100% reliable, comprehensive nutrition info

[ericdeeson]

Is it really the case that nowhere in NHS publishes such a resource available and accessible to the public, and that no-one in the NHS can recommend one that is fully reliable and trustworthy (ie not attached to special-interest and therefore suspect food groups)?

Surely what dieters need is a directory of generic foods and foodstuffs that lists for (eg) 100 g of each the dietary info often given on bought packaged foods plus (kilo)calories, joules, vitamins, dietary strengths and health weaknesses AND perhaps adds notes on specific brands where their contents diverge significantly from the generic.

If there are such resources, please let us know them. If not, allow me to suggest that the powers-that-be consider developing something as an essential support to all the current NHS spending on weight management?

Many thanks

[Julie Thompson]

Hi ericdeeson

As a dietitian I can give you information on a resource that we use for calculating basic nutrient contents of foods, this is a book by the Royal Society of Chemistry and I believe it is currently being updated - it is called McCance & Widdowson The Composition of Foods and is freely available for anyone to purchase. It is however limited to the total number of foods that it contains and as far as I am aware it is not available online - I am happy to be corrected on this point! It is also a large book - not at all like the small pocket directories containing information on macronutrients that can be purchased at most book outlets - these should be suitable for most people's requirements. You might even be able to loan The Composition of Foods from a library, possibly. Many dietetic departments use dietary analysis packages also, but these can be prohibitively expensive for the general public to be able to afford. I suspect it would be prohibitively expensive for the NHS to be able to independently analyse all manufactured food items that are available in the uk or in fact have free open access to a dietary analysis package. It is not always as accurate to analyse 'generic foods', food manufacturers have a responsibility to analyse foods accurately and as such you should also be able to rely on the information contained on the packaging. This area of testing will be overseen by the Food Standards Agency if you want to know more about food legislation and nutrient analysis check out http://www.food.gov.uk. I hope this answers your question.

[ericdeeson]

Yes, Julie (if I may) - this "sorta" answers the question, and you provide some potentially useful leads which I appreciate. Two big questions that remain are
(a) How reliable are sellers' nutritional data on packaging?
and
(b) What about fresh foods (such as fruit, veg and some dairy products) that have no such packaging but are near-essential components of a balanced diet? (Is it for instance really true as is widely claimed that you can eat as much banana as you wish / can afford without harming your weight loss diet?)

Many thanks - Eric

[Julie Thompson]

Hi Eric

I feel that nutritional information on packages should be reliable enough to provide information for you to be able to calculate your macronutrient intake at least. All analysis will have a tolerance to the tests that are performed but I have not seen any information as to the tolerance levels of the tests - most food companies will send samples to independent test laboratories to be tested. The Composition of Foods does have examples of basic fruit & vegetables and their micronutrient and macronutrient contents, but it is an expensive book and will take time for you to calculate your intake. I strongly advise you to have a look at the book and see how easy it is to use before you decide to purchase it. Perhaps registering on a diet site that has a dietary analysis package might be an easier option - but I'm afraid I cannot give you any recommendations as I have not tried any such sites.

Too much of any food item is not really a good idea, as the saying suggests variety is the spice of life. There is certainly nothing wrong with bananas per say but a balanced diet is the best option to acquire all the nutrients that you need. A banana has between 80-100kcal per portion so if you eat 10 for example this will impact on your total energy intake! Check out the link below for what is a balanced diet

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1127.aspx?CategoryID=51

I hope this helps

[ericdeeson]

Thanks, Julie, for
(a) the link to NHS's "What is a healthy, balanced diet?" - a generally clear and sensible page with, also, a number of useful links elsewhere;
(b) the info about bananas - which tells me I shouldn't snack on them (I tend to snack on half a dozen plus about half a dozen medium sized carrots a day).

What a business this all is - since I joined WeightWatchers three months ago I've spent on average 1-2 h a day in tracking intake, exercise and weight and in research. I guess I've made some progress in knowledge (and plenty on weight loss) but there are lots of uncertainties left!

Thanks again, Julie - Eric

[Julie Thompson]

Hi Eric

Just for your information whilst looking at another topic I found a calorie counting app on the NHS Choices website that you might find useful - it is free, check out the following link

http://apps.nhs.uk/tags/nutrition-2

I have not used it but NHS Choices is a trustworthy site.

As I said previously, bananas are not bad for you, they contain fibre and potassium and are a fruit, but if you eat too much of anything it can increase your total energy intake. But having said that, bananas would be a better choice that chocolate, cake and biscuits - so it really does depend on your situation! Getting a good variety of foods is probably a good idea. Good luck with your efforts!

[ericdeeson]

Wow - never come across NHS apps before: many thanks, Julie. Lots of interesting apps there - though the one you mention, like perhaps most, is for Apple and Android products only ... not my BlackBerry. I'll try it in my tablet tomorrow, though.

Bestest - Eric