local
Written by: Xu YunPhotography: Wu Minhui
On most packaged foods, there is a “1 plus 7” nutrition label, energy plus 7 types of nutrients, including protein, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sugar and sodium. By comparison, the public can discover Healthier food; If you have obesity problems, can you control your weight by choosing low fat? For diabetics, is it safest to choose low sugar or no sugar? Do hypertensive patients know a low salt standard? Will foods that claim to be “zero cholesterol” increase cholesterol? Registered dietitian Weng Jiajun teaches everyone how to interpret nutrition labels.
Tony taught Jack’s brother how to lose weight without affecting his health
Guest host: Chen Tuan
Is it right to choose low fat if you want to lose weight?
Low fat is the first step to weight loss High fat equals high calories The excess calories build up in the body Most of the added sugar means the body does not need added sugar, so choose low fat and low sugar. at the same time, the calorie intake will be lower.
The second trick is a little more difficult. The fiber that is not included in the nutrition label Because the fiber has a feeling of fullness, the stomach will not be hungry after eating, so you will not eat too much extra food. In addition, it will be excreted after zero-calorie digestion, which can reduce body weight in general. Calorie absorption, so low fat, low sugar, low calories, together with high fiber can effectively control weight; high fiber foods including vegetables, mushrooms, fruit, etc. Food that allows the body to absorb nutrients better.
Is it right for diabetics to choose low sugar?
Low sugar or no sugar is the first step in diabetes Another thing to note is that carbohydrates will turn into blood sugar after digestion. Most patients have no superficial symptoms. Why do doctors emphasize sugar blood? Due to poor blood sugar control, the chance of suffering from heart disease and stroke is many times higher than the average person, so we should also look at saturated fat and trans fat, both of which will increase the chance of suffer from heart disease. and stroke.
The nutrition labeling system in Hong Kong has been implemented for 13 years, hoping that the public can prevent chronic diseases through a healthy diet.
Which nutrition label should I read first if I have high blood pressure?
High blood pressure depends on sodium or salt content High blood pressure is directly linked to salt The more salt the food has, the more sodium you absorb, the higher your blood pressure. According to regulations’ r Center for Food Safety, in every 100 grams of food, less It can be called low salt if it is less than 0.12 grams of sodium.
Whether to worry about cholesterol problems depends on whether there is trans fat?
Weng Jiajun: Absolutely correct. Many people mistakenly think that high cholesterol is because of eating high cholesterol foods. Medical research reports show that blood cholesterol comes from saturated fat and trans fat, not from food cholesterol. Strange, in fact, the body can basically metabolize all the cholesterol we eat, but trans fat and saturated fat will be produced into cholesterol after metabolism by the liver, which will affect the flow blood, so when looking at food labels, pay attention to whether there is saturated fat and trans fat.
Learn to interpret nutrition labels, compare two products of the same type, and choose the food that is right for your health.
Are the numbers on nutrition labels such as calories, fat and sugar as low as possible?
Weng Jiajun: Under normal circumstances, you should choose low-calorie, low-fat and low-sugar foods, however, under different circumstances, the body needs to add special nutrition. For example, before exercise, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers, there will be special nutritional needs, such as I like sports I took part in the Hong Kong Cycling Festival earlier. The temperature was only 7 degrees in the morning. Before the race, I need to I eat food high in calories and sugar, otherwise the physical strength will be too heavy, so I need to understand the nutrition that the body needs according to the actual situation.
What are the most common pitfalls of nutrition labels?
Weng Jiajun: Some foods are advertised as “zero cholesterol” Many people mistakenly think that it means health, but in fact it is meaningless, because the cholesterol in the blood has nothing to do w to do with the cholesterol in the food What affects the cholesterol in the blood is trans fat and saturated fat. Fat, if it claims “zero cholesterol”, but trans fats and saturated fats, are have an effect on cholesterol. This is a misleading trap.
In addition, the specifications stated on nutrition labels are generally divided into two categories, one is based on 100 grams of food as a unit to indicate the nutritional content in the label, and the other is calculated based on on Serving size (serving size). The units of account of different specifications are mutually exclusive and the comparison will produce incorrect results.
Profile of a nutritionist
Weng Jiajun (Tony) – Registered Dietitian, Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Dietetics and Nutrition, University of Sydney, Australia, Jockey Club Senior Lecturer School of Public Health and Primary Medical Care, Project Development Health Center Director Worldwide.
