Chapter 12: “Doc, how about fibre?”

Too much fibre will do no harm. A diet high in fibre is highly recommended. The benefits of having a high fibre are many. The important ones are that a high fibre diet protects against colon cancer, better sugar control in diabetics, reduces blood cholesterol, and controls weight.Papua New are abundant with foods high in fibre. The choice is not so easy in a supermarket. When shopping, foods such as bread, cereals and other products containing more than 5% of dietary fibre sho

Trying to read food labels while shopping can be time-consuming and difficult. As with all guidelines, there are exceptions. Some foods may not include any be excluded using the guidelines yet they may be considered a healthy choice by other standards. Exercise your own discretion when making choices. The key points to remember are:

• Check the nutritional panel for amounts of fat, sugars, sodium and fibre.
• Compare different products ‘per 100 g’.
• Check the ingredients listed on the nutritional panel is listed in decreasing order so look for products with sources of fat and sugar lower down on the list.
• Be aware about hidden fats (shortening, lard, tallow, coconut oil and palm oil) added sugars (glucose, sucrose, syrups, molasses and modified carbohydrate) and hidden salt (monosodium glutamate, meat and vegetable extracts, baking powder, sodium bicarbonate and stock cubes.

Below is a table that can be used as a quick guide. Remember to look at the ‘per 100 g’ column, not the ‘per serve’ column.

Nutrient	Per 100g
Fat Total           Saturated Trans	Aim for less than 10 g per 100g Milk and yoghurt, aim for less   than 2 g per 100g Oils and margarines are all   high in total fat (more than 10 g per 100g) so choose polyunsaturated and   monounsaturated Aim for low as possible Aim for low as possible;   margarines with less than 1 g per 100g
Carbohydrates (sugars)	Aim for less than 10 g per 100g For foods containing fruits aim   for less than 25 g per 100g
Dietary fibre	For breads and cereals aim for   more than 5g per 100g
Sodium (salt)	Aim for less than 400mg per   100g. If possible less than 120mg per 100g. Look for ‘No salt added’,   ‘Salt reduced’, or ‘Low salt’ labels.

 

Chapter 11: “Doc, how much salt is safe?”

Salt is listed as Sodium Chloride on the nutritional panel on a food label. It is widely known and accepted that too much salt can increase the blood pressure. On average 25% of a person’s salt intake comes from salt that is added while they are preparing the food. The rest comes from salt included during the manufacturing process. It would be difficult to find foods with no salt in them on the shelves of supermarkets. Therefore compare food labels and choose those with a low salt content.

A healthier choice would also be to not to add salt during food preparation. Recently, stock cubes have become very popular among Papua New Guineans. These contain a lot of salt and should be avoided as much as possible. Hidden salts include monosodium glutamate, meat and vegetable extracts, baking powder, sodium bicarbonate and stock cubes.

 

Chapter 10: “Doc, what about sugar?”

Although one may be advised to avoid all sugars, in reality this is impossible. Sugar may be a natural part of an ingredient used in manufacturing or it can be added during the manufacturing process.

Added sugar is usually in the form of sucrose (table sugar) or glucose. Foods that are low or have no sugars are a healthier choice (E.g. wholegrain bread, fruits, vegetables and low fat milk). Foods containing large amount of sugar such as chocolates, cakes and sweet biscuits have little nutritional value. The nutritional panel on a food label usually shows the total amount of sugar.

A quick look at the ingredients used may help to show where the sugars came from. This may not be easy as ingredients may be listed by a name that is unfamiliar. Added sugars include glucose, sucrose, syrups, molasses and modified carbohydrates

Chapter 9: “Doc, how much fat should I eat?”

The consumption of saturated and trans fats should be limited. Saturated fats can increase low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and this is the type of cholesterol that is not good for the body. An increase in LDL cholesterol in the blood increases the risk of heart disease.

Buy foods with the lowest amounts of total and saturated fats. Trans fat also increases LDL cholesterol and lowers high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is a type of cholesterol but this type is considered as ‘good fat’. Consuming high amount of trans fat decreases the good HDL cholesterol.

Trans fats are created by a chemical process known as hydrogenation. Food manufacturers used this process to improve the stability of vegetable oils and to convert liquid oils into solid forms. Trans fats are also found in deep-fried foods and processed foods made with margarines or shortening. When a claim is made on the food label about its fatty acid content, make sure its trans fat content is listed. Compare ‘per 100 g’ between manufacturers.

All margarines and oils are high in total fat. Look for mono and polyunsaturated margarines and oils. When buying margarines aim for those with less than 1% trans fat. Hidden fats include shortening, lard, tallow, coconut oil, and palm oil.

 

 

Chapter 8: “Doc, how do I decide what is best for me?

Reading the nutrient content on the food label while shopping and trying to decide what to buy can be a very time consuming and difficult process. The important nutrients to look for and compare are fat, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, sodium and protein. Healthy foods should be:

•  low in total, saturated and trans fat
• low in added sugars
• low in sodium
• high in fibre

When comparing the contents of each of the nutrients mentioned previously, compare ‘per 100 g’, not ‘per serve’. This is because the manufacturer’s serve is not necessarily the same as the consumer’s serve. ‘Per 100 g’ is standardized therefore the same food from different manufacturers or difference countries can be compared thus helping you make a healthy food choice.