Nutrition Guidelines

All snacks available on our website have been analysed by Sarah based on the following criteria/guidelines:

• Made from mostly whole-food ingredients that are easily recognised
• Low/no added sugar
• Aiming for an overall sugar content of less than 10g/100g (5g/100g even better). For sweet products (for example containing dried fruit), this will be hard to achieve. In that case, the following additional criteria apply (see more on sugars below):
  * Aim for an overall sugar content of less than 15g/100g
  * Only contains natural sugar sources or sweeteners that are naturally derived
  * Consider the fibre and protein content to balance out this sugar load
  * Consider who is eating the snack, and the timing of that snack (e.g around exercise sugar/carbohydrate is important)
  * Consider the serving size as a small serving of this may be ok depending on who is eating the snack and when.
• Sodium (salt) content in line with guidelines depending on age group, see details below
• Low in saturated fat, using unsaturated fats instead

The following guidelines give an idea of what you are aiming for over a day:

Reading labels for sodium - Adults

• Low-salt foods have less than 120 mg of sodium per 100g
• Moderate-salt foods have 120–600 mg of sodium per 100g
• High-salt foods have more than 600 mg of sodium per 100g

Reading labels for sodium - Children

• Low-salt foods have less than 120 mg of sodium per 100g
• Moderate-salt foods have 120–400 mg of sodium per 100g
• High-salt foods have more than 400 mg of sodium per 100g

1 g salt = ~400 mg sodium

For medium and high salt snacks, you may wish to consider limiting intake for kids. However, it is important to consider in relation to total daily sodium intake. For example, if the rest of their diet is generally low in sodium, then a few higher sodium snacks should be OK. Rest assured, these snacks are still nutritious and provide great benefits, and may still be the best option for your kids given your specific situation. If you would like personalised nutritional advice, please contact Sarah on sarah@seednutrition.co.nz.

Why do we need to pay attention to sodium in children?

• Children’s kidneys are still developing, and they are more sensitive/have less capacity to process excess sodium.
• High sodium diets in early life can influence taste preferences long-term.
• Many processed snack foods (e.g. crackers, cheese sticks, chips) can quickly add up to high sodium intake.

Tips

• I suggest avoiding any food with higher than 400mg of sodium per 100g in children under 3, and be very mindful of how frequent this snack is in older children’s diets.
• Even though there are Upper limits above, this is a maximum and sodium intake can easily sneak up if using packaged foods.
• Read labels!

Adults also need to be mindful of high sodium intake as high intake over time can lead to high blood pressure in some individuals. The Heart Foundation of NZ has shown that the average daily consumption of sodium for kiwis is over 3,000mg/day, but that for optimal heart health we should be aiming for half that - 1,500mg/day.

When assessing the sugar content of foods, it can be helpful to look at the nutrition information panel in the context of the whole food rather than focusing on sugar alone. Consider:

• the total carbohydrate content,
• whether sugars are naturally occurring or added,
• the fibre and protein content,
• portion size,
• and how the food fits within overall activity levels and dietary patterns.

To summarise; if the sugars in the nutrition panel are <5g/100g = low sugar, if >15g/100g it is high sugar. You also need to check if there are naturally occurring sugars like dried fruit or milk products which will contain lactose, these are less of a concern. Or are they added - free sugars, like honey, syrups or table sugar 

If you have a high sugar product you are unsure about then look at the nutrition panel, does it also contain fibre and protein? If so, this bumps up its nutritional value. Also, note the serving size, it may be a very small serving size and therefore provide minimal sugar if you are just having one serve.

1 teaspoon sugar = ~4 g

So for an adult, the <10% limit is ~13 teaspoons/day, and the <5% target is ~6–7 teaspoons/day — including all added sugar plus that in juice or honey. We should be aiming for the 5% target*.

*A key consideration with all nutrition advice and guidelines is that requirements are highly individual. The amount of carbohydrate, which includes sugars, that is appropriate for one person may be very different for another. Factors such as physical activity levels, age, gender, body size, health status, medications, and individual goals all influence carbohydrate and energy needs.

For example, someone who is highly active or completing endurance training will generally require more carbohydrate to support energy demands and recovery, while a less active person may need less overall. The type of carbohydrate also matters, carbohydrates from whole grains, fruit, legumes and dairy provide fibre, vitamins and minerals alongside natural sugars. Foods high in added sugars often provide energy with fewer beneficial nutrients, they may still have a place for example as a treat, or occasional food, or for athletes to use around their training..

Rather than aiming to avoid sugar completely, the goal is to match carbohydrate intake to individual needs while prioritising mostly minimally processed, nutrient-dense carbohydrate sources.

A consideration with all of this is that nutrition is very individualised, nutrient requirements vary greatly with things like physical activity, medical conditions, gender and age of the person.

If you would like personalised nutritional advice, please contact Sarah on sarah@seednutrition.co.nz.