There’s a trap waiting for you at the supermarket. Manufacturers are competing for your food dollar and they want you to buy their brand instead of their competitor’s. They know you want to be healthier, feed your family better – so they make sure their label reminds you why you’re making the right choice.
Isn’t it better to deliberately choose foods that are “wholesome”, “low fat”, “whole grain” and “healthy”? You bet – but just because the label says this, it doesn’t mean that the product is actually a good choice for you.
“Low fat” foods can contain extra sugar and lots of fillers (artificial or natural) to give them the same satisfying mouth feel as full fat foods. Dairy foods and manufactured desserts are frequent offenders here. Take a look at the nutrition label, specifically the “per 100g” section. A food is classified by Food Standards Australia New Zealand as “high in sugar” when it contains more than 10g sugar per 100g.
“Whole grain” foods can contain lots of sugar too (breakfast cereals and breads promoted for children are the main offenders here). Take a look at the sugar content, but also the fat content. A food is classified as “high in fat” when it contains more than 20g fat per 100g. You may be (unpleasantly) surprised when you pick up that apparently ‘healthy’ muesli or breakfast cereal and examine the sugar and fat content.
“Sugar free” spreads have a special trap: cane sugar versus fructose. Traditionally prepared jams are about 50% cane sugar. Fruit is naturally sweet, with its own type of sugar: fructose. That “fruit spread” or “sugar free spread” may actually contain just as much sugar as traditional jam, but using fructose instead of cane sugar. Your body will still digest it as sugar.
High fat foods and high sugar foods have their place – as treats for a special feast; and as condiments to enhance a meal.
So how do you make sure that you buy only healthy food? By deliberately restricting your intake of any foods where the sugar content is more than 10g per 100g, and the fat content is more than 20g per 100g. Get into the habit of flipping over the packet to examine the nutrition label. If you decide that this isn’t really the kind of food you want your and your family to eat, choose an alternative brand. There’s plenty to choose from.
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