|
|
 |
How to read a nutritional table
|
| Alongside the traditional labels, many food products have an additional table which provides the main nutritional information. This is of great use for familiarising ourselves with what we eat, although it is not always easy to understand. |
|
|
|
|
We need only consult the nutritional table on the packaging of many products to find out all about it. It is a "special" label which, in addition to energy values, also displays the quantity of nutrients found in a given portion of the product.
Whilst the nutritional table has been obligatory for some years now in America, in Italy displaying the nutritional information is optional. It is only obligatory when the package or the advertising campaign of a product contain a particular nutritional message, such as when a food product is described as being "dietary" or "energizing".
These regulations are set out in the 1990 European directive 90/496/CEE governing the nutritional labelling of foods. According to the regulation, all this information must be grouped together in a space which is clearly visible on the packaging, and must be written in such a way as to be easy to read and understand. Generally speaking, the nutritional data refers to 100 grams of product (100millilitres for liquids), or to a single package.
|
|
|
|
The first item on a nutritional table is the energy value, given in kilocalories (kcal) and kilojoules (kJ). But take note: everyday reference to the energy value of a food product use the term "calorie" improperly, meaning the kilocalorie which is actually equivalent to one thousand calories. In science, the calorie is defined as the quantity of heat needed to warm one gram of distilled water from 14.5_ to 15.5_ centigrade. On the other hand, the notion of the work thermal equivalent, the Joule (energy measurement unit of the International System (SI)) is due to scientist James Prescott Joule (1818-1889). According to the English physicist's measurements, one kcal equals 4,1855kJ. The use of two units of measurements can be misleading and cause confusion: it is a good idea to bear in mind that the 1800kcals recommended by dieticians correspond to 7350kJ. A food's total energy value is the sum of the energy values of its individual nutrients. Proteins and carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram. Fats, on the other hand, contain 9 per gram, alcohol has 7 and organic acids have 3. Further down the table, the quantities in grams of proteins, carbohydrates, fats or lipids, alimentary fibres and sodium are to be found. If present in significant quantities, data regarding the vitamins and minerals must be shown. In this case, their recommended daily intake (RDI) percentage must also be indicated
|
|
|
|
The indication of the number of calories in a food product should be linked to the daily calorie requirements, namely the quantity of energy needed by an individual to maintain his or her body weight. This value, expressed in kcal, is the sum of a number of factors: the basal metabolism, energy expended in physical activity and the dynamic-specific action of the foods.
The basal metabolism is the measure of the amount of energy used by an organism in resting and fasting conditions in order to maintain its vital functions: approximately 20 percent of this energy is used by the muscles, the rest by internal organs. The energy expended during physical activity is the measure of energy required by the body to carry out the different physical activities, whilst the estimate of the calories consumed by the body to digest and metabolise foods is defined as food dynamic-specific action.
Daily calorie intakes do, of course, vary according to age, sex, weight and the type of activity performed by the individual. An average-weight woman (about 55 kilos) with a sedentary lifestyle needs about 1850 kcal per day, whilst a man weighing 70 kilos under the same conditions would need about 2250. If the physical activity is light, the requirements rise to 2000-2200 kcal for the woman and 2900-3200 for the man, whilst the diet of a man who carries out heavy work should provide about 3750kcal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THE NUTRITIONAL TABLE FOR PASTA |
|
|
All packaging for Barilla products carries the nutritional table. Durum wheat pasta, the most common and widespread, has the chemical composition and average values indicated per 100 grams of product, which provide 360kcals of energy (equal to 1487kJ), of which approximately 72-70 percent are in the form of complex carbohydrates, a protein quota equal to 10-13 percent and a negligible amount of fats. The energy value of 100grams of pasta thus provides approximately 12 grams of proteins, 72.2 of carbohydrates and 1.5 of fats. Excluding, of course, any accompanying sauces.
Starch is the main source of carbohydrates, being an excellent source of energy which is extremely easy to digest. The protein substances are mostly concentrated in the wheat germ (the vital part from which the plant develops) and are to be found in greater amounts in durum wheat pasta than soft wheat pasta.
|
|
|
|
|
