HOW TO NAVIGATE FOOD LABEL CLAIMS AND CLEVER MARKETING
Whilst food manufacturers cannot make false claims on their packaging (eg. this bar/smoothie/powder will make you lose weight), they can imply that as a result of consuming their product, you will achieve some desired outcome.
When grabbing yourself a quick snack, the last thing you want to be doing is meticulously analysing the packaging. Not only can the information be confusing to understand, it can also be misleading. More than that, becoming hyper-focused on exactly what ingredients are in everything we consume can be damaging for our relationship with food. Equally, it’s important to have a rough idea of the composition of our diet as a whole in order to ensure that we are getting enough of all the wonderful nutrients that we need to thrive.
Here are a few things to remember when reading certain claims on manufacturer’s packaging, as well as when looking at food labels, to help you make more informed food choices.
“High in protein”
Protein is something that many people worry they should be eating more of when in fact, the majority of us in the UK are meeting, if not exceeding, our daily recommended intake. For this claim to be printed onto a product, the calories from the protein in said product only need to make up 20% of the total calories. We’re increasingly seeing this claim on a lot of products, as the manufacturing industry has clocked onto consumer fears surrounding protein deficiency. Whilst it’s great to be considering how you can refuel post-exercise, protein is not the only macronutrient which needs a restock. Rather than just opting for a protein bar (which often contains a lot of added sugars and artificial sweeteners, something we know is disruptive for our gut microbiome), think about including some carbohydrates to replenish those glycogen stores and some healthy fats to keep you satiated. A great example of this would be some wholemeal/sourdough toast, nut butter and fresh berries or sliced banana.
“High in fibre”
In order for a product to have this claim on its packaging, it needs to contain just 6g/100g of fibre. Considering the UK adult daily recommended intake for fibre is 30g, this can be quite misleading. It would be easy to assume that by eating something which is ‘high in fibre’ you’ll be well on your way to meeting your daily recommended intake of our gut microbe’s favourite snack. However, this is not always the case and so it’s important to include lots of grains, legumes, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, in order to hit that 30g.
“Low fat”
This is probably one of the biggest deceptors when it comes to food label claims. I’ve spoken about this before but I wanted to reiterate that just because something is lower in fat, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ‘healthier’. In order to compensate for the yummy flavours and texture lost by reducing the fat content, manufacturers often replace these with more sugar/salt/sweeteners. Opting for these lower fat versions can often be counterintuitive, as these products tend to be less satiating, meaning we eat more in order to feel satisfied. I always recommend sticking with the original version, rather than the low fat option - full fat Greek yoghurt over low fat yoghurt everyday!
“No added sugar”
If something is being advertised as ‘sugar free’ this doesn’t take into account any naturally occurring sugars which you may find within a product. Instead, it means that there is less than 0.5g/100g of added sugars. So yes, that smoothie you’re drinking might not have any added sugars, but those naturally occurring within the fruit itself are not accounted for and in some cases, you might end up drinking more sugar from your smoothie than you would from a fizzy drink! Whilst smoothies can be a great way of crowding in lots of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, they can differ massively in nutritional profiles depending on whether you’ve made it yourself or picked one up from the supermarket shelf. This is because most manufactured smoothies are made up of just fruit, which are perfect for that instant hit of energy, but not so great at keeping you going throughout the day. Whereas at home, you can add some oats, nuts, seeds (and even hide some leafy greens in there!) to give you a much more balanced combination of slow-release carbs, protein and fats.
Ingredients lists
Another note on sugar. Whilst this carbohydrate is great for providing us with energy and is found naturally in things like dairy, added sugars (also known as ‘free sugars’) provide little, if any, nutritional benefit. That’s not to say that they don’t benefit us in other ways, like making our favourite desserts oh so delicious and extending the shelf life of some of our store-cupboard staples, but it’s important to be mindful of where these might be sneaking into foods that we might not have associated as having added sugars in.
Sometimes, it’s not as simple as looking for ‘sugar’ on the back of a packet. Did you know there are over 60 different names for the sugars which can be listed on labelling for packaged goods?! This is how manufacturers can try to advertise their product as ‘low in sugar’ or ‘sugar free’, by listing these sweet ingredients under a different name. Some to look out for include sucrose, maltose, high-fructose corn starch, molasses and fruit juice concentrate.
My final top tip would be to look at the first ingredient on the list, as this is the ingredient which makes up the bulk of the food product.
As always, these pointers are by no means a way of demonising any foods. There is nothing wrong with eating pre-packaged food as part of a well-balanced diet predominantly made up of whole foods, with a good proportion of meals being cooked from scratch.
I’m hoping that these tips will help you to see past the often misleading messages we’re sold on food packaging, as well as giving you a better understanding of how to read food labels.
Remember, if something is promising a quick fix and it seems too good to be true, it probably is!
