nutrients grams per 100g of food

Silver131
Silver131 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello all,
I'm going shopping tonight and i want to try and only buy food that is (per 100 grams of food)

Fat 3g or less
Sat Fat 1.5g or less
5g total sugars or less
salt 0.3g or less
(or 0.1g sodium).
I got this from here http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/food-labelling.aspx

If I look at typical food labels in my cupboards it gives a reading for carbohydrates grams per 100 g of food. The figure for "sugars" given on the nhs website isn't carbs is it? Or at least it's a constituent of the carb content so I will be ok just being guided by the sugars 5g or less?

I have some "healthy muesli" and it is low fat but it has 68g of carbohydrate in it (per 100g) of which sugars 13.9g per 100g! It doesn't really taste that good and i thought I was being good!

Many thanks for any assistance :)

Replies

  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    Please don't take this the wrong way, I'm truly trying to be helpful.

    First of all, you're basing your criteria on the "low" end of the range for each of those categories...and you want to be less than that. That seems terribly extreme, particularly if you want to ONLY buy food that meets those criteria.

    Second, those guidelines sound a bit like horse hockey to me. Assuming you have no other underlying health issues, there's no need to limit fat or sugar (or even sodium) beyond what fits your macro goals for the day. Please see this topic for some excellent guidelines on how to decide what those macro targets should be: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    It's fantastic that you're out there doing research and trying to create a balanced diet for yourself. But, it seems like what you've come up with is just the opposite. I hope this helps!
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
    I guess it depends on what your goals are? Personally - I just buy and cook what I like and make sure I try and fit my macros everyday. It doesn't have to be that difficult or that restrictive.

    And I will say that I disagree with the articles advice to build your meals around "starchy" foods.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Sounds like you're over thinking it and making it far more complicated that it needs. Just aim for balanced meals and let the rest take care of itself. Good luck
  • LucasEVille
    LucasEVille Posts: 567 Member
    Please don't take this the wrong way, I'm truly trying to be helpful.

    First of all, you're basing your criteria on the "low" end of the range for each of those categories...and you want to be less than that. That seems terribly extreme, particularly if you want to ONLY buy food that meets those criteria.

    Second, those guidelines sound a bit like horse hockey to me. Assuming you have no other underlying health issues, there's no need to limit fat or sugar (or even sodium) beyond what fits your macro goals for the day. Please see this topic for some excellent guidelines on how to decide what those macro targets should be: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    It's fantastic that you're out there doing research and trying to create a balanced diet for yourself. But, it seems like what you've come up with is just the opposite. I hope this helps!

    ^ This

    Well done for taking this seriously, and super job on the 33lbs lost... But your taking exclusion to an extreme. Moderation > exclusion. Its about forming healthy eating habits over the course of your journey.
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    Here you go:
    http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000000000000015008123-w.html
    That should be a direct link to a search, ranking lowest fat, lowest sugar and lowest sodium highest. If not, input it yourself here: http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/nutrient-search

    As you can see, it's mainly drinks that come up first, seeing as they have so much water, they easily make the requirements :) So to see past that, choose a cateory and click on the "See all Foods lowest in Total Fat and Sugars and Sodium in [selected category]", and just skim down the list of what you want!
  • Silver131
    Silver131 Posts: 3 Member
    Many thanks everyone. I will have a read through of the links later this evening. Barbie, definitely not taken the wrong way! I realise I didn't think things through very carefully and clutching at straws somewhat.

    I've been on a "diet in a box" for some time and this is how I lost the weight that I have. I've lost the weight but also gone from someone who never ate vegetables to someone who eats a lot of them (albeit prepared for me). I have about 10lbs to go and want to start "doing it on my own" so to speak and slowly bring in my new eating habits (that will become permanent and - i hope - maintain my new healthy weight).

    I'm absolutely clueless about what to buy. I had some advice years ago that I shouldn't have anything (or at least avoid anything) that has more than 5g of fat per 100g. So i thought I would use that guideline and I wanted to take an appropriate figure also for sugars (I'm type 2 diabetic). My research only really took me as far as the link i posted - the nhs one. Now I look at that again and also read your very kind and informative comments, I see that what I came up with is kind of ridiculous - and this was borne out by the fact that in Tesco last night I could barely find anything to eat!

    Would 5g or less of fat per 100g be a reasonable benchmark to follow? Can anyone advise on sugars? If "high" is over 22.5g per 100g then would half of that (or below) be reasonable. So if i used a guide of between, say, 3g and 12g of sugar per 100g - what does everyone think?

    I know this will seem quite "painting by numbers" to many but I really do need it to be very easy and if I can have a line drawn that I then resolve not to cross it will really help me.

    Thank you once again, I will have a read through more thoroughly tonight.

    Silver
  • candistyx
    candistyx Posts: 547 Member
    Is there a reason you are trying to count fat and sugar instead of total calories?
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    So you're looking for food items that are mostly protein and/or water?

    Don't be afraid of fat - fat is essential in a healthy diet. And unless you are pre-diabetic then there is no reason to be so wary of sugar.

    Please read the 'setting your calorie and macro goals' post quoted in an earlier reply.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    This a point where it often goes wrong. Don't obsess over individual items, see your diet as a whole. You need protein, fat and carbs, vitamins, minerals - salt is a mineral too, and fiber, but not too much of that either, it can lead to constipation and malnutrition. You can eat anything as long as it is in the right amount (within a scope) and not too often.
  • Dewymorning
    Dewymorning Posts: 762 Member
    You want advice on what to buy at the supermarket? This is what I do.

    Buy lots of fruit and vegetables.

    Buy some good quality protein.

    Buy some good quality cooking oil and/or butter.

    Get a selection of other things which can be added to the above to make the food yummy, but are not too high in calories.

    Buy one or two 'treats'



    You could make a meal plan for the week and then you will know what to buy.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Is there a reason you are trying to count fat and sugar instead of total calories?

    apart from her Type II diabetes ?
  • candistyx
    candistyx Posts: 547 Member
    Is there a reason you are trying to count fat and sugar instead of total calories?

    apart from her Type II diabetes ?
    that would explain counting sugar but what about fat?
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    If you've been diagnosed with diabetes, then I think it would be best to ask your doctor for either some dietary guidelines or a referral to a registered dietitian, rather than trying to research on your own on the internet. This is particularly important regarding sugar/carbs - just limiting sugar may not be enough, you might need to structure your day so that you're eating within a certain range of carbohydrates in total at each meal/snack. Also, diabetes or not, fat is not the enemy is was made out to be years ago (probably when you got the advice to limit yourself to foods that have 5g or less per serving). Unless you only have 5g of fat left for the day and you're dying for a snack, don't stress about those rather extreme and arbitrary limits. Craft your day as a whole with foods that nourish you and you enjoy, within appropriate calorie and macronutrient goals (especially whatever medical confines you might have).

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