To publish a list of kilojoules of all the protein and carbohydrate containing foods we will fill a whole book.  To make it easier for you to work out a healthy diet and choose healthier foods let us start to see what nutritional information we can gather from reading the labels on foods and how to use these labels to make healthy choices.

First we want to see what is in food.  This will be listed under ingredients.

Ingredients are listed from the most to the least.  The more natural a food, the less unfamiliar ingredients it has e.g. custard powder vs. oats.

The list of ingredients gives you valuable information if you are allergic or intolerant to certain substances e.g. nuts, milk, wheat, additives, preservatives, etc.  Most labels also show if the product was manufactured in a factory where nuts are used.

The closer food is to its natural state, the more vitamins, minerals and good fats it will contain and the healthier it will be for you.  Nowadays considerable amounts of cheaper ingredients that are not necessarily good for your health are added to products.  Examples are hydrogenated plant oils, palm oil and sugar.

Secondly we want to see the nutritional value of the product.

Nutritional information includes information on the energy value, percentage that each macronutrient contributes to the total energy content of the product and the vitamin and mineral content of the product.  Additional information on the salt content, listed as sodium, and fiber content may also be given.

Energy
Shows the amount of energy the product gives the body.
Energy is measured in kilojoules or calories.  1 calorie= 4.2 kilojoules.
Energy requirements are related to a person’s age, sex and activity level.
Too little energy leads to weight loss and too much energy leads to weight gain.

Macronutrients
These nutrients supply energy to the body in the form of kilojoules or calories and include carbohydrates, protein and fat.

Information is given per 100g of product or per serving of product or as * per serving witch means that the serving contains something other than just the pure product itself e.g. added milk (see serving suggestion).

When comparing the nutritional information of the typical value of a 100g of product, it is easy to work out the percentage that each macronutrient contributes to the total energy content of the product. 

Carbohydrates are listed as total carbohydrates and sugars.  Remember that one teaspoonful of sugar = 5g sugar.  Therefore, a product containing 15g of sugar, in fact contains 3 teaspoons of sugar. 

The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a rating of foods, on a scale from 0 - 100, according to their actual effect on blood-sugar levels.   It is a measure of the speed a carbohydrate is absorbed into the blood after ingestion. 

A GI between 0-55 is considered as low. A GI between 55-70 is considered intermediate and a GI between 70-100 is considered as high.  The lower the GI, the healthier it is for the body.

Sugars that are frequently used commercially are high fructose corn syrup or glucose syrup.  Both of these are high GI and therefore not good for you.

Products with less than 3g fat per 100g are considered low in fat.  Products with more than 10g of fat per 100g are considered high in fat.

Not all fats are bad for you.  Ones to avoid are trans fatty acids, saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. Avoid hydrogenated oil, hydrogenated vegetable fats and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.  These fats are highly saturated and can lead to a build up of fats causing heart disease.

If fats are listed under the first three ingredients on the list of ingredients, the product will be high in fat and should be avoided. Acceptable fats are poly- and mono-unsaturated fats.