We've provided you with some great nutrition based calculators and other resources below to help you better understand what you need.

Body Mass Index

Body Mass Index is a commonly used index used to classify underweight, overweight and obesity in adults. It is defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres. For example, an adult who weighs 75kg and whose height is 1.80m will have a BMI of 23.1.

BMI values are age independent and the same for both sexes. BMI may not correspond to the same degree of fatness in different populations due to different body proportions. However, the health risks associated with increasing BMI are continuous as BMI increases.

Risks of Overweight and Obesity

Overweight and obesity lead to adverse metabolic effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, insulin resistance and debilitating health problems such as respiratory conditions, chronic musculoskeletal problems, skin problems and infertility. Overweight and obesity are associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers such as large bowel cancer and gallbladder disease.

Calculate Your BMI

To calculcate your BMI, click here

Information on Overweight and Obesity

www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/media/en/gsfs_obesity.pdf

Overweight and Obesity Calculator for Countries around the World

http://www.who.int/infobase/report.aspx?rid=118&redirected=reporter_id_1

Waist-To-Hip Ratio

Waist-hip ratio or Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is the ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips. It is calculated by measuring the waist circumference of an adult person (located just above the upper hip bone) and dividing by the hip circumference at its widest part (waist/hip) of that same person.

Body fat distribution has emerged as an important predictor of obesity-related morbidity and mortality. Abdominal obesity which is more common in men than women is closely associated with conditions such as coronary heart disease, stroke, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure.

In Australia and New Zealand a WHR of >0.9 for males and >0.8 for females is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.

Calculate Your WHR

To calculcate your WHR, click here

Food Labelling and Food Composition

Food labelling provides information for consumers to assist them to make healthy food choices. The attached poster provides information on how to interpret food labelling information.

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/Food%20Labels%20Posterfinal%20.pdf

The following database contains detailed food composition data for over 2600 foods.

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/monitoringandsurveillance/nuttab2006/.......

For more detailed advice regarding food composition and labelling contact summit nutrition.