In today’s fast-paced world, it can be difficult to make smart nutritional choices for you and your family. However, with the proper use of the Nutrition Facts Table (NFT) located on all pre-packaged food, this daunting task can be made more straightforward.
Last week, Health Canada announced the launch of the second phase of its Nutrition Facts Education Campaign, which centres on the simplification of this very issue. The program, entitled “Focus on the Facts,” encourages Canadians—especially those with children ages two to 12—to use the “Serving Size” and the “Per Cent Daily Value” measures located in their food’s NFT to choose between similar packaged products.
In order to compare foods, simply evaluate the per cent of your daily value of various nutrients that each item contains. These measures are based on the serving size of the product, so ensure that you examine this number first to determine the quantity of food you must consume in order to receive the prescribed amount of nutrients.
Typically, you’ll want to pick the product that contains more nutrients that are beneficial to your health, such as fibre and calcium, and less of those that aren’t, such as trans fats and sodium. Remember: an item has a little bit of a given nutrient when it makes up five per cent or less of your daily value, and a lot when it provides you with 15 per cent or more of the same measure.
This campaign is part of a larger government effort to educate Canadians about how to effectively read and use the nutrition information displayed on food labels. To learn more about how to make healthier choices, visit Canada.ca/NutritionFacts.
