Do we really know what we are giving our kids to eat and drink? It’s a hot topic at the moment amongst parents with children of all ages.
Here is some advice on how to read (and understand!) all those confusing food labels . . .
We have many jobs as parents, but without a doubt one of the most important is ensuring our children are given a healthy, nutritious diet so they can grow and thrive both physically and mentally. It’s not always as easy as that though, especially with complicated and misleading food labels and marketing techniques making it difficult to figure out what’s healthy, and what is actually full of added sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. The clever team of dieticians from Tea4Kidz share some advice on how to decipher food labels…
3 TOP TIPS FOR READING FOOD LABELS:
1. Other names for sugars, fats, and sodium
Look out for sugar, fat and sodium listed in the first five ingredients on food labels (this means they are main ingredients in that particular item). Remember that they aren’t always listed as exactly what they are though, so look out for the following: salt might be listed as baking powder, booster, celery salt, garlic salt, sodium, meat or yeast extract, onion salt, MSG, rock salt, sea salt, sodium bicarbonate, sodium metabisulphite, sodium nitrate, nitrate or stock cubes; fat might be listed as beef fat, butter, shortening, coconut, palm oil, copha, cream, dripping, lard, mayonnaise, sour cream, vegetable oils and fats, hydrogenated oils, full cream milk powder, egg or mono/di/triglycerides.
2. Check the serving size, and take into account the actual portion size
When checking nutritional tables, always use the column that states the amount of sugars, fats, etc per serving size, and try to determine whether the serving size is a practical portion size. If you think the portion size will be bigger or smaller than the stated serving size for your kids, take this into account when determining how much sugar, sodium and fat will be contained in a single serving for them.
3. Not all fats are created equal
Kids need fats to grow, but too many saturated fats can negatively impact heart health. Foods with 1g or less of saturated fats per serving are considered low in saturated fat. It’s also best to avoid trans fats as far as possible for healthy arteries and better health overall. Avoid foods with hydrogenated oils/fats which are the main source of trans fats in foods.
BIG RISK FACTOR FOR CHILDREN
Although children often naturally gravitate towards sugary or salty foods, it’s our job to have healthy options available that aren’t laden with sugar and sodium. Often one of the biggest concerns when it comes to children’s diets is an excessive intake of sugary drinks. Children between 2 and 18 years should be limited to 25g of sugar per day (less than six teaspoons). There are a lot of hidden sugars in many fruit juices, cordials and fizzy drinks. Where possible, offer children water or rooibos tea as an option instead.
Details: www.joekels.co.za, @Tea4Kidz, @LaagerRooibosTea
