Getting to know your Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) is a simple way to understand how much fat, saturated fat, salt ,sugar and calories make up a balanced diet. GDAs for the four nutrients (sugar, fat, saturates and salt) are recommended maximums, whilst the calorie figure is the approximate amount that an average, healthy adult with normal activity levels needs each day.
Many foods now display GDA labels – also known as the What’s Inside Guide which show the amount of each nutrient per portion of the particular food, as well as showing the percentage it contributes to your GDA. It helps you see how much any food contributes to a healthy balanced diet, so that you can decide if it’s a good choice for you or not.
Take fat, for example. The fat GDA for an average adult of healthy weight and average activity level is 70g. If a label on a pizza shows a portion contains 27% GDA for fat then you know it contains about a quarter of the maximum amount of fat you should eat in a day, which is fine if it’s part of a main meal, but a lot if it’s just a snack.
What are your GDAs and how can they be used to help you watch your figure?
GDAs are based on the recommendations for an average adult of healthy weight and average activity level. But, of course, men and women are different – so they also have different GDAs for some nutrients.
The important thing to remember is that this is a guide. Use it to give yourself a good idea of what you’re eating and to help you decide what’s right for you.
| Calories | Sugars | Fats | Saturates | Salt | |
| Women | 2000 | 90g | 70g | 20g | 6g |
| Men | 2500 | 120g | 95g | 30g | 6g |
| Children (5-10) | 1800 | 85g | 70g | 20g | 4g |
A good way to keep an eye on your calorie intake is to roughly divide it out throughout the day using the 20:30:30:20 concept, which is often used by dieticians – eat about 20% of your GDA at breakfast, 30% for lunch and dinner and 10% each for two snacks.
Here are three days’ meal plans to show you how a balanced split of your GDAs might look:
| Breakfast | Lunch | Snacks | Dinner |
| 1 small glass (150ml) fruit juice2 small slices wholemeal toast
2tsp polyunsaturated margarine 2tsp of reduced sugar jam |
Tuna and pasta salad(100g cooked pasta, 100g tuna in water, 2tbsp reduced fat mayo, 50g cherry tomatoes, 25g sweetcorn)
1 pot sugar free jelly 1 apple 150ml apple juice |
150g low fat fruit yoghurt | Breaded cod with oven chips and peas(Grill or bake a breaded cod fillet,serve with 100g oven chips cooked according to the manufactures instructions and 3tbsp peas or another vegetable of your choice)
Dessert large fruit salad |
| CALORIES 250 12.5 SUGARS 17g 19% FAT 10g 14%SATURATES 2g 10%SALT 0.9g 15% |
CALORIES 534 27 SUGARS 20g 22%FAT 19g 27%SATURATES 4g 20%SALT 2g 33% | CALORIES 117 6% SUGARS 19g 21% FAT 1.6g 2%SATURATES 1.2g 6% SALT 0.2g 3% |
CALORIES 570 28.5%SUGARS 18g 20% FAT 20g 28%SATURATES 1.5g 7.5% SALT 1.2g 20% |
| 1 small glass (150ml) orange juice1 boiled egg
2 small slices of wholemeal toast 2tsp low saturated fat spread |
Scrambled eggs on toastApple & sultana cereal bar
1 peach 150g low fat fruit yoghurt |
2 finger chocolate wafer bar | Pork stir-fried with red pepper and broccoli(Heat 2tsp of oil in a pan, add 100g diced lean pork and 1 clove of garlic and stir fry for 5 mins. Add half diced red pepper, 4 baby sweet corn, 50g broccoli and 100ml of chicken stock, cover and cook for 5 mins. Stir in 1tbsp of sweet chilli sauce. Cook 70g egg noodles according to packet instructions)
Dessert 100g fresh pineapple |
| CALORIES 346 17%SUGARS 14g 15.5%FAT 16.5g 23.5%SATURATES 3.5g 17.5% SALT 1.2g 20% |
CALORIES 490 25% SUGARS 30g 33%FAT 20g 26%SATURATES 5g 25% SALT 1g 17% |
CALORIES 106 5%SUGARS 10.4g 11.5%FAT 5.5g 8%SATURATES 3.7g 18.5%SALT Trace <1% | CALORIES 619 31% SUGARS 28g 31% FAT 17g 24% SATURATES 4g 20% SALT 1.5g 25% |
| 1 small glass (150ml) orange juiceBowl of wheat flakes with apricot
200ml semi-skimmed milk |
Jacket potato (with 100g baked beans)Melon and pineapple fruit salad | Fruit cereal bar | Chicken and potato curry(Heat 2tsp of oil in a pan, add 1 small chopped onion and 1 diced skinless chicken breast and cook for 5 mins. Stir in 1tbsp of curry paste, 200g diced potato, 150ml chicken stock and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for 10 mins. Add a handful of fresh or frozen spinach and cook for a further 5 mins)
Dessert 1 sliced banana + 100ml custard (made with skimmed milk |
| CALORIES 259 13%SUGARS 28g 31% FAT 4g 6%SATURATES 2.5g 12.5% SALT 0.6g 10% |
CALORIES 437 22% SUGARS 26g 29%FAT 1.5g 2%SATURATES 0.1g <1% SALT 1.5g 25% |
CALORIES 96 5%SUGARS 9g 10% FAT 2.5g 3%SATURATES 1.5g 6%SALT 0.3g 5% |
CALORIES 620 31% SUGARS 31g 34% FAT 17g 24% SATURATES 3.5g 17.5% SALT 2g 33% |
These meal breakdowns show just how easy it is to balance your diet through GDAs. You do not need to starve yourself on a faddy diet, you just need to be conscious of the food you are eating.
Gaynor Bussell, Nutrition Manager for the Food and Drink Federation, has these top tips:
- Oil used for frying adds calories and fat to a meal, so keep it to a minimum by using a spray oil which is high in unsaturates such as rape seed, sunflower or olive oil.
- An easy way to get one of your five portions a day is to replace a third of your meat with vegetables. Carrots are great in bolognese and this will also cut down the amount of saturated fat.
- Fat has twice the calories as protein or carbohydrate so keep an eye on your fat intake to stay in shape. Try using skimmed milk or low fat spread when making mashed potatoes.
- Try to eat snacks containing slower-releasing carbohydrates like fruit, yogurt or a wholemeal scone. This will keep your bloods sugar stable and help you avoid energy surges and dips.
For more information regarding GDAs and eating a balanced diet, visit www.whatsinsideguide.com.
