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Half a can green labelling ??

A

Awsparx

Member
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9
You have to wonder how food companies get away with there labelling

I was taught the traffic light method of looking for green on carbs and sugars but I've noticed how many items are labelled green as per half can or per 30 grams or even per slice.. I mean does anyone eat half a tin of soup lol...

Seems to me it's easy to label a product as healthy if you can simply reduce the measured quantity to get the green label who regulates these things because its a sugar minefield out there...
 
Always ignore the traffic lights, just turn the item over and check the carbs.
 
Riva_Roxaban said:
I agree, I always look at the nutrition info on the back of item first, to see how many carbs per 100 are in it.
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I'm still angry about the time when I went hypo after walking down Southend Pier and treated myself to a mini tub of icecream as a pick up. Yes, the nutritional info had the carbs, per g, and the contents of the container, in ml. Not very helpful, specially when hypo.
 
I hate the traffic lights: they are supposed to clarify, but I think it's deliberate obfuscation in many cases. What we want and what we need is clear data per 100g.
 
Awsparx said:
Seems to me it's easy to label a product as healthy if you can simply reduce the measured quantity to get the green label who regulates these things because its a sugar minefield out there...
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It’s particularly a problem in the US when often you only get the nutritional information for whatever the manufacturer decrees to be a ‘portion’ size and there’s no round up per 100g or whatever the equivalent is in ounces.
 
The traffic light system wasn't designed with people living with diabetes in mind. I'm not sure exactly whom it is designed to help.

The definition of low carb is under130gr per day, so depending on the individual's target carb level and what else they might be eating or drinking during the day, even a whole can could be low carb, in the context of the day.

Personally, and as a household, we don't use many cans and packages. We eat mainly fresh, made from scratch.

I do appreciate that not everyone has the time, or even inclination to live as we do, but it seems to work OK for us.
 
Geordie_P said:
I hate the traffic lights: they are supposed to clarify, but I think it's deliberate obfuscation in many cases. What we want and what we need is clear data per 100g.
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The traffic light system just ignores carbs - they are not involved at all.
Something low sugar can be high carb, it is as simple as that.
 
Ignoring the traffic light system, (I always have) 1/2 a can of soup is actually a normal portion, we as a nation have been increasing our portions of food for decades. I have lately realised my portion sizes have crept up and up and now I’m addressing it I’ve realised just what a portion size is.

I’ve never liked any tinned soup (except Hienz tomato but that’s not soup it’s nectar lol oh how I miss it) and always make my own, most days I’m now having 1/2 can size portion with a keto bread roll - about the size of a large golf ball for lunch and it’s enough.

I’m reminding myself that there is usually half a plateful difference between satisfied and full, satisfied is what we should be
 
If it does come with a label that a great clue to avoid it particularly if its got ingredients you don't recognise and you couldn't reproduce it in a domestic kitchen...Yes check out the carbs (of which sugars) inclusive of soluble fibre (US) bit to see what's been snuck in to make the thing taste moreish or you are a graduate of a carb counting course and think you can get your bolus spot on by doing the maths.
It is pointless to have universal traffic light style system when there's no nutritional consensus on what healthy is other than sugar is pretty useless (unless you are a type 1 needing hypo help).
 
Hi. Ignore the traffic light system as it's based on nutritional ignorance. Look at the back of food packs and check Total carbs; also ignore calories as they are also irrelevant.
 
Daibell said:
Hi. Ignore the traffic light system as it's based on nutritional ignorance. Look at the back of food packs and check Total carbs; also ignore calories as they are also irrelevant.
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calories are not irrelevant to me. Many of us need to keep an eye on calories as well as carbs to control our weight.
 
I have to count calories as well as carbs, they are definitely very relevant for me. I gain weight very easily even on keto if I consume too many calories
 
Unfortunately you do often have to read the carb count per 100g and do the maths! It does annoy me when they don’t give the figures for the amount you actually eat.
I agree with Loving Life about 1/2 can soup being a normal portion, about portion sizes creeping up and about the need to count calories as well as carbs. I did this when first diagnosed and successfully lost a lot of weight and went into ‘remission’ When I began to count only carbs, the weight crept on and I went back to pre-diabetic status. Just below diabetic.
I don’t agree about Heinz tomato soup - can’t stand it but I did once accidentally make some soup that tasted exactly like it and would be quite low carb. Unfortunately I can’t remember or find the recipe but it involved tinned tomatoes, Smokey bacon, stock and cream. Plus a couple of other things I’ve forgotten. Maybe onions? Maybe mixed herbs or dried basil?
 
lovinglife said:
I have to count calories as well as carbs, they are definitely very relevant for me. I gain weight very easily even on keto if I consume too many calories
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The weakness of Calories is that they can be 100% Fat or 100% Carb or in between. Fats have twice the Calorie content of Carbs so the measure is weak. Also it's the Carbs rather than the Fats that cause weight gain. Much better to keep the Carbs down to avoid BS and weight gain and adjust the Fats and Proteins to keep feeling full and provide balance. Calories are based on very weak science for food input and have been heavily promoted by the diet industry as a simple marketing tool but with little scientific basis. I know you won't agree but have a look round the web to see how the three food groups work in the body and the weakness of Calories.
 
I know my lived experience. Your experience doesn't negate mine. We are all different. Too many fats and protein calories stall my weight loss or cause me to gain weight. I count both carbs (around 50g a day,) and calories. This method works for me. It would appear your different approach works for you. I hope you acknowledge that there are different individual pathways to successful weight management and blood sugar control.
 
Errr I stated I do keto? I’ve been doing this 14 years I don’t need to look around the web to know what works for me. I have lost a very large amount of weight so maybe in the beginning calories didn’t matter so much but now they certainly do. Everybody’s sweet spot is different- I’ve found mine that works for me, I get most of my calories from protein and fats in my food, e.g.) the fat on meat, avocado, eggs, I don’t add a lot of fats like butter, cream or cheese, I have to use those sparingly they definitely make me gain weight.
 
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