Contents
This explains why you shouldn’t look at the calories on the food label.
Under Scrutiny
The order of the ingredients, their degree of processing and the amounts of sugar and salt are some of the basic notions to make a healthy purchase
“What was missing! If I have to read each label, I’m going to stay in the supermarket forever »… Yes, this phrase also sounds to us because we have also heard (and said) it at some time. And we understand you. It is true that to make a healthy shopping you have to dedicate some time and patience when choosing the products. But it is also true that it is not that expensive, nor does it take that long. Let’s say that, as with almost everything, it’s a matter of practice. Also, once you do it for a couple of weeks you will see that it soon becomes a simple task.
By way of initiation, we echo the basic notions pointed out by the ElCoCo team of nutritionists, an app that offers nutritional information on products, based on the premise that «the less processing, the healthier», That is to say, that a fruit or a vegetable will always be better than any derivative or preparation that is made with them. And the same happens with meat and fish.
But in addition to the degree of processing, they advise checking if the product is balanced from a nutritional point of view. As a general rule they indicate that the more protein and more fiber, the better; and that the less sugar and salt, the better. In the case of fats, they point out that assessing it involves a bit more complexity since not all are the same or have the same effect.
The order of the ingredients
The first to appear on the list will be the majority ingredient and the order is descending. That is why it is so important to look at the place it occupies in the list that appears on the label and check if the ingredients correspond to its name. In this way, as they explain, you can find cases such as a turkey breast with just 65% turkey or a pineapple yogurt, with only 1% of that fruit; or a packaged juice, which only contains 10% fruit juice.
How do I know if it has a lot of sugar, and salt?
The only “healthy” sugar is the one that is not added, as explained in ElCoCo. Thus, if this word appears in the list of ingredients, we are going wrong. But in addition, sugar has many faces and can appear with names like fructose, syrups, miel, dextrose, maltose, saccharose (in general the words ending in “-osa”).
The daily amount of sugar recommended by the WHO is 5% of the daily caloric intake, that is to say about 25 grams approximately. But a 330 ml can of soda, for example, already contains 35 grams of sugar. Some yogurts, packaged juices and even seemingly salty products such as fried tomato, some cold cuts or sliced bread also tend to have high levels.
Regarding salt, WHO recommends reduce salt intake to 5 grams a day, at most, so it is advisable to monitor the salt that we add to food when cooking, but also that contained in the products that we buy in the supermarket.
Does this have too much fat?
According to official recommendations, in a balanced diet the intake of calories from fat (fatty acids or lipids) should not exceed 30% of the total calories in the diet.
When faced with a label in a supermarket, it is important to know what type of fat it contains (saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated). «If it contains monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat It is a good sign, since this type of fat (predominant in foods such as olive oil, nuts, seeds or oily fish) has proven to be beneficial for our health “, they explain in ElCoCo.
What if a label says that the product is 0% fat? In this sense, experts advise taking into account that sugar is sometimes added to compensate for the lack of fat and the flavor or palatability that it contributes to the products. In the case of yogurt, for example, a natural one (without sugar) will always be better than 0% fat.
Are calories a guide?
The important thing here, as revealed in ElCoCo is that the calories we consume are of good quality and not “empty” or of no use to the body. It is best not to obsess over calories as some foods labeled “light” can provide a lower amount of kcal per 1000 grams of product than other healthier products such as nuts or even an apple. But that does not mean that they are better for your health. “If the topic of calories is confusing, apply common sense and ask yourself: is it better for your health to get 100 calories from soda or 100 calories from vegetables? The answer is clear ”, they comment.