Shop smart, not hard: Understanding food labels for better health

With all the advice and information we're bombarded with about what to eat and how to eat it, going to the supermarket can be a near stressful experience. So here's some tips to cut through the confusion. This way, you never have to feel tricked by labelling or manipulated by marketing again.

To make it simple, ignore the bright colours and pictures, because the only thing you should be reading on a label is the nutritional content.

Nutrition suspicion

If you're suspicious about foods with fancy labels telling you how healthy they are, you should be. Not all foods claiming to be good for you are, so the best way to find out what you need to know is to turn the bottle or can around and read the back.

The label on the back will tell you the:

Product ingredients;
Serving size;
Energy in calories or kilojoules;
Fat, carbohydrate, sugar and salt content; and
Percentage of the daily requirement for energy and vitamins/minerals.

This means you can choose the product that has the least amount of fat, sugar and/or salt while investigating which brands really do have a high nutritional content.

It also means you can shop to tailor your own needs. If you need to cut down on salt, then you can specifically find low-salt products. If you are trying to trim your waist, then you may be surprised at which foods really do have lower calories.

Thumbs up and red flags

There are very quick ways to spot healthy or unhealthy foods when you're doing your shopping. For example, the Heart Foundation has a 'tick' system for foods it can vouch for regarding cholesterol content. But make sure the 'tick' is a real one and not a tick from a random source that the company has made to look legitimate.

Also, words can be deceiving. If a product claims to be 'lite', then always read the back to compare. Companies are allowed to use the word 'lite' to refer to the colour of the food. Tricky, huh? That's why you need to be trickier.

This also goes for 'low-fat'. Lollies may be low in fat, but that's only because they are loaded with sugar. And guess what sugar turns into?

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. When a product makes outrageous claims, this will usually be a red flag indicating danger. For instance, they have yet to develop any food that can miraculously control your weight just by eating it. So if a product has to make this claim just to convince people to buy it, then it's not worth your money.

This also goes for products relying just on a brand name. Big companies, including Uncle Toby's and GlaxoSmithKline, have been in trouble before for misleading nutritional information. No matter what anyone says, Nutella will never be good for you (unfortunately!).

So when shopping, imagine Wile E. Coyote trying to grab your wallet while you're the Roadrunner, picking out fruit and veg on your way.

Beep beep!

Just like the Roadrunner, if something looks like a trap, outsmart it. So check all your labels, no matter how healthy they may appear on the front. The back may be a completely different story. Know how much fat, calories and sodium (salt) you need each day. If something has more than twice your daily intake, avoid it like the plague.

If you need more information on what kind of foods you should be eating, including low glycaemic index foods or getting more fibre in your diet, just have a chat with your GP.

Hunter-gatherers

Once upon a time, healthy eating started in the bush or forest. Now it starts at the supermarket. You are the hunter-gatherer of the modern age, which means you need to hunt and gather the best for you and your family. While you may not get eaten by a lion, it is still dangerous out there! So be an evolved consumer and shop smart, not hard.

More information

For more information on understanding food labels including how to read food product lables, nutritional information and Heart Foundation tick of approval, see Food Packaging and Labels: Guide to Making Healthy Food Choices.