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Food & Health

Tools for Better Choices

Ages 10–14 20 min read Beginner

Reading every label on every product is unrealistic. You need shortcuts — quick tools that help you make better choices without spending hours in the supermarket aisle.

Your Quick-Decision Toolkit

1. The Health Star Rating

Look for the star rating (0.5-5 stars). Higher = healthier overall profile. Limitation: it's voluntary, so unhealthy products often don't display it. If a product doesn't show stars, ask yourself why.

2. The Five-Ingredient Rule

If a product has more than five ingredients, it's probably processed. If you can't pronounce an ingredient, research it before buying regularly. This isn't a hard rule — but it's a useful guide.

3. The Per 100g Column

Always compare using per 100g, not per serve. Quick checks:

  • Sugar: aim for less than 15g per 100g (less than 5g is excellent)
  • Sodium: aim for less than 400mg per 100g (less than 120mg is low)
  • Saturated fat: aim for less than 3g per 100g
  • Fibre: aim for more than 3g per 100g

4. FoodSwitch App

Free app by The George Institute for Global Health. Scan any barcode and it suggests healthier alternatives in the same product category. Available for Australian products.

5. The "Would Grandma Recognise It?" Test

Food author Michael Pollan suggests: "Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognise as food." It's not a scientific rule, but it's a useful heuristic. Your great-grandmother would recognise bread, butter, fruit, meat, and vegetables. She probably wouldn't recognise a fluorescent-orange cheese puff.

Practical Shopping Strategy

  1. Shop the perimeter of the store first (fresh produce, dairy, meat/fish, bakery)
  2. Venture into aisles only for specific items on your list
  3. For packaged goods, use the per 100g quick checks
  4. When in doubt, choose the product with the shorter ingredients list

Tonight's Question

"Download the FoodSwitch app and scan three products from our pantry. What does it suggest as alternatives?"

The Swap Challenge

  1. Identify 5 products your family buys regularly.
  2. Use FoodSwitch or label comparison to find a healthier version of each.
  3. Next shop, buy the alternatives.
  4. Taste test: can the family tell the difference? Do they prefer the original or the swap?
  5. If the swap passes the taste test, make it permanent.
  6. Calculate: any price difference? Health benefit?

Go Further

  • App: FoodSwitch by The George Institute — free, Australian.
  • Book: Food Rules by Michael Pollan (2009) — 64 simple rules for eating well.
  • Research: What is the NOVA food classification system? How does it categorise processed food?
  • Question: Should governments make the Health Star Rating mandatory?

What We Simplified

  • The "five ingredient" rule is arbitrary. A spice blend might have 10 ingredients and be perfectly healthy. Context matters.
  • Pollan's "grandma test" has cultural bias. Different cultures have different food traditions. Ultra-processed food is the real concern, not unfamiliar foods.
  • Healthy food choices require access. Not everyone lives near fresh food markets or can afford organic alternatives. These tools are most useful for people with choice.

Sources

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