Many of you buy packaged food products without reading the contents of the food labels. One should be aware of the fact that food labels give critical information about packaged food items says, Avni Kaul. If read correctly, one can even determine the quality of food products that could have been packed several days, or months before.
In the event of significant depletion in the quality of packaged food products, food standard authorities of various countries have proposed several strict measures regarding the contents printed on food labels. According to the guidelines of several food standard authorities like FDA, FSSAI, ample information regarding the food products should be written in a clear and precise way on food labels. Also, these bodies ask consumers to read and understand labels before purchasing any packaged food item.
The blog by Nutritionist Avni Kaul talks about the importance of checking food labels and how they help you to understand packaged food product better.
Let us take a quick view of food labels to help buyers understand about:
Ingredients
Reading the ingredient list makes you understand the amount of saturated fat, added salt or added sugars being used in producing the food item. One can easily refrain from buying a product if you find any ingredient that might be a potential danger to your health.
Serving Size
Food labels have information regarding the number or quantity of servings in the food package. The number of certain nutrients and calories per serving is mentioned too.
% Of daily value
Consumers can understand the percentage of nutrients in each serving by going through the % of the daily value. In case you wish to consume fewer nutrients, you can opt for a food product with less % of the daily value. Similarly, if you wish to consume food items which have more nutrients, you can opt for the one with a higher % of the daily value. Please note that several brands in India these days mention the daily value % on the packages.
Calories and Nutrients
Food labels give information on the kind of nutrients and the amounts of calories used while producing the food item. Read the nutrients list properly, and identify the nutrients that are not meeting your health needs. Having higher amounts of fat, saturated fat, trans fat, or sodium might lead to certain health problems. Also make sure that the packaged item has enough nutrients like dietary fiber, vitamin A, C, calcium, and iron for your consumption.
As stated above, food labels give valuable information regarding the product, which could be packaged for several days or months. Reading these labels helps you make a healthier food choice while preventing confusion in terms of nutrition.
**This article has been written by team Nutri Activania**
Avni Kaul is Founder of Nutriactivania with Masters Degree in Food and Nutrition from University of Delhi and is also a Certified Diabetes Educator from Project Hope and International Diabetes Federation. She is a Leicester Mammas Ambassador trained in Lactation Counselling with NHS United Kingdom. Mammas support pregnant and new mothers and their families. Specializations of Avni Kaul Include Infant and Young Child Feeding Practises, Pre and Post natal diets, Fat loss, Muscle Gain and Holistic Health and Nutrition