Diabetes Matters - online subscriptions are no longer available Summer 2015 | Page 27
How it Works
First, the food product is grouped into one of five categories:
food, beverages, oils, spreads or dairy.
Points are then awarded for ingredients with good nutritional
value such as fibre, fruit, vegetables, nuts or legumes. Points are
docked for ingredients that have low nutritional value and could
contribute to chronic illnesses, such as sodium, saturated fat and
total sugars. The total energy (kilojoules/calories) per 100g is
also taken into account.
Finally, the score is converted into a star rating, ranging from
½ a star to five stars. Food manufacturers calculate this score
by using the ‘Health Star Rating Calculator’ developed by the
Australian Government.
Key Points to Remember
It’s a voluntary system
Fresh vs packaged
Discover the full story
Products are not required to have a
Health Star Rating; it is purely a voluntary
system. So be careful not to overlook
products that do not have a star rating,
as they could be the healthier option!
For the full story, always read the
nutritional label. If the labels confuse you,
Diabetes WA’s ShopSmart program can
help you become a whizz at decoding
food labels.
Diabetes WA Dietitian and Diabetes
Educator, Rebecca Flavel, says
unfortunately the Health Star Rating
System is only used for packaged foods,
and does not take fresh foods into
account.
Make sure to keep in mind that the
Health Star Rating System is just a quick
snapshot of an item’s nutritional content.
It can be very helpful when making
comparisons at a glance, but it does not
always show the full story.
“While looking for products with a high
Health Star Rating is a good start when
you are at the shops, don’t forget about
fresh foods like eggs, fruit, vegetables
and lean meats when shopping,” suggests
Rebecca.
“The Health Star Rating can be a good
tool for people with diabetes who are
looking for a healthier choice,” said
Rebecca.
Don’t compare between
categories
It is important to remember that this
system is designed to help people
compare products of the same category
(food, beverages, oils, spreads and
dairy). The calculating process means
that the star ratings are slightly different
between each category. For example, the
system will help you choose between
two different breakfast cereals, but not
between fruit juice and margarine spread.
Sometimes vs everyday
The Health Star Rating System made
headlines in July this year when an article
published on ‘The Conversation’ website
pointed out that a Greek-style yogurt had
been awarded less stars than a pack of
liquorice. While the two products were
in different categories, it did highlight
the fact that the rating system did not
take into account that liquorice was a
‘sometimes’ discretionary food and a
dairy product, like yoghurt, was a core
‘everyday’ food.
“My advice would be to use the star
rating as a tool for choosing between
core, nutritious foods in the same
category; however, for the full nutritional
story, learning to decode nutritional labels
is always a good skill.”
Learn how to analyse nutritional labels
with the Diabetes WA shopping tour
program, ShopSmart. To find a session
near you, call 1300 136 588 or email
[email protected]
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