Catherine Saxelby's Foodwatch | Nutrition classifications and tags for Foodwatch recipes

Nutrition classifications and tags for Foodwatch recipes

Wondering how much fat is in one of our recipes? Or whether something is gluten-free? Or will it be suitable for your partner on a low-salt diet? Here’s how we classify recipes on the Foodwatch site in terms of nutrition. Please note that we round figures to the nearest whole number or in the case of kilojoules to the nearest 0 or 5.

 

Low fat
Mains	less than 10g fat per serve
Light meals or desserts	less than 6g fat per serve
Side dishes or snacks	less than 4 g fat per serve

 

 

 

 

 

 

Low saturated fat
Mains	less than 3g per serve
Light meals or desserts	less than 2g per serve
Side dishes or snacks	less than 1g per serve

 

 

 

 

 

 

Low kilojoule or diet
Mains	less than 1500kJ per serve
Light meals or desserts	less than 1200kJ per serve
Side dishes or snacks	less than 1000kJ per serve
Drinks	less than 200kJ per 250ml glass

 

 

 

If you prefer to use calories this converts to:
Mains	less than 350cals per serve
Light meals or desserts	less than 275cals per serve
Side dishes or snacks	less than150cals per serve
Drinks	less than 50cals per 250ml glass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        See our handy conversion guide
        for kilojoules to calories.

 

High fibre
Mains	6g or more per serve
Light meals or desserts	3g or more per serve
Side dishes or snacks	3g or more per serve

 

 

 

 

 

 

Low GI

The recipe has carbohydrates that are slowly digested or that have been modified to release slowly into the body. For example, lentils, kidney beans, pasta, grain bread, oats, yoghurt, peaches, pears or apples (temperate-climate fruit).

Low carb

The recipe has less than 15g total carbohydrate (starch and sugars) per serve. If you have diabetes, this means less than one carbohydrate portion (unit). 

Low salt
Mains	less than 500mg per servee
Light meals or breakfasts	less than 250mg per serve

 

 

 

Not applied to desserts or baking. We use salt-reduced products (stocks and sauces) wherever we can. Note we round figures to 0 or 5 mg.  For help in converting sodium to salt and vice versa, try our handy guide to Sodium and salt.

High protein
Mains	more than 10g per serve
Side dishes	more than 5g per serve

 

 

 

 

 

Healthy heart

The recipe is both low in saturated fat AND low in salt WITH no refined carbohydrate.

Diabetes friendly

The recipe must fit the criteria for low saturated fat, low GI and/or high fibre, low salt AND no more than 60g carbohydrate per serve.

Gluten-free

The recipe has no ingredients that are known to contain gluten from the grains wheat, rye, barley, spelt and oats. But always check the individual ingredients especially any ready-made products e.g. malt from barley, thickeners from wheat, glucose syrup from wheat.

Vegetarian

The recipe has no ingredients that are known to commonly contain meat or meat products, chicken or fish. Eggs and dairy foods are acceptable (ovo-lacto-vegetarian). But always check the individual ingredients especially any packet food e.g. gelatine.

Dairy-free

The recipe has no ingredients that are known to commonly contain dairy products (milk, yoghurt, cheese, cream, butter). But always check the individual ingredients especially any packet food e.g. milk solids, whey powder, casein.

Egg-free

The recipe has no ingredients that are known to commonly contain eggs or egg-derived products. But always check the individual ingredients especially any packet food e.g. egg glazes on baked items, egg white powder in smoothies, bars.

Accompaniments to meals such as bread, rice or potato

Our analyses include any food we suggest to serve with the main recipe in order to have a balanced meal. So, for example, if a bread roll is suggested as an accompaniment to a soup, the analysis includes the bread roll as well as the soup! We always define what's included.

Measures

Our recipes use the Australian standard metric measures.

• 1 cup = 250ml (level, not heaped)
• 1 level tablespoon = 20ml
• 1 level teaspoon = 5ml

Oven temperatures are given in degrees Celsius (ºC).

For a quick guide to weights and measures in both imperial and metric, go to our post in the Handy Stuff section.

Negligible means:

• Kilojoules less than 40 per serve
• Fat less than 0.5g per serve
• Saturated fat less than 0.5g per serve

Click here for a guide to the approximate recommended daily intakes (RDI) for the average adult.

Now to browse our collection of   healthy recipes ...