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In today’s fast-paced modern era, the lifestyle of all of us has changed so much that from kitchen to office desk, packaged and processed foods have made a deep place in our lives. Seeing attractive advertisements and attractive claims like ‘pure’, ‘healthy’, ‘natural’ and ‘zero sugar’ written on the packets of ready-to-eat snacks, instant noodles, fruit juices, biscuits and energy drinks available in the market, we often buy them without thinking and serve them to our families. But have you ever tried to know what is actually included in the goods that you are buying with great enthusiasm? The food label printed in small print on the back of the packet is not just a formality but the biggest secret of your health. Famous nutritionist Asmita says that if we learn to read food labels properly by taking just five minutes before shopping, then many serious diseases and obesity can be easily avoided. Let us know in detail what is the correct way to decode food labels and what things are most important to keep in mind.
Whenever we buy any packaged food item from a supermarket or a grocery store, there is a nutrition facts table and a list of ingredients on the back of it. This is called food label. By law, it is mandatory for every food manufacturing company to provide complete information to the customers about the ingredients used in their products. However, companies hide this information in such a way or write it in very small font that the common man does not easily notice it. Nutritionist Asmita says that people often believe in advertisements like ‘pure butter’ or ‘low calorie’ written on the front packaging, whereas the real truth is hidden in the label written on the back. Due to not having the habit of reading labels, knowingly or unknowingly we are consuming excessive amounts of sodium, refined sugar, refined flour and unhealthy fat i.e. trans fat in the body, which gradually weakens our metabolism and invites problems like diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.
Reading food labels should always start with the ingredients list. This is the actual horoscope of any packaged food item. According to nutritionist Asmita, as per the rules, the ingredients on the packet are always mentioned in descending order. This simply means that the ingredient whose name is written first in the list will have the highest quantity of that ingredient in that product and the ingredient whose name is listed last will have the least quantity. For example, if you are buying ‘Healthy Whole Wheat Bread’ or ‘Multigrain Cookies’ and its ingredients say ‘Refined Flour’ or ‘Sugar’ as its first ingredient, then understand that the product is not as healthy as is being claimed in the advertisement. Therefore, while shopping, always see that the main ingredients should be the same in the name of which the product is being sold, like in packets containing oats, the percentage of oats should be at the top.
Most of the packaged foods available in the market contain large amounts of sugar and salt (sodium) to enhance taste and extend their shelf life. The surprising thing is that companies hide sugar under many different and complex names instead of writing ‘sugar’ directly to confuse customers. Nutritionist Asmita explains that fructose syrup, corn syrup, maltose, sucrose, dextrose, cane sugar and invert sugar are actually different forms of sugar which rapidly increase fat and sugar levels in the body. Similarly, packaged soups, chips and sauces contain very high sodium content which can prove fatal for blood pressure patients. Apart from this, ‘Hydrogenated Oil’ or ‘Vegetable Fat’ written on the packet directly means trans fat, which is considered extremely harmful for our heart health. Therefore, it is extremely important to identify these hidden ingredients on the label.
The biggest mistake people make in misreading food labels is ignoring the ‘serving size’. When we buy a big packet of snacks, chips or juice, we consider the amount of calories and sugar written on it as that of the entire packet, whereas that data is often per serving i.e. the fixed amount of eating or drinking once. For example, if a packet of chips says that one serving has 150 calories, and there are four such servings in the entire packet, then by finishing the entire packet, you are consuming 600 calories all together. Nutritionist Asmita advises to always look at the serving size carefully and calculate how much of the product you are eating at one time. Only by understanding this mathematics of calories and carbohydrates, you can control your weight and avoid unnecessary weight gain.
In the end, the message of nutritionist Asmita is that every consumer will have to be aware of his own health. Instead of getting misled by any advertisement, make a habit of reading the small print written on the back of the packet using your glasses or your phone’s torch. Try to include fresh fruits, vegetables, pulses and homemade satvik food in your diet instead of processed and packaged foods. Even if you are forced to buy any packaged food, do check the ingredients, sugar and trans fat written on its label. When you choose the right things thoughtfully, not only will your body remain healthy but you will also be protected from many serious health problems.