Nutritional Information

A healthy diet is one which supplies optimum energy (I.e.calories) and essential nutrients to maintain good health. A balanced diet is high in carbohydrates and fibre, and low in fat.

 

Each Jacobs and Fruitfield pack displays a nutritional information table that outlines a breakdown of all Energy, Protein, Carbohydrate, Sugar, Fat, Fibre and Sodium within the product both per 100g and per Biscuit/Cracker. We are now introducing the Salt Equivalent of our Sodium figure onto all our packs so that our consumers know as much as possible about our products and what they contain. To give you a clearer understanding of the ins and outs of product nutritional content, follow this simple explanation of the key terms:

 

Energy

Energy is what the body needs to keep us alive and active. Energy is stored in food and is measured in Kilocalories or more commonly known as Calories. All different foods give you varying levels of energy. If you want to know how much Energy you are getting from your food, you need to know the Kilocalories in the food. Below is a guide to the amount of Kilocalories in the different nutrients:

Nutrient	kcal per gram
Protein and Carbohydrate	4
Fat	9

Foods with a high fat content give more than twice as much Energy as foods with a high Carbohydrate content. Foods with a lot of water, such as green vegetables and salad vegetables like cucumber and tomatoes have a very low Energy value.

 

Watch your Weight !

If you eat too many high Energy foods and don't use up all the Energy provided, the body will store this Energy as Fat, resulting in you putting on weight.

 

You must try to balance the Energy input (food) with the Energy output (activity/exercise).

 

Guideline Daily Amounts of Calories for Adults
Men	2,500 kcals per day
Women	2,000 kcals per day

 

Protein

Protein is the most important nutrient required by the body as it is a vital part of all body cells. Proteins are like the building blocks of our body. As we grow, we need Protein to make new cells. When we stop growing we still need Protein to replace and repair the body cells which get damaged and wear away.

 

Proteins are divided into two classes: 1. Animal Protein 2. Vegetable Protein.

 

1. Animal Proteins are considered to be more important and can be sourced from meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese etc.
2. Vegetable Proteins can be sourced from plant foods such as nuts, peas, broad beans, lentils, whole cereals, bread pasta etc.

 

Carbohydrates

This type of nutrient is the main source of the fuel / energy for the body. Carbohydrates are split into two main types: 1. Sugar 2. Starch.

 

1. The Sugar part of Carbohydrates can come from many sources. Some of the sugars occur naturally in food such as Fresh Fruit, Milk, Honey etc. Other food examples of Sugary Carbohydrates are Jams, Soft Drinks, Biscuits, Cakes, Sweets etc.
   

   Guideline Daily Amounts of Sugar Intake for Adults
   Men	No more than 70g
   Women	No more than 50g

2. The sources of Starchy Carbohydrates are Cereals, Flour, Bread, Potatoes, peas, broad beans, lentils, Rice and Pasta.

 

When digested, all Carbohydrates, both Sugars and Starches are broken down into glucose and in this form are easily absorbed into the bloodstream. The blood then carries the Glucose to all cells in the body where it is converted into energy. It must be remembered that any Glucose that is not required by the body is stored as Fat, so therefore you need to be careful and watch the portion sizes!!

 

Fat

Fats are the most powerful fuel food, supplying more energy per gram than proteins and carbohydrates put together. However, if too much fat is eaten it will be stored by the body and is likely to cause obesity. Fat is also the source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D and K.

 

Fat is made up of a mixture of Saturates, Monounsaturates and Polyunsaturates.

 

1. Saturated Fats come mainly from animal sources and are usually solid at room temperature e.g. Butter, Cheese, Cream, Oily Fish etc.
2. Monounsaturates and Polyunsaturates are found in marine and vegetable foods and are usually liquid at room temperature e.g. Margarine, Cooking Oils, Olive and Sunflower Oil etc.

 

It must be noted that we in Jacob Fruitfield only use Fat that is from Vegetable Origin.

Guideline Daily Amounts of Fat Intake for Adults
Men	No more than 95g
Women	No more than 70g

 

Fibre

The framework of all plant foods is Fibre, which is most plentiful on the skins and outer layers of vegetables, fruit, nuts and cereals such as Wheat, Bran and Oats. The human body cannot digest Fibre, but it plays a very important role in our diet by helping to form bulk or "roughage" in the intestine. The Fibre then stimulates the muscle walls of the intestine to move the food more quickly though the bowel. In this way it prevents constipation and other bowel disorders.

 

A lot of food now such as white bread, sugar, convenience foods etc. lack Fibre and it is very important to include high Fibre foods in our diet.

 

Sodium and Salt

Sodium and Salt are often confused by a lot of people and thought to be exactly the same thing. Salt is a nutrient with the chemical name Sodium Chloride. It is the Sodium part of Salt that causes the most problems. Sodium is also found in other forms, e.g. in Sodium Bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda for use in bread & biscuit making and in Sodium Nitrite/Nitrate which is a product used for curing meats.

 

 

Salt in very small amounts is essential to your health. A little Salt is needed for maintaining water balance, healthy blood pressure and for healthy muscles and nerves.

 

Research has shown that if you eat too much Salt in your diet it can increase blood pressure levels and in turn increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke. Foods above the RDA level are considered "High Salt".

 

 

Most food labels only label Sodium on the back of pack and to work out how much Salt is in a food product you simply multiply the Sodium figure by 2.5. Therefore, if a food product contains 0.2g per 100g of Sodium this relates to 0.5g per 100g of Salt.

 

To aid our consumers knowledge of Jacob's product range we are introducing new Nutritional Labels on all our products with the "Salt Equivalent" value of Sodium per 100g.

 

 

The Choice is Yours

At the Jacob Fruitfield Food Group we believe that balance is the key to a healthy lifestyle. Allowing yourself occasional treats in moderation is perfectly acceptable as part of a balanced healthy lifestyle. Or if you feel like a healthier snacking option without the taste compromise we have a broad range of lower fat, lower salt and lower sugar alternatives. So whatever your requirement, we have the answer.

 

Lower Fat options

Healthy eating is all about getting the balance right. This involves eating less fat. Fat is a concentrated source of energy which, with inactive lifestyles, can contribute to being overweight. Exercise is a key requirement to manage fat levels. There is always sufficient fat available as fuel for exercise. If an individual reduces their fat intake they will make room for the extra carbohydrates needed for exercise.

 

Jacob's products such as Fig Rolls are a low fat food providing 1.4g of fat per biscuit. By eating Fig Rolls as a snack, you can boost your carbohydrate intake for energy whilst keeping fat to a minimum.