Nutrition

At Bel we are serious about nutrition and believe that eating well is an essential component of living healthily. Here are some of the key principles we believe in:

1. Choose the eatwell plate

Enjoy a good range of foods from all the major food groups; eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, lots of starchy foods and three portions of dairy every day.

Dairy products, such as cheese, are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet as they are good sources of protein, vitamin A, vitamin B 12, phosphorous and calcium. These are all important for the body’s maintenance and development.

Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. It can only be built up in the body until around the age of 25, which is why it is so important for children to get a good supply. A lack of calcium can result in brittle bones, leading to osteoporosis, which affects one in three women and one in eight men in the UK. To find out more please visit: http://www.nos.org.uk

For many people, cheese is the major source of calcium in their diet. A single Mini Babybel, for example contains as much calcium as a glass of milk, and is a great way of having a tasty snack and some good nutrition too.

Growing children have proportionately higher requirements for calcium, and Bel brands are an easy way to meet their needs at different ages and stages;

1-3 years 1 Mini Babybel®
4-6 years 1 Mini Babybel®
7-10 years 1 Mini Babybel® Light
11-18 year-old boys 2 slices Leerdammer® Lightlife
11-18 year-old girls 1 Mini Babybel® Light

Cheese also has an important role in keeping our teeth healthy. Not only does it provide calcium and other important minerals for their formation, but it is a more tooth-friendly snack than some sugary or sweeter alternatives.

2. Try to maintain a healthy weight

Look out for light or low-fat cheese products which can be just as nutritious and contain just as much calcium, if not more, or look for formats which are already in portions to make it easier to monitor how much you’re eating.

At Bel we strive to continually improve our products to meet our consumers’ needs. For example, The Laughing Cow Light and Mini Babybel Light were launched back in the 1990s, long before obesity became the issue it is today. Nowadays, all our main brands have a light alternative and for some there is even an Extra Light version – the Laughing Cow Extra Light contains only 3% fat and just 20 calories per triangle.

Mini Babybel, The Laughing Cow, Leedrdammer, Boursin and Port Salut are all available in portions or slices to help consumers manage their diet. Did you know a slice of bread and a slice of Leerdammer together make a filling and nutritious snack of just 200 calories?

3. Enjoy your Food

At Bel, we believe the key to a healthy, balanced diet is to eat a variety of foods in the right quantities with appropriate frequency for your age, lifestyle and the amount of energy you use every day. The key to really enjoying your food may be to sit back with family and friends and relish the food you are eating as much as the occasion.

4. Take some exercise

It’s a good idea to do something active every day but this doesn’t have to mean joining a gym.

Half an hour of gardening, a walk in the park or swimming are all good ways to increase your activity levels. But take care and check with your GP before you get started.

A word about fat and salt…

Cheese does contain fat and salt. The amounts may appear large per 100g when compared with other foods, but the quantity eaten is relatively small – for example, one Mini Babybel or a slice of Leerdammer weigh only 20g.

And remember, fat brings some essential vitamins such as Vitamin A which is good for your eyes and your immune system, and salt plays an important role in keeping the product safe to eat and making cheese what it is.

Rest assured, at Bel we are always working to improve our product formulations in order to meet our consumers’ needs.

Guideline Daily Amounts

GDAs are guidelines, for healthy adults and children, for the approximate amount of calories, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, total sugars, protein, fibre, sodium and salt required for a healthy diet.

Because people vary in many ways, such as size and the amount of exercise they take, GDAs cannot be used as targets for individuals. They simply provide a benchmark for consumers to measure and compare their intake of specific nutrients within each serving of a food product. GDAs are different from Dietary Reference Values and Reference Nutrient Intakes.

Click here to contact us for more information on our products nutritional information or download and read our published Nutritional reports:

Something about Dairy December 2009 (PDF)
Something about Dairy March 2010 (PDF)
Something about Dairy June 2010 (PDF)