Nutrition Labelling and Management of Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes

Nutrition Labelling and Management of Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes Mellitus n n n 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. 2

Dietary Management of Diabetes n Dietary management and appropriate amount of physical activity play important roles in diabetic control n Balanced diet with a variety of foods n “ 3 Low, 1 High” principle, i. e. low fat, low sodium (or salt), low sugars and high fibre n Reduce intake of saturated fat, trans fat and sodium can lower the risk of developing heart diseases and hypertension n Controlling intake of energy for the purpose of weight reduction or maintenance. 3

Dietary Management of Diabetes n n n 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. 4

What Kinds of Food Contain Carbohydrates? n n n Cereals (Starch) Root vegetables (Starch) Legumes (Starch) Dairy (Lactose) Fruits (Fructose) Sugars and Sugary food (Sucrose) 5

Diabetes and Nutrition Labelling n Using nutrition label can help people with diabetes to understand find out the carbohydrates contents (including sugars) in food products for meeting the needs of the personal meal plan. 6

Read and Use Nutrition Labels

Examples of Recommended Format of Nutrition Label Tabular format 1 7 8

Examples of Recommended Format of Nutrition Label Linear format (for small packages with total surface area of less than 200 cm 2) 9

Required Nutrients on Nutrition Labels n 1+7 (energy plus seven nutrients specified for labelling) – i. e. energy, protein, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sugars and sodium. n 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). n For other nutrients, declaration is voluntary 10

Making Use of Nutrition Label Consumers can: n 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 n Understand the nutritional content of food and estimate their contribution to the overall diet n To meet individual’s dietary needs 11

Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label

Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label Step 1 n Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label Step 2 n Read the energy and nutrient content together with the reference amount Step 3 n 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 13

Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label n Expressed as per 100 g (or per 100 m. L) of food 14

Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label n Expressed as per serving (the serving size (in g or m. L) and the no. of servings must be specified on the package) 15

Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label n Expressed as per package (if the package contains only a single serving ) 16

Step 2: Read the energy and nutrient content together 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 17

Step 2 A: Use nutrition label to compare between products n Products with nutritional content expresssed in the SAME reference amount (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand C biscuit If reference amount is the SAME, you CAN COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY 18

Step 2 A: Use nutrition label to compare between products n Products with nutritional content expresssed in DIFFERENT reference amounts (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand D biscuit If reference amounts are DIFFERENT, you CANNOT COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY 19

Step 2 A: Use nutrition label to compare between products n Products with nutritional content expresssed in DIFFERENT reference amounts 20

Step 2 B: Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of energy and nutrients you get from food n The more you eat, the more you get ¡ If you eat 1 serving of biscuit n Get 8 g of fat, 3. 5 g of saturated fat ¡ If you eat 2 servings of biscuit n Get 16 g of fat, 7 g of saturated fat 21

Step 2 B: Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of energy and nutrients you get from food n Energy and nutrient content expressed as per 100 g/m. L 22

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 n %NRV is usually on a scale from 0% to 100%. 23

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 n n 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 24

Use Nutrition Label to Choose Healthy Food

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Principles of Healthy Eating n Choose a variety of food and eat cereals as the largest portion of food in every meal. n Eat a lot of vegetables and fruit. n Reduce the consumption of foodstuffs with high salt, fat and sugar content as well as those which are preserved. n A daily fluid intake of 6 to 8 glasses (including clear soup, fruit juice and tea). n Take meals regularly and in adequate amounts. (Source of information: Department of Health) 27

Nutrition Labelling is a Useful Tool for Practising Healthy Eating n 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 28

How to Choose Prepackaged Food for People with Diabetes?

Choosing Prepackaged Foods for People with Diabetes n Find out the contents of carbohydrates (including sugars) n “ 3 Low, 1 High” dietary principle n Reduce intake of saturated fat and trans fat 30

Choosing Prepackaged Foods for People with Diabetes 1. Take note of relevant nutrition claim as a quick screening tool; and 2. Take three simple steps to read nutrition label 31

Choosing Prepackaged Foods for People with Diabetes n Pay attention to nutrition claims, for example – ¡ “Sugars free” does not mean that the product does not 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. 32

Choosing Prepackaged Foods for People with Diabetes n 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. 33

Choosing Prepackaged Foods for People with Diabetes Nutrient content claims on sugars are classified into “Free” and “Low” claims . Specific Conditions of Nutrient Content Claims – Claim： Free; No; Zero; Without; Does not contain Claim： Low; Little; Low source; Few; Contains a small amount of Meaning of Claim : A small amount of nutrient Insignificant amount of a particular nutrient found in the food Example: Sugars free (Contain not more than 0. 5 g of sugars per 100 g/m. L of food) Example: Low sugars (Contain not more than 5 g of sugars per 100 g/m. L of food) 34

Choosing Prepackaged Foods for People with Diabetes Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label Step 1 n Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label Step 2 n Read and compare the nutritional content n 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 n Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV) (If available) 35

Choosing Prepackaged Foods for People with Diabetes (Example 1) Milk Beverage A Milk Beverage B 36

Choosing Prepackaged Foods for People with Diabetes (Example 2) Corn Flakes C Corn Flakes D 37

Choosing Prepackaged Foods for People with Diabetes (Example 3) Soup E Soup F 38

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