How many times have you spent countless hours trying to decipher the nutritional panel on a food package and then just end up more confused than when you started? One of the most common questions I get asked is “what should I look at – the sugar or the fat?”  Well they are both important nutrients that can, when used in the right way add nutritional value to our food. On the flip side of that though, used in the wrong way, can add extra unnecessary calories to our diet.

There are five types of sugar that all count as carbohydrate. Whatever form sugar is consumed in, it contributes to our calorie intake. Added sugar and foods with sugar as their main ingredient, I call empty calories – that is they provide calories with no nutrients. Because it is almost impossible to avoid all sugar, the aim of the game should be to include sweetened foods that pack nutrients, not just calories – dairy foods, breakfast cereals, porridge with brown sugar or jam on wholegrain toast.

So how can you tell whether a food packs nutrients not just calories? The first place I always look is on the ingredients list. Ingredients are listed in descending order so if the first one on the list is ‘glucose syrup’ that means that sugar is the biggest ingredient in that product. Often in breakfast cereals, the sugar may be 25g per 100g but added sugar is near the bottom of the list, if at all, because in many cases, the sugar in a cereal is in the form of fructose from the fruit rather than added sugar, making it a good choice.

Just like sugar, there are different types of fat, all of them contributing to our calorie intake. However fat has twice as many calories as sugar or carbohydrate so it is important you pick wisely. Some foods that are high in fat can still also be very nutritious. Take nuts for instance, they are a great source of protein and are packed full of vitamins and minerals, but remember they are still high in fat so have too many they will be friendly to your heart but not to your hips!

But the truth is anything in excess, sugar or fat, is not friendly to your hips, so if your goal is to lose a few kilos then your calories in (food) must be less than your calories out (exercise), so watch for those add-ons and extras that have empty calories.  A simpler way of looking at it is to ensure that you eat a wide range of foods from all the main food groups. Every thing in moderation!