Understanding Food Labels - 3 Ingredients To Watch Out For

Additives and other unknown ingredients can be in any product. Sugar is especially prominent in sodas and soft drinks.

Health-conscious people read food labels as it's one of the most straightforward methods to maintain and enhance their awareness of nutritional intake. With many additives and odd ingredients, knowing what you're eating plays an important role. Calories can quickly add up, as can sodium and sugar, both of which have severe health implications when consumed in large amounts.

Many Malaysian adults have a much too high sodium intake, over 3,000 mg more than the recommended daily intake. Sodium is just one of the many things to be concerned about when it comes to food. Too much sugar can lead to diabetes, and certain foods contain carcinogens which are chemicals that can lead to cancer.

But how can you determine if your food contains these potentially harmful ingredients and if you're exceeding the recommended intake? In this blog, you will learn more about what specific nutritional terms to look out for on the packaging of food labels before consuming them.

Understanding food labels in Malaysia

Since 2005, Malaysia's Ministry of Health has required food labelling for certain food. Labels must display key nutritional information such as energy, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. This initiative indicates why reading food labels is important to manage dietary intake effectively.

Food labels also detail serving sizes, enabling consumers to easily compare their intake to the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) values. By monitoring elements like sodium and sugar—often overconsumed—individuals can significantly enhance their health and reduce the risk of conditions such as stroke.

Health implications of unhealthy ingredients

Eating healthy is essential for all of us, but we should consume certain foods in limited quantities. The table below shows you how much salt, sugar, and fat you should eat daily and why overeating these can be bad for your health. These ingredients are in many foods we love in Malaysia, like instant noodles, teh tarik, and roti canai, but we need to be careful not to have too much.

Based on an average adult male at 70 kg weight and 177cm height, the recommended daily intake is 2,000 calories. Let's explore the recommended daily intake of sodium, sugar, and saturated fats, which can have negative health consequences when consumed in large quantities.

Salt is needed for our body, but too much salt can cause high blood pressure and other heart problems. Use less salt in your food and choose snacks with less salt. Sugar makes food sweet, but eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain and diabetes. It's good to enjoy sweets sometimes, but not too often.

Saturated Fats increase "bad" LDL cholesterol. While they are prevalent in many local dishes, the focus should shift towards healthier fats. Overindulging of the wrong kind, like the fat in fried foods, can lead to heart disease. Incorporating Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fats into our diet offers a heart-healthy alternative. These good fats, found in foods like avocados, nuts (such as almonds and walnuts), and fish (like salmon and mackerel), help lower the risk of heart disease.

Common food additives

Many additives are mixed in with processed food, whether to enhance taste or extend shelf-life. Monosodium glutamate, MSG, is a common additive with many controversies surrounding it and its effect when consumed in large quantities. These effects include impaired growth and development.

Artificial food colourings are known to have adverse effects and even allergic reactions for some consumers. Sodium Nitrate, found often in processed meats, is a preservative that, when exposed to heat and amino acids, can transform into nitrosamine, which is harmful to one's health.

Importance of knowing what you eat

Understanding the importance of food labels is key to a healthier diet. It helps adjust nutrient intake for individual needs, such as more protein for muscle building or fewer calories for weight loss. Reading food labels warns you about excessive sugar, fats, or sodium, allowing for dietary adjustments. While matching daily nutritional recommendations can be challenging, food labels provide valuable guidance for making better choices. It ensures you get essential nutrients and manage your intake of less healthy ingredients, such as salt, sugar and saturated fats.

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