With last month’s article, we learned about food preservation and food processing. Its initial aim was to provide healthy, safe food, all year round, at a cost that was affordable for most people. However, we also learned that food processing methods have their drawbacks, including a negative effect on our health.  At the end of last month’s article, several questions were posed: How can we live in a world that provides us with food that contributes to a more comfortable life, without compromising our health? Do we need to consume processed foods? And, when necessary, how do we choose the processed foods that are least likely to damage our health? We will answer these questions in the next two articles.

After food processing took flight, what happened over the years? No longer was food processing just for preserving food, but it started to become its own industry, producing many products that became household items after a time.

LABELLING OF PROCESSED FOODS

To ensure that consumers knew what they were getting in their food, countries passed legislation ensuring that any processed food needed to be labeled. This article will use the legislation for the labelling of food products in Canada as an example. Many countries have similar regulations on processed foods.

Nutrition labels on food are necessary because manufacturers began combining ingredients to produce ready-prepared meals for convenience and ease of preparation. We no longer make the food ourselves, so how do we know what the food contains?

The purpose of food labelling is twofold. Labelling promotes a product and it communicates information about a product from the seller to the buyer. It is one of the primary means by which consumers differentiate between individual foods and brands to make informed purchasing choices. Labelling includes basic product information, health, safety, and nutrition information, and it acts as a vehicle for food marketing, promotion and advertising.

Health Canada is responsible for establishing standards for the safety and nutritional quality of all foods sold in Canada. Their mandate is enforced by the Food and Drugs Act (FDA), to protect Canadians from health hazards and fraud in the sale of foods, drugs, cosmetics, etc. This Act prohibits the labelling, packaging, selling or advertising of any food in a manner that is false, misleading, or deceptive to consumers or is likely to create an erroneous message regarding the character, value, quantity, composition, merit or safety of the product. It prohibits health claims that might suggest that the food is a treatment, preventative, or a cure for specified diseases or health conditions unless it is provided for in the regulations.

The Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) regulate food products to help protect the health and safety of Canadians, and is enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. This regulation determines which foods must be labeled and what must be included on a food’s nutrition label. In Canada the labelling of all packaged foods include: requirements for the ingredient list, nutrition labelling, durable life dates, nutrient content claims, health claims and foods for special dietary use, for example, Kosher foods, gluten-free, vegan. This labelling must be on all food products whether the products are made in Canada or imported from other countries. On January 1, 2003, regulations made nutrition labelling mandatory on most food labels, and updated requirements for nutrient content claims.

Learning how to read and interpret the labels on processed foods allows us to be informed about the nutritional content of the food we are eating.

NUTRITION FACTS TABLE

The Nutrition Facts Table is mandatory on most packaged products with very few exceptions. It provides information on, serving size, calories per serving, and a list of the content for the 13 core nutrients: fat, saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fibre, sugar, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Companies can also voluntarily provide information on other nutrients, such as folate, potassium, riboflavin, and other vitamins and minerals. The Nutrition Facts Table also provides the percentage daily value of each nutrient, which helps determine if the food product contains a little or a lot of a certain nutrient.

A simplified version of the Nutrition Facts Table may be used if the product does not contain certain nutrients. Consumers can use this information to determine a food’s nutritional value and compare it to other products to make healthy food choices.

The Nutrition Facts Table must be displayed on a blank surface where information can easily be seen and read by consumers. Due to its strict size requirements it is commonly found on the back or side of a food product.

NUTRITION FACTS TABLE CONTENTS:

SERVING SIZE/CALORIES PER SERVING SIZE

The serving size is at the top of the Nutrition Facts Table for a reason: The nutritional information on the rest of the label applies to one serving. The FDA sets serving sizes for all foods―they are measurements, not recommendations.

Total calories are calculated per serving, as are total calories per serving from fat. Be sure to look at the servings per container. A bag of potato chips might say it has 150 calories per serving, but the entire bag might be three servings, or 450 calories. Limit the amount of calories from fat to those products that are less than 30% of the total amount of calories.

Therefore, when you look at the Nutrition Facts Table, take a special note of the amount of the product contained in the serving size. Some packages contain multiple servings. When you compare one product with another, sometimes one looks healthier than another because of a smaller serving size. Some manufacturers use small serving sizes so that the nutrition label does not look so bad if it contains a lot of negative items. Small serving sizes also reduce the total calorie count.  For example, in a bag of Tostitos chips, there are multiple servings and you can consume more calories than you intended when you do not pay attention. Often a serving size may be as little as nine chips.

PERCENTAGE DAILY VALUE (%DV)

The percentage daily value (%DV) is determined by health regulatory bodies as to what are the recommended values of each nutrient that we should be obtaining from our diet on a daily basis. The %DV is based on the highest daily recommended intake of any nutrient. This is calculated for a moderately active woman, or a fairly sedentary man, who eats 2,000 calories a day. (Highly active women, moderately active men, and growing teen boys may need closer to 2,500 calories a day.) In general, they apply to most people ages two and over, but do not include extra nutrients for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.

Values for all nutrients except for cholesterol, sugars, and protein are required to be listed. Protein does not have a %DV since the assumption is that most Canadians get enough in their diet.  Sugar and cholesterol do not have a %DV since the regulations have no recommended amounts for a healthy population; however, health experts do have suggested daily limits based on the negative health effects of consuming too much cholesterol and sugar.

The %DV indicates if there is a little or a lot of a specific nutrient in the food. A daily value of 5% or less is considered low in that nutrient; a daily value of 20% or more indicates that the nutrient content is high.

The %DV must be listed for the following nutrients: fats, including saturated and trans fat, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Use the percentage daily values to choose products that are higher in the nutrients you want more of, and lower in the nutrients you want less of. Some nutrients that you may want less of are: total fat, cholesterol, saturated and trans fats, sugar, and sodium. You will want more of dietary fibre, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron.

FATS

Some fats are healthy, and even necessary for brain, heart, and joint health. They also help in the prevention of cancer, depression, dementia and memory loss. Polyunsaturated fats, especially Omega-3, and monounsaturated fats are healthy fats.

Trans fats, also called partially hydrogenated fats, are mainly a manufactured fat. Trans fats were developed to solidify fats that were typically liquid at room temperature and to prevent food from spoiling. All trans fats are very unhealthy and can contribute to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and diabetes. Since the time when the amount of trans fats in food had to be listed on a separate line in the Nutrition Facts Table from other fats, to identify the amount of trans fats contained in the product, the amount of trans fats in foods has greatly dropped. This is an indication of what proper labelling can do to force food manufactures to improve the safety of our food products. Now many countries have banned completely or strictly limited the amount of trans fats in processed food. The United States passed legislation in 2015 which stipulates that all trans fats be removed from food within three years.

Saturated fat, another unhealthy fat, is also listed on a separate line from other fats. In food products, saturated fats mainly come from animal sources. Coconut oil and palm kernel oil are two plant-based saturated fats. Although they are from natural sources, consuming too much can be unhealthy. Saturated fats are known to raise cholesterol levels in the body, which is implicated in heart attacks and strokes. Diets high in saturated fats also lead to several types of cancers, including colon, breast, and ovarian cancer.

CHOLESTEROL

Cholesterol is a fat-like chemical that is an essential component of cell membranes, a covering for nerve-cell fibres, and a building block of hormones. Only animal products contain cholesterol. Adults are advised to limit their daily intake to 300 milligrams. Too much can elevate your blood cholesterol levels, raising your heart-disease risk. A certain amount of cholesterol is necessary for health, but we do not need to obtain it from our food. Our body produces cholesterol in adequate amounts for our needs.

SODIUM

The recommended daily limit for an average adult is 2,300 milligrams; too much sodium can cause high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. By law, a food is low in sodium if it contains no more than 140 milligrams. A single serving of soup or a frozen dinner may contain 1,000 milligrams or more of sodium, which is nearly half the current daily limit.

As salt is necessary for proper cell function, there is an established amount of sodium intake required that is referred to as the Adequate Intake (AI). Recently, health experts have recommended a lower recommended daily limit for sodium, as the current AI (2,300 mg) is the same as the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL). It is easy to go over the limit and ingest too much sodium when the Adequate Intake and Tolerable Upper Level Intake are the same value. The current Recommended Daily Value (RDV) for salt is too high. A sodium intake above 2,300 mg per day is likely to pose health risks

More recent guidelines state that people over the age of one year should ingest between 1,000-1,500 mg sodium per day. Look for products that promote “low salt” or %RDV less than 10%.

TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES

This large category includes everything from whole grains (healthy carbohydrates) to sugar and other refined (highly processed) carbohydrates (unhealthy ones). Fibre is also included in this category. It is more helpful to look at the sugar and fibre numbers to determine how healthy a product is.

DIETARY FIBRE

Dietary fibre comes from plant foods. There are two types: soluble and insoluble fibre. Most fibre containing foods have a mix of both.

The average adult should eat between 21 and 35 grams of fibre daily, but most do not reach that level. When buying bread or cereal, look for a brand with 3 grams or more fibre per serving. Some labels describe whether the fibre is soluble or insoluble. Both are important. Soluble fibre, found in oatmeal, barley, peas, and dried beans, can help lower cholesterol levels, control blood sugar, and slow down the digestion of food, which helps with appetite and weight control. Insoluble fiber, found in whole grains and fruit and vegetable skins, promotes regularity, and protects against bowel disorders and may help digestion.

SUGARS

Sugars are simple carbohydrates which include glucose, dextrose, fructose, and galactose. Many foods contain these sugars naturally. Unfortunately, nutrition tables do not require that a distinction be made between naturally occurring sugars (like sugar in fruit) and added sugars such as evaporated cane juice, brown rice syrup, honey, fruit juice concentrate, agave nectar, and high-fructose corn syrup.

In 1957 Dr. William Coda Martin defined a poison as, “Any substance applied to the body, ingested or developed within the body, which causes or may cause disease.” Dr. Martin classified refined sugars as poison because during the refinement process, naturally occurring sugars are depleted of all that makes it useful to the body, including vitamins and minerals. What is left consists of pure, refined sugars, which adds calories without providing nutrients. The body cannot utilize these sugars effectively because of the depleted proteins, vitamins and minerals. Typically nature supplies these elements in each plant in quantities sufficient for proper metabolism of the sugar in that particular plant.

Refined or processed sugars cause liver disease, insulin resistance, diabetes, cavities in teeth, cancer, obesity, addiction, and heart disease. Health proponents now push for people to avoid all processed sugars, which have been proven to be significantly more harmful than previously thought.

Sugar shows up in surprising places, like crackers, “healthy” cereals, and salad dressings. It is often added to foods that need a flavour boost (like low-fat products). Many low-fat products are high in sugar.

American Heart Association recommendation:

Women—maximum 6 tsp. of added sugar per day

Men—maximum 9 tsp. of added sugar per day.

Most children and adolescent girls—less than 5 tsp. of sugar per day

Adolescent boys—less than 9 tsp. of added sugar per day.

1 TEASPOON=4 G OF SUGAR

PROTEIN

In general, a person should have .45 grams of protein daily per pound of body weight (that’s 68 grams for a 150-pound person) or .8 grams per kilogram.  These are adequate amounts of protein, even if you are breast-feeding or physically active. Many meat eaters consume higher than needed amounts of protein, which can cause kidney disease, kidney stones, osteoporosis, and some cancers. On average, Americans and Western Europeans consume between one-and-a-half and two times the daily recommended intake established by the World Health Organization. Vegetarians can obtain protein from many plant sources.

VITAMINS A & C, CALCIUM, IRON

These vitamins and minerals are very important for your health and the more in the food, the better. They play many different roles in the body. Look for a %DV of at least 15% in each of these. Vitamin A keeps skin healthy; helps with night vision and is part of normal bone growth. Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron, helps heal wounds, and acts as an antioxidant. Calcium is a mineral that forms the structure of your bones and teeth and helps muscles work. Iron helps produce red blood cells and transports oxygen throughout the body.

The Nutrition Facts Table is the first component to use when deciding on the nutritional content of a food product. A healthy food product is one that is high in the desired components and low in the undesirable components. Using processed foods wisely is taking into account the balance and mix of nutrients outlined.

The remaining components on a processed food product label which helps determine whether it is healthy or not, will be discussed in the October 2015 article, Using Processed Foods Wisely, PART 2.