Ryerson Health Services - Nutrition Labeling

On October 19, 2000, Health Canada announced a new policy on nutrition labeling. With some exceptions, Nutrition Facts will be mandatory on all prepackaged food! New labels will be consistent, easier to find and provide more complete nutrition information.

If the new nutritional labeling hasn't quite made it to your favourite packaged food, you can always look at the ingredient list for hints at what is in the product. Ingredients are always listed in descending order by weight on the package!

Adapted from The Heart Smart Shopper: Nutrition on the Run by Ramona Josephson, RDN, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 1997.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada has recently released a new symbol that will be placed on products that they have deemed to be healthy! This will help you make food choices quickly and easily! Check out the details at www.healthcheck.org.

By knowing what's in a food we will be able to make informed choices about the foods we are eating! Upon first glance, nutrition labels can be intimidating and confusing. However, after familiarizing yourself with the Nutrition Facts label, you will be able to compare similar food products for nutritional quality and become a master reader of these labels! Here are some tips to help you get started!

The nutrition information provided on a label is given for a typical serving size of the product. It is important to note the serving size so that you can compare it to the amount of the food that you usually eat within one sitting. This will then allow you to make adjustments depending on whether you consume more or less of the food product in question.

This is the actual number of calories stated per serving of the food. A calorie is a way of measuring the amount of energy provided by a certain food. Everyone's caloric needs are unique, varying by gender, age, body size and activity level.

Fat is a source of energy, providing the body with 9 calories per gram. Contrary to its negative reputation, fat does play many important roles within the body. It is responsible for warmth and protection of the body, and is also necessary for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins. Fat also makes our food more flavourful!
Although fat is important in our diet, most of us reach our recommended amounts quite easily and instead need to work on decreasing our total consumption of fat.

Key sources of this type of fat, which is solid at room temperature, are meat and tropical oils. It is best to restrict the amount of saturated fat in your diet to approximately 10 percent of total caloric intake (Health Canada). A high intake of saturated fat has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Through a process called hydrogenation, vegetable oils are converted from liquid state to solid state, and are then called trans fats. Trans fats have also been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, therefore it is recommended to limit your intake of this type of fat (Heart and Stroke Foundation).

Cholesterol can be a very confusing topic for some people. Hopefully this will clear up some of your queries! Dietary cholesterol is found in animal sources of food. A common false belief is that the cholesterol in foods is responsible for raising blood cholesterol levels. Dietary intake does contribute somewhat to blood cholesterol levels, however total fat intake, especially of saturated and trans fatty acids are primarily responsible for this action (Heart and Stroke Foundation).

Sodium intake contributes to the body's fluid balance. In general, North Americans consume more sodium than is required for the body's normal functioning.

Carbohydrates are a source of energy. For each gram of carbohydrate, the body receives 4 calories. Some carbohydrate foods are a source of dietary fibre.

There are two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels and insoluble fibre plays a significant role in controlling and preventing bowel problems.

Protein is a source of energy, containing 4 calories per gram. Protein plays an important role in our body and forms the basis of all body tissues. Our muscles and bones are made up of protein. Proteins are also responsible for carrying some nutrients in the blood.

This value provides us with information so that we can make a judgement about how much of a nutrient we are getting based on what is recommended. These values are based on a 2000 calorie a day diet and may differ from what you require depending on your individual energy needs.
Although food labels are useful for comparing different foods and knowing what we are eating, it is important not to get bogged down with the specifics. Canada's Food Guide To Healthy Eating makes it easy to follow the recommendations that help us eat an overall balanced diet!

Nutrition claims are definitely trustworthy but tend not to tell the whole story. Here is a list of some common claims and what they really mean!

Usually refers to fat, calories or sodium. This product has half of the amount of fat (or calories, or sodium) than the regular product. It could still be a large amount though, so it is important to check the nutrition label for more information.

These words are usually in reference to calories, fat or sodium but could also be used to describe the taste, texture or even colour of a food. Read the label to find out what part of the product is "light".

These claims don't necessarily mean that a product is low in fat. For example, vegetable oils contain no cholesterol but are still high in fat. The label can tell you how much total fat is in the product!

Now that you are equipped with all of the tools to make educated decisions when purchasing your food.....it's time to test out your knowledge.

Bon Appetit!