Is this what your favorite snack will look like in the future? would like to abolish the
- Experts want snack labels to list how much exercise they need to digest
- I could see a chocolate bar being smashed with a warning to keep running for 20 minutes.
- Traffic light labels are confusing and prone to calorie overload, they say
- The results are based on a survey of over 2,500 consumers conducted by UK experts.
Experts say junk food labels should tell shoppers how much exercise they need to eat cakes, biscuits and potato chips to stop gaining weight.
A 200-calorie item is slapped and warned that it will burn out after a 30-minute walk.
Obesity-fighting experts say the information is much easier to understand than current traffic light stickers.
Therefore, they believe it is likely to deter people from purchasing foods that are bad for their waistlines.
Researchers at Loughborough University tested a concept known as Physical Activity Calorie Equivalents, or PACE, on 2,668 consumers.
Overall, people liked the existing red, yellow, and green labels that warn if an item is high in salt, sugar, or fat.
The Future of Food Warning Labeling?Scientists Want To Tell Consumers How Much Exercise They Need To Burn Calories From Their Favorite Snacks
In the UK, it will replace the familiar traffic light system that warns Britons of foods high in fat, sugar and salt.
A total of 43% claimed that the traffic light system was better, compared to 27% who chose PACE.
Still, they acknowledged that PACE was easier to understand and attract attention.
Nearly half (49%) say PACE helps them focus more, compared to 39% of traffic light systems.
And 41% felt PACE was an easier way to understand calories compared to just 27% for red, yellow and green alerts.
Lead researcher and behavioral medicine expert Professor Amanda Daly said: “Nutrition labeling helps people make food choices and traffic light labeling is the UK standard.
“But many people don’t understand what the calories and grams of fat on food labels mean.”
As a result, they “often underestimate the calorie count when no labeling is provided,” she added.
PACE is already used by some apps like MyFoodDiary and myfitnesspal to convert your meals into the workouts you need to burn.
People questioned in the survey said they preferred the labeling system if it only appeared on snacks and junk foods such as chocolate and cakes, rather than on staples such as pasta, bread and vegetables.
The authors state:
“The next step is to test whether PACE labeling reduces purchases of high-calorie foods and beverages in various food settings such as restaurants, vending machines, coffee shops and pubs.”
The findings will be presented at the International Obesity Conference in Melbourne, October 18-22.
Overweight is considered one of the UK’s biggest and growing health problems, with the latest data showing that 64% of adults are overweight and many more are projected to become obese in the future. I’m here.
Obesity not only stretches Britain’s waistline, it also increases health care costs. Between 2014 and 2015, the NHS spent an estimated £6.1bn on treating weight-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
America faces a greater obesity epidemic, with an estimated 73.6% of adults believed to be either overweight or obese.
What does a balanced diet look like?
According to the NHS, the diet should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains.
• Eat five or more servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day.All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count
• A staple of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains
• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is the equivalent of eating 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, 2 whole grain cereal biscuits, 2 whole grain breads, and a large baked potato with the skin on.
• Provide dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks) and choose low-fat and low-sugar options.
• Eat legumes, legumes, fish, eggs, meat, and other proteins (2 servings of fish per week, 1 serving of which contains oily)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume them in small portions.
• Drink 6-8 glasses of water per day
• Adults should have less than 6g of salt per day, less than 20g of saturated fat for women and less than 30g of saturated fat for men.
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide
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