Nutrition Labelling and Management of Diabetes Mellitus

Nutrition Labelling and Nutrition Labelling and Management of Diabetes MellitusManagement of Diabetes Mellitus

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Diabetes MellitusDiabetes Mellitus

A metabolic disorder People with diabetes have either

deficiency or resistance to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. As a result, it affects the use of glucose in their bodies.

Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to severe complications, such as retinopathy, heart diseases, renal failure, and stroke.

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Dietary Management of DiabetesDietary Management of Diabetes Dietary management and appropriate amount of phy

sical activity play important roles in diabetic control

Balanced diet with a variety of foods

“3 Low, 1 High” principle, i.e. low fat, low sodium (or salt), low sugars and high fibre

Reduce intake of saturated fat, trans fat and sodium can lower the risk of developing heart diseases and hypertension

Controlling intake of energy for the purpose of weight reduction or maintenance.

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Dietary Management of DiabetesDietary Management of Diabetes Apart from general healthy eating advice, people

with diabetes need to be aware of their daily intake of carbohydrates, including sugars.

The amount of foods, particularly carbohydrates (including sugars), eaten by people with diabetes during mealtime should be matched with their diabetic conditions, medications and daily living needs, and kept consistent on a day-to-day basis for stabilizing blood glucose level.

People with diabetes should discuss their diabetic meal plans with a dietitian or healthcare professional, then make use of nutrition labels for choosing appropriate pre-packaged foods. A person with diabetes should not follow other people’s meal plans.

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What Kinds of Food Contain What Kinds of Food Contain Carbohydrates?Carbohydrates?

Cereals (Starch) Root vegetables (Starch) Legumes (Starch) Dairy (Lactose) Fruits (Fructose) Sugars and Sugary food (Sucrose)

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Diabetes and Nutrition LabellingDiabetes and Nutrition Labelling

Using nutrition label can help people with diabetes to understand and find out the carbohydrates contents (including sugars) in food products for meeting the needs of the personal meal plan.

Read and Use Nutrition LabelsRead and Use Nutrition Labels

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Examples of Recommended Examples of Recommended Format of Nutrition LabelFormat of Nutrition Label

Tabular format

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Examples of Recommended Examples of Recommended Format of Nutrition LabelFormat of Nutrition Label

Linear format (for small packages with total surface area of less than 200 cm2)

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Required Nutrients on Nutrition LabelsRequired Nutrients on Nutrition Labels

1+7 (energy plus seven nutrients specified for labelling) – i.e. energy, protein, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sugars and sodium.

Nutrient(s) involved in nutrition claim(s) (when the nutrition claim is on any type of fat, the amount of cholesterol must be declared as well).

For other nutrients, declaration is voluntary

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Making Use of Nutrition LabelMaking Use of Nutrition Label

Consumers can: Compare the nutritional content among

different foods for a healthier choice, e.g. choose food that is lower in fat, sodium (or salt) and sugars

Understand the nutritional content of food and estimate their contribution to the overall diet

To meet individual’s dietary needs

Three Simple Steps toThree Simple Steps toRead Nutrition LabelRead Nutrition Label

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Three Simple Steps toThree Simple Steps toRead Nutrition LabelRead Nutrition Label

Step 1 Take note of the reference amount of food being

used in the nutrition label

Step 2 Read the energy and nutrient content together

with the reference amount

Step 3 Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference

Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food

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Step 1: Step 1: Take note of the reference amount ofTake note of the reference amount offood being used in the nutrition labelfood being used in the nutrition label

Expressed as per 100 g (or per 100 mL) of food

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Expressed as per serving (the serving size (in g or mL) and the no. of servings must be specified on the package)

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Expressed as per package (if the package contains only a single serving )

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Step 2: Read the energy and nutrient content Step 2: Read the energy and nutrient content together with the reference amounttogether with the reference amount

A) Use nutrition label to compare between products

B) Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of energy and nutrients you get from food

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Step 2A: Use nutrition label to Step 2A: Use nutrition label to compare between productscompare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed in the SAME reference amount

If reference amount is the SAME, you CAN COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY

(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand C biscuit

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Step 2A: Use nutrition label to Step 2A: Use nutrition label to compare between productscompare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed in DIFFERENT reference amounts

If reference amounts are DIFFERENT, you CANNOT COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY

(Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand D biscuit

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Step 2A: Use nutrition label toStep 2A: Use nutrition label tocompare between productscompare between products

Products with nutritional content expresssed in DIFFERENT reference amounts

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Step 2B:Step 2B:Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of

energy and nutrients you get from foodenergy and nutrients you get from food

The more you eat, the more you get

If you eat 1 serving of biscuit Get 8 g of fat, 3.5 g of saturated fat

If you eat 2 servings of biscuit Get 16 g of fat, 7 g of saturated fat

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Step 2B:Step 2B:Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of

energy and nutrients you get from foodenergy and nutrients you get from food

Energy and nutrient content expressed as per 100 g/mL

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Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains

a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the fooda lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food

%NRV is usually on a scale from 0% to 100%.

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For nutrients that needed to limit their intake E.g. total fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugars Look for foods that have lower %NRV

Get enough of nutrients that are good for health E.g. dietary fibre Look for foods that have higher %NRV

Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains

a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the fooda lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food

Use Nutrition Label to Use Nutrition Label to Choose Healthy FoodChoose Healthy Food

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Principles of Healthy EatingPrinciples of Healthy Eating

Choose a variety of food and eat cereals as the largest portion of food in every meal.

Eat a lot of vegetables and fruit.

Reduce the consumption of foodstuffs with high salt, fat and sugar content as well as those which are preserved.

A daily fluid intake of 6 to 8 glasses (including clear soup, fruit juice and tea).

Take meals regularly and in adequate amounts.

(Source of information: Department of Health)

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Nutrition Labelling is a Useful Tool fNutrition Labelling is a Useful Tool for Practising Healthy Eatingor Practising Healthy Eating

Nutrition label and nutrition claim can help consumers choose healthier food in accordance with healthy eating principles and the Food Pyramid, e.g.

Choose biscuits lower in fat and sodium (or salt)

Choose dairy products lower in fat

Choose beverages lower in sugars

How to Choose PrepackagedHow to Choose PrepackagedFood for People with Diabetes?Food for People with Diabetes?

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Choosing Prepackaged Foods for Choosing Prepackaged Foods for People with DiabetesPeople with Diabetes

Find out the contents of carbohydrates (including sugars)

“3 Low, 1 High” dietary principle

Reduce intake of saturated fat and trans fat

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1. Take note of relevant nutrition claim as a quick screening tool; and

2. Take three simple steps to read nutrition label

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Pay attention to nutrition claims, for example – “Sugars free” does not mean that the product does n

ot contain sugars or carbohydrates (e.g. prepackaged sugars free moon cake)

“No added sugars” means that sugars or ingredients that contain sugars for sweetening purpose are not added during the food production process. The product may still contain sugars that are naturally present. (e.g. prepackaged pure fruit juice)

“Less sweet” means lower sweet intensity. Sweetness is a taste which is a subjective experience. Statements on sweetness may not be directly related to its sugars content. Therefore, a product with the “less sweet” claim does not necessarily mean that the product has low or no sugars.

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Nutrition claim only gives a rough idea about the content of a particular nutrient, one should not make a food choice solely on the basis of a nutrition claim. In order to eat healthily, we should take note of other nutrients as well. For example, when buying a product with a “low sugars” claim, one should take note of the content of fat and other nutrients.

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Claim：Free; No; Zero; Without; Does not contain

Claim：Low; Little; Low source; Few; Contains a small amount of

Meaning of Claim :

Insignificant amount of a particular nutrient found in the food

Meaning of Claim :A small amount of nutrient found in the food

Example: Sugars free

(Contain not more than 0.5g of sugars per 100g/mL of food)

Example: Low sugars

(Contain not more than 5g of sugars per 100g/mL of food)

Nutrient content claims on sugars are classified into “Free” an

d “Low” claims.Specific Conditions of Nutrient Content Claims –

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Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition LabelStep 1 Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the

nutrition label

Step 2 Read and compare the nutritional content After selecting the food that is healthier, people with diabetes

should calculate the intake amount of carbohydrates, so that they can calculate the intake amount of other foods in the day

Step 3 Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV) (If

available)

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Choosing Prepackaged Foods for Choosing Prepackaged Foods for People with Diabetes (Example 1)People with Diabetes (Example 1)

Milk Beverage A

Milk Beverage B

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Corn Flakes C Corn Flakes D

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Soup E

Soup F

ENDSENDS

Documents

Nutrition Labelling and Management of Diabetes Mellitus