Importance of Food Labels

Food labels found at the back of the package can give you useful information to help guide your food preferences. What do you need to check in food labels? What kind of information do you get in food labels? In food labels you will find that ingredients are always listed in decreasing order of weight.
Generally, labels give information based on values per 100g and per serving.

Here is a list of facts found in food labels.

1. Energy - expressed in kilojoules (Kj) and kilocalories (Kcal). This information is helpfuil if your are monitoring your calorie intake especially when you are to lose weight. Generally, opt for low-calorie products.
2. Protein - is unlikely to cause any large fluctuations in your blood glucose level.
3. Carbohydrates - the total amount of carbohydrates is given. It gives information on how much of it is made of sugar (i.e. 2.0 g or less of sugar per 100 g is low) . This can help you to determine the effect of that food on your blood sugar level.
4. Fat - choosing items with a lower fat content (3.0 g or less per 100 g serving is low) will help you to lose weight. Foods with higher proportion of mono- or polyunsaturated than saturated fats are more healthful.
5. Fibre - choosing foods with a higher fiber content will help you keep healthy.
6. Sodium - this tells you the amount of salt per serving. Limiting your salt intake will be beneficial to your blood pressure.