We love packaged foods, but apparently, they are bad for you. And, you may have heard that even the purportedly healthy options mask their true nature, or include unhealthy components that are hidden in plain sight. So, how do you know if you are being taken for a ride or getting truly healthy products? Here, we break it down for you, telling you how to read a packaged food label, what to look for, and how to find out exactly what you’re getting. We also give you more interesting information so that you can pick out the truly healthy choices from the sea of options.
DECONSTRUCTING THE FOOD LABEL
Yes; it’s on the back of the pack and it’s supposed to give you information about the product, but what does it really tell you? Here’s how to soak in what’s on the nutritional label.
Energy
At the very top of the box or the section about nutrition, is where you’ll find the energy (also sometimes ‘Calories’) that the product gives you. This is how you will know whether a packaged food item is fattening. The higher this value, the more energy it gives you and the more potential it has to be fattening.
Constituent amounts
The next segment tells you how much of the various nutrients are present, sometimes even giving you further break-ups. It may also tell you how much each contributes to your recommended daily allowances, although this is rare in India. Here’s a tip: the constituent at the very top is present in the largest amount. So, if this is fat, you know you should stay away. Also, look for unhealthy components such as saturated fat and trans fat to find out how much of those are present.
Other nutrients
Some packaged food may even tell you how many vitamins and minerals such as calcium and iron are present, and in what quantities. This is especially useful when you need to plan to meet your daily recommended values.
Additional information
Certain packaged foods may even tell you your RDA depending on the average daily calorie intake for men and women, although this is rarely seen in India. To use this information to good effect, you need to judge how much of a particular constituent a serving of the food contains and how much you’re looking to get out of it. This should help you to set limits when you’re eating packaged foods.
DEMYSTIFYING THE INGREDIENTS
Don’t let the long list of ingredients confuse you. Companies use alternative names on things like sodium, fats and sugar. Here’s what you need to know about them.
Sugars
Sugar is a carbohydrate, so even if a product has no sugar, it may contain complex carbohydrates such as maltodextrin and sugar alcohols including mannitol, xlylitol and sorbitol. Look for these listed in the ingredients.
Fats
Since companies can put ‘no trans fat’ on the label if a product contains less than 0.5g of trans fat per serving, check the ingredients for the terms hydrogenated oil, partially hydrogenated oil and saturated fats. Trans fats don’t just increase the shelf life of the product, they also increase the shelf life of fat in your body!
MSG
This recently got a dear noodle brand in a lot of trouble. MSG is a specific sodium salt of glutamic acid and companies have been using other sodium salts of glutamic acid to divert from the issue. Other terms for MSG include yeast extraction, hydrolysed protein (both animal and plant), protein fortified, ultra-pasteurised and fermented or enzyme-fortified.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Khushboo Sahijwani, a nutritionist from the Shenmen Healing Center, Mumbai, decodes the meaning of the numbers that you see on the nutrition facts column on your food labels.
The serving size simply tells how you much quantity you should consume in one sitting.
The amount and percentage of Daily Value give you the amount of nutrients that you get from that particular serving and in what percentage they contribute to your daily requirements.
In the world of numbers, 50-55% of your total energy should come from carbohydrates, 10-15% from proteins and 20-25% from fats. And, in a day, your total fibre intake should be at least 25-30g.
The break-up given on the label must be totally accurate as it is monitored and governed by high standards. However, there is a 5-10% buffer in these values.
So, remember that when a label says it has 4% fat, it means that by consuming a serving of the product, you will fulfill 4% of the 20-25% of fat that you require.
THE SCIENCE OF PRESERVATIVES
Just like us, our food too needs to survive, which is why it requires preservatives to increase its shelf life. The idea behind any type of food preservation is to inhibit, slow down or prevent its decomposition and reduce or stop the growth of bacteria and mould. To simplify things, preservatives can be grouped into three types — antimicrobials that block the growth of bacteria, antioxidants that slow down the oxidation of fats (which otherwise lead to rancidity) and a third kind that fights the enzymes that promote the natural ripening of fresh fruits and vegetables. As far as packaged food goes, the E200 series represents preservatives.
KNOW YOUR PRESERVATIVES
E200-203 — sorbate compounds that are used in wines, cheeses and dried fruit.
E210-213 — benzoic acid and benzoate used as antibacterials and antifungals in jams, jellies, pickled vegetables and condiments.
E220-228 — sulphite compounds that are used to inhibit bacterial growth in potato products, wines and fruit preserves.
E249-252 — nitrite and nitrate compounds used as additives in meat products.
Preservatives and your health
Even though it is impossible to avoid foods that contain preservatives, it is necessary to control your consumption. Here is why you should be laying off that bag of tempting chips that you’ve been craving.
Cancer One of the most serious threats that preservatives carry is that of a risk of cancer. Added preservatives are transformed into carcinogens when they are consumed.
Heart problems Health study reviews have shown that preservatives can weaken your heart. It was found that among rats, those that consumed the highest amounts of preservatives suffered from the most heart damage.
Obesity Binge-eating packaged foods is unhealthy! And, since preservatives make you want to keep eating the wrong types of food, this often leads to obesity.
Stroke Sodium and nitrate that are present in large amounts in processed food are the main components that contribute to high blood pressure, which weakens your blood vessels.
AN EXPIRY ON HEALTH
Expiration dates on food labels can be confusing, even though the Food Safety and Standards Act tries to make it easier for consumers to understand them. We often abide by these dates without giving them a second thought. But, do you really need to toss something in the trash if it is a day beyond the expiry date on the packaging? Here’s what you need to know.
There are several types of expiration dates. The ‘Sell by’ date tells your grocer how long they should keep a product on the shelves. The ‘Use by’ or ‘Best Before’ date tells you when to use the product in order to get the best flavour out of it. This has little to do with food safety, and more to do with how a food tastes. The ‘Expiration date’ is typically meant as a suggestion for the last date that you can safely consume the food item.
Often, these dates are a rough estimate of how a food will taste or look after a particular period of time, and have nothing to do with the nutritional value or safety of this food. Companies use food grades to determine these dates. For example, if a manufacturer rates their bread as a 7/10, they deem a rating of 6.2 to be the lowest that the bread can go before its taste starts to deteriorate. Even if it goes to 6.0, it’s probably good enough for most people, but companies want their product at its best.
MISLEADING FOOD LABELS
Even though a system is in place to tell you about the nutrition you get from packaged foods, companies find ways to circumvent the rules and use clever tactics and gimmicks to keep you confused. A study conducted by the researchers at MS University’s Faculty of Family and Community Sciences (FFCS) identified over 200 food products with improper food labelling that could mislead consumers. While there’s no need to be paranoid, you should be more aware. Here are some of the most common misleading terms and what they actually mean, so you know that you’re eating healthy.
Multi-grain Even a small amount of a second type of grain is license for the manufacturer to use the term. And, there is a big difference between the terms whole grain and multi-grain. We suggest you look for the former. Whole grains have more fibre and nutrients than refined grains.
No added sugar Foods such as milk, fruits and vegetables contain natural sugars and may also contain a carb called maltodextrin, which is known to raise your blood sugar. So, don’t think this means that no sugar is present.
Gluten-free Gluten-free is the new mantra for the health-conscious. Found in wheat and rye, it can be a nuisance to those who suffer from celiac disease. These days, it has become easier to find these products, but unless you have metabolic problems, eating this kind of food won’t help you to lose weight and it may not even be good for you.
Made with real fruit Juices and snacks that claim to be made with 100% real fruit may have hardly any real fruit in them at all. There’s no way to know the quantity of real fruit in a particular packaged product, because companies are not required to disclose the percentage of ingredients such as fruit and whole grain. Be wary of products that taste like they’re made from concentrate, because these may not be very healthy.
Fat-free Products that say no trans fat on the label may contain up to 0.5g per serving. look for the term ‘hydrogenated oils’ on the label, which means that trans fats are present in your food.
Sugar-free A sugar-free label really means that it can have up to 0.5g of sugar per serving. Always compare a sugar-free product with its counterpart while looking for the carbohydrate content. If it contains fewer carbs, then it’s a better choice for you.
Cholesterol-free This doesn’t always mean that the product contains no cholesterol. In fact, for products to be labelled cholesterol-free, they must contain less than 2mg per serving, while for a product to have low-cholesterol labelling, it must contain 20mg or less per serving. Also, remember that cholesterol is made by the liver and so, only products such as meat, eggs, dairy and butter can contain it. If a plant-based product boasts of being cholesterol-free, it serves no added benefit, because vegetable oils wouldn’t contain cholesterol anyway.
Organic When a product label states that it is made from 100% organic ingredients, they are usually referring to one or more organic ingredients. And, most fragrances are synthetic, so if the label includes the words fragrance, you should know it isn’t completely natural.
This should empower you in your packaged food choices. You will know what to look for, how to pick out whether a food is healthy or the claims are misleading, and most importantly, how to get the most out of your packaged food indulgences. Either way, remember that it’s best to restrict consumption to the bare minimum in order to stay healthy.
HOW ARE THE FIGURES ON THE FOOD LABEL DECIDED?
Standards, methodologies and rules for testing and approving foods, and then labelling them accurately, have been set up by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The act provides for a scientific panel to decide the limits of many types of food additives and constituents, including flavouring agents, pesticides, chemicals and biological hazards. The regulations and rules also specify the corresponding labelling required on the package for a variety of constituents.
Each Indian state has its own Food and Drug Administration, which enforces and implements these rules, while the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which is set up according to the Act, is supposed to regulate and monitor the manufacture, processing and distribution of food as well as its import, in order to maintain healthy standards.
ADDED FLAVOURS
What does the term ‘added flavours’ mean? Do they extract the essence of an orange and add it into your food to give you a citrusy hit or is it a chemical that mimics the taste of an orange? In most cases, processing destroys the natural essence present in the food, and packaged foods might be centrifuged, pasteurised, filtered, clarified and co-stabilised in order to retain their flavour. But, there are other ways to put flavour into foods meant to last for months on the shelf. Chemicals that tickle our taste buds in similar ways to natural flavours are used to simulate the original flavour (or fool our brains into believing that we’re eating strawberries, for example). In some cases, these chemicals are naturally found in the foods, but are artificially produced and added to ramp up the flavour. For example, ethyl butyrate is one of many compounds found in orange juice. So, manufacturers add it in to give their drinks a strong orange flavour.
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