The market for nutritional supplements is very mature. How to read the label of nutritional supplements? This article briefly introduces the main content of foreign supplement labels, including nutritional composition list, ingredient list and instructions for use, so as to help you better choose, purchase and use supplement products.
Nutritional Supplement Definition
A nutritional supplement (usually in the form of tablets, capsules, soft gels, liquids, powders, and bars) is a product that is taken orally and contains certain nutrients intended to supplement the daily diet. Ingredients in nutritional supplements may include vitamins, minerals, herbal or other plant compounds, amino acids, and other substances such as enzymes, organ tissue, glandular material, and metabolites. Nutritional supplements may also be extracts or concentrates from plants or foods.
Supplements Labels
What information is included on nutritional supplement labels? You should be most concerned about three parts: Nutrition Facts, Ingredients and Directions.
1. Nutrition Facts
The more important information on the nutrient composition list of nutritional supplement products will include the following 4 points:
1.1 Serving Size
The first thing on every food label is the amount per serving, since the entire Nutrition Facts list lists all information on a per-serving basis. Generally, the content per serving is the recommended intake for one intake. Depending on the dosage form of the nutritional supplement, the unit of each serving of the product will also be different, such as scoop, cup, capsule, tablet, milliliter (ml), etc. When using nutritional supplements, it is not necessary to follow the recommended serving size of the product, but you should use the "Serving Size" as a reference value to determine the intake of the product.
1.2 Calories
The labeling of energy will not appear in the ingredient list of each nutritional supplement. It will only be labeled when the product ingredients contain the three major energy-producing nutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates). Protein powder, energy bars, fish oil, etc. must indicate energy. The unit of "Calories" in the energy label is "kcal". When consuming nutritional supplements with higher energy content, it is best to make a reasonable plan based on the normal diet and not allow the total energy intake to exceed one's own needs.
1.3 Nutrient elements and content contained in the product
This part is the main content of the nutritional composition list, mainly the labeling of the major nutritional components. The nutrients that must be listed include: energy from fat/saturated fatty acids, total fat (fat), saturated fatty acids (saturated fat), polyunsaturated Fatty acids (PUFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and trans fatty acids (trans fat), cholesterol (Cholesterol), sodium (sodium), potassium (potassium), total carbohydrates (Carbohydrate), dietary fiber (Fiber), sugar (sugar),
Protein (Protein), vitamins (vitamins), minerals (minerals). The nutritional content of different nutritional supplements is also very different, and it is necessary to choose a suitable product according to the purpose of use.
1.4 Percent Daily Value (%DV)
The percentage of daily intake is based on the daily intake of 2000kcal as a reference amount of energy to determine the daily reference value and daily reference intake of nutrients. The percentage of each nutrient content in the product is the nutrition "%DV" on the ingredient list. For example: the sodium content per serving of a nutritional supplement is 68mg, taking the recommended sodium intake in food with a daily energy intake of 2000kcal as a reference value, the sodium content in each serving of the nutritional supplement accounts for one day 3% of total intake.
2. Ingredients
Understanding the following 3 points of information can basically help us understand the product ingredient list.
2.1 Pay attention to the order of ingredients
The formula ingredients on the ingredient list are arranged in descending order of content. The one with the highest content by weight is listed at the top of the ingredient list, and the one with the lowest content is listed at the end of the ingredient list.
The ingredient list in the above figure is an example. The product formula contains the highest content of glucose (glucose), and the lowest content of calcium citrate (calcium citrate).
Some products may specifically emphasize a certain active ingredient in the advertisement, but the actual content in the formula may not be high.
2.2 Be aware of ingredients that can cause allergies
Nowadays, there are still many people with food allergies, and the manufacturers only give special reminders to common allergens. If some people's food allergies are not very common, then you need to look specifically at the ingredient list when purchasing a product to see if there are any ingredients that cause your allergies. If there are no allergens that cause your food allergies in the ingredient list, you can basically use it with confidence.
2.3 Pay attention to the selection of main raw materials
This is a little bit more difficult. Taking protein powder as an example, if you only look at the nutrition facts table, there is only protein content on it, but the source of protein will not be reflected. Everyone should be aware that different protein sources have different efficacy and functions, and their digestion and absorption rates are also different. Such information can only be judged by looking at the protein source ingredients in the ingredient list and choosing the right product. Of course, we only need to pay attention to the main sources of nutrients, so we don’t need to know all the ingredients in the ingredient list.
3. Directions
This part is the instructions to guide you to use the product correctly, and the content of the instructions for different types of products is different. Nutrients are not the more you eat, the better. Excessive intake of certain nutrients can be toxic, such as fat-soluble vitamins and mineral elements. Nutritional supplements in the form of capsules and tablets are easy to take, but if the intake exceeds the dosage in the instructions for use, symptoms of poisoning may occur after long-term use. Powdered nutritional supplement products have requirements for brewing temperature and water consumption during brewing. It is recommended to follow the steps in the product description as much as possible to ensure the best use effect of the product. At the same time, it is particularly emphasized here that before using nutritional supplements, it is best to consult a professional clinical nutritionist or registered dietitian, and then determine whether to use them after a professional assessment.