories. Consuming too many calories, no matter where they come from, could cause weight gain even if you are eating a low fat or low carbohydrate diet.

Total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat

There are many types of fat and not all are rated equally. Some are considered “healthy” while others are not. The new nutrition label lists only saturated and trans fat because these fats are considered harmful to heart health and have been linked to increasing “bad cholesterol” and the risk of heart disease.

When comparing foods using the nutrition label:

• Choose foods that are lower in total fat.
• Look for foods that contain less than 2 grams of saturated and trans fat combined per serving.
• Choose foods that are “trans fat free” as they are even healthier choices.

Cholesterol and sodium

All foods made from animal products contain cholesterol. Some examples of foods with high levels of cholesterol include shellfish, for example shrimp, egg yolk, and liver. Consuming foods low in cholesterol is positive for your health, however, reducing the total amount of fat, saturated fat, and trans fat in your diet is actually more beneficial to heart health than reducing just cholesterol.

Most Canadians consume more sodium than required in the form of sodium chloride (table salt). Foods like french fries, ready-to-eat dinners, soup, and many snack foods contain large amounts of sodium.  Canada ’s Guidelines to Healthy Eating state that Canadians should limit the amount of sodium in their diet and consume no more than 2400 mg per day (equivalent to 1 teaspoon of table salt). In some people, sodium can increase blood pressure, which may lead to other heart conditions.

When comparing foods using the nutrition label:

• Choose foods with lower amounts of cholesterol and sodium.
• Remember to choose foods low in saturated and trans fat since these fats are more strongly linked to heart disease than cholesterol.

Carbohydrates, fibre, and sugars

Carbohydrates are important to health because they provide energy to the muscles and brain. However, whole grain sources of carbohydrate are more nutritious than refined sources. Whole grains contain more fibre and other vitamins and minerals.

Fibre is important to our health. It relieves constipation, helps manage blood sugars, helps to decrease “bad” cholesterol, may reduce the risk of colon cancer, and helps in weight management. On the other hand, when it comes to sugar, moderation is important. Sugary foods play a role in tooth decay, are often low in nutrients, and do not provide any benefit to our health.

When comparing foods using the nutrition label:

• Choose foods high in fibre (more than 2 grams per serving).
• Choose foods that are lower in sugar.
• Products that contain sweeteners like Aspartame, Sucralose, Saccharin, and sugar alcohols should be used in moderation.

Protein

Protein helps our muscles, organs, and immune system function properly. Most people get enough protein in their diet and do not necessarily have to compare foods using the nutrition label. Instead, choose a variety of protein-rich foods like legumes, milk products, nuts, eggs, soy products, fish, and lean meat or poultry.

Vitamin A and C, iron, and calcium

These four nutrients were chosen for the nutrition label because they all play different roles in maintaining our health.

• Vitamin A assists in the development of healthy eyesight, bones, and skin.
• Vitamin C helps to develop healthy teeth and skin and assists in tissue repair.
• Iron is responsible for helping to carry oxygen to all parts of the body.
• Calcium is very important in keeping our bones and teeth healthy and strong.

When comparing foods using the nutrition label:

• Choose foods higher in vitamin A, C, iron, and calcium.
• Read on to find out how to use percent Daily Value (%DV) to choose foods higher in these nutrients.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential to maintain normal calcium in the bloodstream, and keep healthy calcium levels in bones. However, new evidence suggests that more vitamin D might lead to less bowel and breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. If these connections are real, they will affect many of us.

In the summer, most vitamin D in the human body is made in the skin, in a chemical reaction powered by sunlight’s ultraviolet rays. But with the late fall comes less sunshine and less outdoor time for many Canadians, especially in the North. That makes it even more important to find foods that can give us the nutrients we need, including vitamin D.

The exact recommended daily intake of vitamin D is changing. It also varies from person to person. For example, the Canadian Pediatric Society suggested women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should consider increasing their vitamin D intake to 2,000 international units (IU) a day. The Canadian Cancer Society recommends all adults should take 1,000 IU daily.  Health Canada continues to recommend 200 IU of vitamin D per day for adults 19 to 50 years of age, including pregnant and lactating women.

Percent daily value (% DV)

% DV is a simple way of finding out if a food has a little or a lot of a nutrient. They are based on recommendations for a healthy diet and represent the contribution (from 0 to 100%) the food makes towards the particular nutrient’s recommended intake for Canadians. Depending on your age and gender, you may need less or more than 100% of each of the nutrients listed, however, the %DV is a good benchmark to give you an idea of how much or how little of a nutrient a particular food contains. It is wise to strive for a lower % DV for some nutrients and a higher one for other nutrients.

Here’s an example:

Which fruit cocktail has more vitamin C?

Answer: Fruit Cocktail B has more vitamin C because its % DV is higher. If you consume fruit cocktail B, you will be getting 20% of your recommended intake of vitamin C for the day.

Some nutrients on the food label do not have a % DV:

• Sugars: Since there are no general recommendations for how much or how little sugar is acceptable to consume, there is no % DV for sugar. But remember, moderation is key.
• Protein: The amount of protein Canadians consume is generally enough, so there is no % DV.
• Cholesterol: Providing a % DV for cholesterol is optional on nutrition labels. Lowering the saturated and trans fat in your diet will automatically lower the amount of cholesterol as well.

Health claims

For the first time, Health Canada has allowed diet-related health claims based on scientific evidence to be placed on food products that meet certain requirements. Choosing foods with these diet-related health claims can help influence your food choices and in turn potentially lower the risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. This is where you'll find some nutrients not mentioned above, such as vitamin D. But remember, your overall eating habits are important in helping to maintain health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Allowed diet-related health claims:

• A healthy diet low in sodium and high in potassium — may reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
• A healthy diet adequate in calcium and vitamin D — may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. This connection is very well established, compared to more recent claims related to lower risk of cancer, diabetes, or multiple sclerosis.

• A healthy diet low in saturated and trans fat — may reduce the risk of heart disease.
• A healthy diet rich in vegetables and fruit — may reduce the risk of some types of cancer.

Key points

• Food labels are reliable sources of nutrition information that will help Canadians make informed choices for healthy living.
• All information on the nutrition label is based on a specific amount of food called the serving size. When you compare products, ensure that the serving sizes are the same.
• When comparing foods, choose foods with lower amounts of total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Consume sugar in moderation.
• Percent daily values (% DV) are a simple way of finding out if a food has a little or a lot of a nutrient. Strive for lower % DVs for total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium. Strive for higher % DVs for fibre, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium.
• Health claims can help influence your food choices and in turn potentially lower the risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases.