Imagine that you have two similar food products in front of you.  Let’s say boxes of cereal.  One states ‘high in energy’ and the other ‘high in kilojoules’.  Considering only these two statements, which cereal do you think is healthier for you?

There’s a good chance you are leaning towards the cereal that is ‘high in energy’.  Sorry…wrong answer.  But don’t worry, you’re definitely not alone in your thinking.  It is a common misconception that people associate ‘high in energy’ as being better for you than ‘high in kilojoules’.  In fact, they are the same.  Kilojoules is the (Australian) measure of energy in food and drinks.  Energy is kilojoules and kilojoules are energy.

What is important is that the amount of kilojoules matches your requirements over time so that a healthy weight is maintained.  The kilojoules should come from foods that are good sources of necessary nutrients for example, B vitamins and fibre found in whole grains, opposed to foods that are high in saturated fat, added sugar and added salt.  For more information on what you should be eating, you can visit the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

So next time you see foods stating they are ‘high in energy’, you’ll know what it actually means.  Clever marketing team 😉