Nutrition Labelling and the Elderly

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Nutrition Labelling and the Elderly

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Problems of the Elderly

• Bodily function changes along with ageing.
• Eating problems can result in an imbalanced diet
  that may subsequently affect nutritional status.
• Increased risk of developing chronic diseases
  such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart
  diseases.
• Other common problems among the elderly, e.g.
• Osteoporosis
• Constipation

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Osteoporosis

• Osteoporosis is a metabolic disease of bone.
• It leads to a reduction in bone density, and the
  affected bones become thinner and are more likely
  to break (fracture).
• It may result in pain and other complications,
  including loss of independence.

(Source of information Department of Health)
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Osteoporosis

• As it is necessary to build strong and healthy
  bones starting at an early age, everyone should
  maintain balanced diet and perform regular
  exercise over a lifetime to avoid osteoporosis
  later in life.
• Balanced diet
• Eat calcium-rich foods
• Ensure adequate vitamin D intake
• Avoid salty (high sodium) food which affects
  calcium absorption

(Source of information Department of Health)
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Constipation

• If the faeces are very hard or if there is great
  difficulty in passing it out, then it is
  constipation.
• Peristalsis of the intestine in the elderly is
  usually weakened, hence they are more prone to
  constipation.
• Inadequate water or lack of fibre in food leads
  to hard faeces.

(Source of information Department of Health)
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Constipation

• Eating tips
• Take a high fibre diet
• Drink adequate fluid like water, soup and fruit
  juice.
• Exercise everyday can help increase peristaltic
  movement of the bowel be relaxed.

(Source of information Department of Health)
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Nutrition Labelling and the Elderly

• The use of nutrition labelling can help the
  elderly and their carers choose suitable foods

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Read and Use Nutrition Labels
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Examples of Recommended Format of Nutrition Label
Tabular format
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Examples of Recommended Format of Nutrition Label
Linear format (for small packages with total
surface area of less than 200 cm2)
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Required Nutrients on Nutrition Labels

• 17 (energy plus seven nutrients specified for
  labelling) i.e. energy, protein, total fat,
  saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sugars
  and sodium.
• Nutrient(s) involved in nutrition claim(s) (when
  the nutrition claim is on any type of fat, the
  amount of cholesterol must be declared as well).
• For other nutrients, declaration is voluntary.

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Making Use of Nutrition Label

• Consumers can
• Compare the nutritional content among different
  foods for a healthier choice, e.g. to choose food
  that is lower in fat, sodium (or salt) and
  sugars.
• Understand the nutritional content of food and
  estimate their contribution to the overall diet.
• To meet individuals dietary needs.

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Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label
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Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label

• Step 1 
• Take note of the reference amount of food being
  used in the nutrition label
• Step 2 
• Read the energy and nutrient content together
  with the reference amount
• Step 3 
• Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value
  (NRV), if available, to see if the food contains
  a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the
  food

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Step 1 Take note of the reference amount of food
being used in the nutrition label

• Expressed as per 100 g (or per 100 mL) of food

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Step 1 Take note of the reference amount of food
being used in the nutrition label

• Expressed as per serving (the serving size (in g
  or mL) and the no. of servings must be specified
  on the package)

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Step 1 Take note of the reference amount of food
being used in the nutrition label

• Expressed as per package (if the package contains
  only a single serving )

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Step 2 Read the energy and nutrient content
together with the reference amount

1. Use nutrition label to compare between products
2. Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of
   energy and nutrients you get from food

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Step 2AUse nutrition label to compare between
products

• Products with nutritional content expresssed in
  the SAME reference amount

If reference amount is the SAME, you CAN COMPARE
between the products DIRECTLY
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Step 2AUse nutrition label to compare between
products

• Products with nutritional content expresssed in
  DIFFERENT reference amounts

If reference amounts are DIFFERENT, you CANNOT
COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY
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Step 2A Use nutrition label to compare between
products

• Products with nutritional content expresssed in
  DIFFERENT reference amounts

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Step 2B Use nutrition label to calculate the
amount of energy and nutrients you get from food

• The more you eat, the more you get
• If you eat 1 serving of biscuit
• Get 8 g of fat, 3.5 g of saturated fat
• If you eat 2 servings of biscuit
• Get 16 g of fat, 7 g of saturated fat

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Step 2B Use nutrition label to calculate the
amount of energy and nutrients you get from food

• Energy and nutrient content expressed as per 100
  g/mL

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Step 3 Refer to the percentage Nutrient
Reference Value (NRV), if available, to see if
the food contains a lot or a little of energy or
a nutrient in the food

• NRV is usually on a scale from 0 to 100.

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Step 3 Refer to the percentage Nutrient
Reference Value (NRV), if available, to see if
the food contains a lot or a little of energy or
a nutrient in the food

• For nutrients that needed to limit their intake
• E.g. total fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugars
• Look for foods that have lower NRV
• Get enough of nutrients that are good for health
• E.g. dietary fibre
• Look for foods that have higher NRV

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Use Nutrition Label to Choose Prepackaged Food
Suitable for the Elderly
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Principles of Healthy Eating

• Choose a variety of food and eat cereals as the
  largest portion of food in every meal.
• Eat a lot of vegetables and fruit.
• Reduce the consumption of foodstuffs with high
  salt, fat and sugar content as well as those
  which are preserved.
• A daily fluid intake of 6 to 8 glasses (including
  clear soup, fruit juice and tea).
• Take meals regularly and in adequate amounts.
• (Source of information Department of Health)

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Nutrition Labelling is a Useful Tool for
Practising Healthy Eating

• Nutrition label and nutrition claim can help the
  elderly choose suitable prepackaged food in
  accordance with healthy eating principles, as
  well as their own physical conditions and dietary
  modification, e.g.
• Choose food lower in fat, sodium (or salt) and
  sugars (3 Low)
• Choose food higher in calcium
• Choose food higher in dietary fibre

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Choose Prepackaged Food Suitable for the Elderly

• Use nutrition claim as a quick screening tool
  and
• Take three simple steps to read nutrition label

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Use Nutrition Claim to Choose Suitable
Prepackaged Food
The words below are considered as synonyms for
nutrition claims, they may help the elderly
choose food lower in fat, sodium and sugars
Claim Meaning of Claim
Free No Zero Without Does not contain Insignificant amount of a particular nutrient found in the food
Very low Extremely low Super low This category of claim applies to sodium only, meaning a very small amount of sodium found in the food
Low Little Low source Few Contains a small amount of A small amount of nutrient found in the food
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Use Nutrition Claim to Choose Suitable
Prepackaged Food
The words below are considered as synonyms for
nutrition claims, they may help the elderly
choose food higher in calcium and dietary fibre
Claim Meaning of Claim
Source Contains With Provides Has A significant amount of a particular nutrient found in the food.
High Good source High source Rich in Plenty of A very significant amount of a particular nutrient found in the food.
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Use Nutrition Label to Choose Suitable
Prepackaged Food

• Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label
• Step 1 
• Take note of the reference amount of food being
  used in the nutrition label
• Step 2 
• Read and compare the nutritional content
• Step 3 
• Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value
  (NRV) (If available)

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How to Choose Prepackaged Food Suitable for the
Elderly Example 1
Nutrition Information???? Nutrition Information????
Servings Per Package/??????????? 1 Servings Per Package/??????????? 1
Serving Size/???? 236mL/236?? Serving Size/???? 236mL/236??
Per Package ???
Energy/ ?? 156kcal/??
Protein/ ??? 7.8g/?
Total fat/ ??? 9.0g/?
- Saturated fat/ ???? 5.9g/?
- Trans fat/ ???? 0.2g/?
Carbohydrates/ ????? 11g/?
- Sugars/ ? 11g/?
Sodium/ ? 97mg/??
Calcium/ ? 114mg/??
Nutrition Information???? Nutrition Information????
Servings Per Package/??????????? 1 Servings Per Package/??????????? 1
Serving Size/???? 236mL/236?? Serving Size/???? 236mL/236??
Per Package ???
Energy/ ?? 84kcal/??
Protein/ ??? 8.5g/?
Total fat/ ??? 0.2g/?
- Saturated fat/ ???? 0.2g/?
- Trans fat/ ???? 0g/?
Carbohydrates/ ????? 12g/?
- Sugars/ ? 12g/?
Sodium/ ? 104mg/??
Calcium/ ? 156mg/??
Milk Beverage A
Milk Beverage B
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How to Choose Prepackaged Food Suitable for the
Elderly Example 2
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How to Choose Prepackaged Food Suitable for the
Elderly Example 3
Nutrition Information Nutrition Information Nutrition Information
Servings Per Package 5 Servings Per Package 5 Servings Per Package 5
Serving Size 3 pieces (50 g) Serving Size 3 pieces (50 g) Serving Size 3 pieces (50 g)
Per Serving Chinese NRV Per Serving
Energy 271kcal 14
Protein 2.9g 5
Total fat 13.8g 23
- Saturated fat 8.4g 42
- Trans fat 0g
Carbohydrates 33.7g 11
- Sugars 21.7g
Dietary fibre 1.5g 6
Sodium 80mg 4
Nutrition Information Nutrition Information Nutrition Information
Servings Per Package 5 Servings Per Package 5 Servings Per Package 5
Serving Size 3 pieces (50 g) Serving Size 3 pieces (50 g) Serving Size 3 pieces (50 g)
Per Serving Chinese NRV Per Serving
Energy 170kcal 9
Protein 4.7g 8
Total fat 1.1g 2
- Saturated fat 0.2g 1
- Trans fat 0g
Carbohydrates 35.3g 12
- Sugars 1.6g
Dietary fibre 5.8g 23
Sodium 90mg 5
Biscuit E
Biscuit F
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