FIT FOR LIFESTYLES

Lesson Plan #8 – Grades 5&6

Understanding Food Labels

What is a Food Label?

Nutrition facts and ingredients give us the information we

need about packaged foods

Understanding food labels helps us make healthy

food choices

What does all this

information mean?

Take out your food labels!

What foods do we find food labels on? What foods do not

require a food label?

Nutrition Facts

Calories = unit of measurement for the amount of energy a food supplies our body.

Food Labels can be difficult to apply to our diets because the information is based on a 2000 calorie/per day diet.

2000 calories may be a good amount of calories for an adult, but we may eat less than that because we are still growing.

Calories

Even though a Food Label is based on an adults diet,

we can still use and understand the information

for our own benefit!

Nutrition Facts

Most nutrients listed are in grams or milligrams (milligrams are very small, 1000 milligrams = 1 gram)

Food label also gives percentage value.

This value is based on a 2000 calorie/per day diet, so percentages may be too low for how much we eat.

For example: this food gives an adult 12% of their daily intake of

fibre.

Nutrition Facts – Serving Size

Similar to the portion sizes in Canada’s Food Guide

How much is one serving of your food product?

One serving of cereal is often close to one cup. One serving of liquids is often given in millilitres.

Serving sizes can also be expressed in weight (grams or

pounds). This can make it difficult to estimate one serving.

Other listed information Fat – is an essential part of a healthy diet. But if

consumed in excess, too much fat can be unhealthy for our heart and body weight.

Trans and saturated fats- are the unhealthy fats that we should limit in our diets.

Dark animal meats and highly

processed foods tend to be high in

unhealthy fat.

Other listed information

Cholesterol and Sodium- we should try and moderate cholesterol and sodium. Too much is not good for our heart.

Low amounts of fat, cholesterol and sodium is

good for our hearts!

Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat

Quick fuel for our body! Labels often list amount of

sugar and fibre. Fibre is great for our digestive

system and keeps us feeling full!

Sugar gives our food a sweet taste. We should moderate foods that contain excess sugar.

Can anyone remember why protein is important in our diet?

Protein builds up, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body.

Food labels can help us decide if a food is primarily made up of carbohydrates, protein or fat.

Carbohydrates Protein

Vitamins and Minerals

We already know that we need a variety of vitamins and minerals in our diet.

Food labels list amounts of vitamins and minerals along with a percentage value.

Ingredient Lists Ingredient lists are helpful if we

cannot eat certain foods (food allergies)

Ingredients listed from greatest amount to least.

Can you pronounce all the ingredients on your food label?

The names we cannot pronounce are often chemicals called

preservatives.

INGREDIENTS: WATER, WHOLE GRAIN WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR INCLUDING THE GERM, OAT BRAN, WHEAT GLUTEN, SUGAR/GLUCOSE-FRUCTOSE, INULIN (CHICORY ROOT), *YEAST, OAT FIBRE, SUGAR BEET FIBRE, PLUMS, VEGETABLE OIL (CANOLA OR SOYBEAN), VINEGAR, SALT, ACETYLATED TARTARIC ACID ESTERS OF MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM PROPIONATE, SODIUM STEAROYL-2-LACTYLATE, SORBIC ACID, TRISODIUM CITRATE 2-HYDRATE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, MAGNESIUM CARBONATE, NATURAL FLAVOUR.

MAY CONTAIN SESAME SEEDS, SOYBEAN AND SULPHITES. [L804] - ONTARIO AND ATLANTIC PROVINCES ONLY

Preservatives help extend the shelf life of certain foods.

Although it may be difficult, try and choose foods with the

least amount of preservatives.

Example: ingredient list for a loaf of bread.

Conclusion Although food labels are

aimed towards an adults diet, we can still compare food labels to help us make healthy choices.

Knowing how to read a food label allows us to look past the claims that advertisers place on packaged product and decide if something is good for us.