Select from the following services
With Smart Eating Week underway, Connect Health & Community dietitian, Angela, gives us some tips on how to overcome confusion when trying to make healthy choices in the supermarket aisle.
Often when we shop for food we can be confronted with conflicting nutritional messages on the items we consider.
Products boasting ‘no added sugar,’ ‘low fat’ or ‘all natural’ make the decisions we’re trying to make confusing, especially if we are trying to manage or improve our health.
But five years ago the Australian Government introduced a new food scoring system, the Health Star Rating, in an effort to make our choices easier.
Similar to the system for rating whitegoods’ energy use, packaged foods are given a star-based assessment of their overall nutrition. The Health Star Rating compares similar products and rates them from ½ a star to 5 stars.
But the program is voluntary, so while companies don’t need to apply the rating to their product, where it is available it can be a handy tool.
So you can compare one yogurt other yoghurts, or a cereal to other cereals. But you wouldn’t compare a packet of chips to yogurt, because they are different products.
Check out this video by Choice and the Australian Government website for more information:
And if you are still seeking a little more help when you shop, another resource you can use to identify better food choices is the FoodSwitch app.
This app allows you to scan a product’s barcode to see its health star rating. It will also give you information on fat, saturated fat, energy, sugar and salt.
The app also provides suggestions of similar products that may have a higher Health Star Rating and features other handy features including information on gluten content.
And being electronic, it is updated regularly so you have the latest information at your fingertips.
Happy, healthy food shopping.
The past year at Connect Health & Community has been, like everywhere, most challenging - but surprisingly uplifting, as we worked with our community to meet the challenges of a worldwide pandemic.
Read MoreOur dietitian, Angela, provides some tips for how we can save money and still eat well in 2021.
Read MoreAs we head into the festive season and turn our minds to saying a big "Farewell!" to 2020, the Federal Government has reviewed the guidelines for what is considered safe levels of drinking to reduce harm.
Read MoreSpeech pathologists provide assessment and management of communication, swallowing and feeding difficulties.
Read MoreWe have been offering safe and quality door-to-door transport options to our community since 1975.
Read MoreWe provide Occupational Therapy to help children, adults and those experiencing mental health issues, to achieve their full potential.
Read MoreSelect from the following services