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Family Health Magazine
DIABETES

Nutrition Food Labels
What's in it for you?

Grocery shopping is an important part of taking good care of your diabetes. The foods you buy become the snacks and meals that affect your blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, choosing certain foods can help you. However, shopping for food isn’t always easy. You face hundreds of decisions each time you enter a grocery store. What foods should you buy? What makes one product different from another?

Information on food labels can help you make wise choices. You are probably familiar with the ingredient list. Ingredients are printed on the back, bottom or side panel of a packaged food, listing each ingredient in that product. The ingredient listed first is present in the largest amount. The last ingredient listed is present in the smallest amount. Some food packages list additional nutrition information but until 2002, listing details on the calories, carbohydrate, protein and fat in a food was not required in Canada.

What has led to the changes in food labeling?

In 1983 Health Canada began a review of food labelling. The review concluded that labels needed a more consistent appearance, and had to be easier to read, easier to find on food packages while providing more up-to-date information about health. The North American Free Trade Agreement also influenced the change to a new labelling system. To export packaged foods, Canadian manufacturers had to have standard nutrition labelling information.

The 'nutrition facts' box - where is it?

The Nutrition Facts label is printed on most packaged foods in your grocery store. The label is not printed on:

• fresh fruits and vegetables.
• raw, single ingredient meats and seafood.
• drinks with more than 0.5 per cent alcohol.
• foods with zero amounts of all 13 key nutrients (including calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fat). Some examples of these foods are coffee, tea or spices.
• foods that are sold as individual portions intended to be eaten immediately, such as salads in the deli section.

Look for the title 'Nutrition Facts.' Directly underneath the title, you will find a stated serving size of food with the related nutrition information.

Calories listed refer to those found in a serving size.
What’s the benefit? You are able to easily compare the calories between two products.

Fat is listed in a total gram amount for a serving of the food. Of this total, some of the fat is saturated and trans fat. These fats raise the cholesterol levels in your blood. Try to eat foods that contain smaller amounts of these fats.
Quick tip: Every five grams of fat is the same amount of fat that you would get in a teaspoon of butter or margarine.

Cholesterol is a type of fat that raises cholesterol levels in the blood. It is found in foods of animal origin. The amount of cholesterol is listed in milligrams.
What’s the benefit? If you are on a low cholesterol diet prescribed by your doctor, aim to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.

Sodium Chloride is table salt. Foods that contain a larger amount of sodium may raise blood pressure in some people.
Quick tip: Sodium on the food label is listed in milligrams. One teaspoon of salt contains 2000 mg of sodium. You may find larger amounts of sodium in soups, gravy mixes, and some sauces. If you see a larger amount of sodium listed for a food, avoid adding salt to other foods eaten at the same meal.

Carbohydrate containing foods are your body’s best source of energy and they also have the most effect on your blood sugar levels. The Nutrition Facts label lists the total amount of carbohydrate in one serving of a food, and its fibre and sugar content.
What’s the benefit? Eating foods that are higher in fibre can help you to feel full.

Don’t be surprised to see sugar listed on many food labels. Eating sugar does not cause diabetes. Blood sugar testing can tell you how well your body handles the amount of carbohydrates in foods.

Protein is a building block of many foods that we eat. Protein foods have less effect on blood sugar levels.

The Nutrition Facts also contains information about vitamins A and C, calcium and iron, listing the percentages of these nutrients in a food.

Health Claims

Companies are allowed to make five claims. These are designed to provide basic information on how particular foods may reduce your risk of health problems. This information may make it easier for you to choose foods to buy if you have special health concerns. The five basic claims indicate the positive, or negative, links between:

• sodium, potassium and high blood pressure
• calcium, vitamin D, regular exercise and osteoporosis
• saturated fat, trans fat and heart disease
• fruits, vegetables and some types of cancer
• sugar alcohols (such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol) and dental cavities.

For instance, you may find the following claim on a food package: “A healthy diet low in saturated fats and trans fat may reduce the risk of heart disease. (This food) is free of saturated and trans fat.”
What’s the benefit? This claim would help you to quickly recognize a food lower in the types of fats that raise blood cholesterol levels.

Claims are very specific. Only certain foods meeting special standards are allowed to include these food claims on their labels.

Although we must always be careful shoppers, Canada’s Nutrition Facts food labels are easy to find and read. The information they provide can help you to make healthy food choices.