No-Guilt Holiday Feast: Eight tips for using food labels to keep your kids healthy this Christmas season

The holiday season means family gatherings, special meals, and often more sugary, processed foods on the table. Besides too much sugar and fats in their diets, many children do not receive the variety of food and nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy. They are eating fewer fruits and vegetables while consuming more sugary, salty, and fatty foods, making balanced nutrition even harder to achieve.

In the Philippines, the number of overweight children—those weighing more than what’s healthy for their height and age—has almost tripled since 2003. Obesity is even more concerning, with a weight that is far above the healthy range, thus increasing the risk of problems like diabetes. Both overweight and obesity levels in the country are already considered “high” by global standards.

Health experts and the UN child rights agency UNICEF are advocating for the government to introduce front-of-package nutrition labels —simple symbols on food packages to quickly show if a product is high in sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats.

Understanding food labels

While mandatory front-of-package nutrition labels are being pushed, parents can still make smart choices by checking food labels at the back of every product. With so many baby snacks and convenient, ready-to-eat foods available, this small step can go a long way in keeping children healthy and happy. Here’s how you can make smarter picks at the grocery store this season​.

1. Start with the serving size.

The serving size tells you how many servings each product contains and how many grams or pieces is considered as one serving. Take note that nutritional information will be based on just one serving. Consider this when serving your kids the product.

For example, the label might say “4 cookies” but a typical three-year-old child only needs about 1,350 calories daily. If one serving (4 cookies) contains 160 calories, and your child eats 8 cookies (160 calories per serving x 2 servings = 320) for the day, that’s already almost one-fourth of the daily energy needs.

2. Check the calories.

This number shows the energy your child gets from each serving. Here’s a quick guide to what children typically need per day:

1–3 years old: 920–1,000 kcal

4–6 years old: 1,200–1,400 kcal

7–9 years old: 1,400–1,800 kcal

10–12 years old: 1,800–2,200 kcal

13–18 years old: 2,000–2,600 kcal (boys) and 1,800–2,000 kcal (girls)

While having a snack is okay, keep in mind their other meals for the day. For example, serving 8 cookies is already equivalent to 320 calories, which may be fine for a teenager but may be too much for a four-year-old.

3. Limit unhealthy fats, added sugar, and salt.

Fats, sugar, and salt are fine in small amounts but should stay low to prevent unhealthy weight gain. Opt for snacks with:

Less than 5g of saturated fat

10g of added sugar

200mg of sodium per serving

4. Don’t just check the amount of fats, also the type.

Some food labels list “calories from fat,” or how much of the total energy in one serving comes from fats. For instance, if a snack has 160 calories per serving, and 70 come from fats, nearly half might not have come from healthy sources.

When it comes to fats, the type of fat is just as important as the amount. Healthy fats, like those from nuts, fish, and seeds, are important for brain development and energy. They even protect you from unhealthy saturated fats, often found in fried or processed foods. The World Health Organization recommends keeping saturated fats under 10% of daily calories and avoiding trans fats entirely to keep your child healthy.

5. Check the ingredients list.

Watch out for hidden sugars in the ingredients list. Often, these are called “sucrose” or “corn syrup.” Take note, as well, that the ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. This means that the first one or two ingredients mentioned in the list are the ones that make up the largest portion of the product.

6. Look for good nutrients.

Children need fiber, vitamins, and minerals (like iron and calcium) to grow strong and healthy. While some snacks add these nutrients, it’s best to find foods that naturally have them, like fruits and whole grains. For instance, children 4 to 6 years old need 300 mg of calcium and 10mg of iron daily. So, if a product offers at least 10–20% of these daily requirements, it’s a helpful addition to your kids’ meals.

7. Check the footnote.

The footnote explains the % Daily Value (DV), which is based on an adult’s daily nutrient needs. While children need fewer calories, you can still use the % DV to estimate the amount of nutrients in a product. For example, the image shows 0% DV for calcium, meaning the product does not provide it. Preschoolers need about 550 mg of calcium daily, so make sure their other snacks or meals can provide this.

8. Try balancing the % Daily Value.

The % DV shows how much one serving of the product provides toward our specific daily need of calories or certain nutrients. Aim for high percentages (20% or more) in nutrients like fiber, calcium, and iron, but keep sugar, salt, and fat low (5% or less). If a snack has 25% DV of sugar, it might be too sweet for younger kids, so consider a healthier alternative.

Visit www.unicef.ph to know more about the work we’re doing for every child, everywhere. Or follow us on FB/unicefphilippines, X/@unicefphils, IG/@unicefphils, TikTok/@unicefph, and YouTube/@unicefphilippines.

Resources:

https://www.unicef.org/philippines/press-releases/urgent-government-regulation-needed-address-misleading-claims-and-added-sugars-foods

http://www.pclm-inc.org/uploads/2/0/4/0/2040875/pdri-2018.pdf

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet