How to Read Nutrition Labels

In today's fast-paced world, where convenience often trumps health, deciphering the information on nutrition labels has become a crucial skill for anyone striving to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet. Whether you're an elite athlete seeking peak performance or an individual committed to optimizing your health, understanding how to interpret nutrition labels can empower you to make informed food choices that align with your goals.

Nutrition labels serve as your roadmap through the vast landscape of packaged foods, offering valuable insights into the nutritional content of the products you consume. By learning to navigate these labels effectively, you gain the ability to evaluate the quality and suitability of foods for your dietary needs. Here's a breakdown of key components found on nutrition labels:

Step 1: Serving Size

Nutrition labels provide valuable information about the caloric and nutrient content of a product based on a standardized serving size, typically recommended for a single consumption occasion. However, it's important to note that these serving sizes may differ from what individuals typically consume in one sitting. The serving size indicated on the nutrition facts label is based on an estimation of the amount of food typically consumed during a single eating occasion, rather than being a prescribed serving size for the product.

For instance, a serving size may be represented by half a can of soda, a quarter of a cookie, half a chocolate bar, or a single biscuit. This representation aims to assist consumers in understanding the nutritional content per serving. However, it's crucial to recognize that these serving sizes may not align with individual dietary practices.

Manufacturers may employ these serving size specifications, potentially leading to misconceptions among consumers regarding the caloric and sugar content of the product. Awareness of this serving size framework is essential, as it can prevent misunderstanding regarding portion control and nutritional intake.

To accurately assess the nutritional value of the food you're consuming, it's advisable to multiply the serving size listed on the label by the number of servings you consume. By doing so, you can make more informed decisions about your dietary choices and better manage your overall nutritional intake.

Step 2: Check the Calories

Calories provide a measure of the energy content in a serving of food. Whether you're managing your weight or fueling your body for performance, keeping track of calorie intake is essential.

Step 3: Review the Nutrients

The nutrient section typically begins with a breakdown of macronutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. These macronutrients play essential roles in the body's functions, making it imperative to understand their presence and quantities within the product.

Carbohydrates: Pay attention to both total carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Aim for products high in fiber to support digestive health and regulate blood sugar levels.

Proteins: Look for adequate protein content, particularly if you're focused on muscle building or weight management. Prioritize lean protein sources for optimal health benefits.

Fats: Assess the types of fats present, including saturated, trans, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. Aim to limit intake of saturated and trans fats while prioritizing healthier fat sources such as unsaturated fats.

Micronutrients and % Daily Value (%DV):

Beyond macronutrients, the nutrient section provides information on essential vitamins and minerals present in the product. Understanding the %DV allows consumers to gauge the relative contribution of each nutrient to their daily diet.

Vitamins and Minerals: Scan the nutrient section for key vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Opt for products that offer higher %DV for essential nutrients.

Added Sugars

Sugar goes by countless names — many of which you may not recognize.

Food manufacturers use this to their advantage by purposely adding many different types of sugar to their products to hide the actual amount. In doing so, they can list a healthier ingredient at the top, mentioning sugar further down. So even though a product may be loaded with sugar, it doesn’t necessarily appear as one of the first three ingredients.

The USDA guidelines recommend added sugar should not exceed 10% of total daily calories. To avoid accidentally consuming a lot of sugar, watch out for the following names of sugar in ingredient lists:

• Types of sugar: beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered sugar, cane sugar, caster sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, golden sugar, invert sugar, muscovado sugar, organic raw sugar, raspadura sugar, evaporated cane juice, and confectioner’s sugar.

• Types of syrup: carob syrup, golden syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, agave nectar, malt syrup, maple syrup, oat syrup, rice bran syrup, and rice syrup.

• Other added sugars: barley malt, molasses, cane juice crystals, lactose, corn sweetener, crystalline fructose, dextran, malt powder, ethyl maltol, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, galactose, glucose, disaccharides, maltodextrin, and maltose.

Many more names for sugar exist, but these are the most common.

If you see any of these in the top spots on the ingredients lists — or several kinds throughout the list — then the product is high in added sugar.

Step 4: % Daily Value (%DV)

The %DV indicates how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to the recommended daily intake based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Use %DV to compare products and make informed choices about nutrient-rich foods.

Step 5: Study the Ingredients List

The ingredients list on a nutrition label serves as a window into the composition of a food product, offering valuable insights into its nutritional quality and potential health implications. Understanding how to read and interpret this list empowers consumers to make informed decisions about their dietary choices, enabling them to select foods that align with their health and wellness goals.

The ingredients list typically appears beneath the nutrition facts panel and provides a detailed breakdown of the components comprising the product. Each ingredient is listed in descending order by weight, with the most abundant ingredient listed first. This means that the first ingredient is what the manufacturer used the most of.

A good rule of thumb is to scan the first three ingredients, as they make up the largest part of what you’re eating. If the first ingredients include refined grains, a type of sugar, or hydrogenated oils, you can assume that the product is unhealthy.

Instead, try choosing items that have whole foods listed as the first three ingredients. In addition, an ingredients list that is longer than two to three lines suggests that the product is highly processed.

Key Considerations in Ingredients List Reading:

Recognizable Ingredients: Look for products with ingredient lists containing familiar, whole-food ingredients. Opt for products with shorter ingredient lists and avoid those with lengthy, unpronounceable additives and preservatives.

Allergens: Check the ingredients list for common allergens such as nuts, soy, dairy, eggs, and gluten if you have food sensitivities or allergies. Manufacturers are required to highlight allergenic ingredients in bold or with specific allergen statements to aid consumers in identifying potential triggers.

Hidden Sugars: Be wary of hidden sugars disguised under various names such as high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose, and cane sugar. Minimize consumption of products with added sugars, especially those listed among the first few ingredients.

Artificial Additives: Scan for artificial additives, preservatives, and artificial colors listed in the ingredients. These additives may have adverse health effects and should be avoided whenever possible.

Transparency in Labeling: Manufacturers are obligated to accurately label their products, ensuring transparency in ingredient disclosure. However, be vigilant of misleading marketing tactics and claims that may misrepresent the product's nutritional quality.

Misleading Claims to Look Out For:

Health claims on packaged food are designed to catch your attention and convince you that the product is healthy.

Here are some of the most common claims — and what they mean:

Light: Light products are processed to reduce either calories or fat. Some products are simply watered down. Check carefully to see if anything has been added instead — like sugar.

Multigrain: This sounds very healthy but only means that a product contains more than one type of grain. These are most likely refined grains — unless the product is marked as whole grain.

Natural: This does not necessarily mean that the product resembles anything natural. It simply indicates that at one point the manufacturer worked with a natural source like apples or rice.

Organic: This label says very little about whether a product is healthy. For example, organic sugar is still sugar.

No added sugar: Some products are naturally high in sugar. The fact that they don’t have added sugar doesn’t mean they’re healthy. Unhealthy sugar substitutes may also have been added.

Low-calorie: Low-calorie products have to have one-third fewer calories than the brand’s original product. Yet, one brand’s low-calorie version may have similar calories as another brand’s original.

Low-fat: This label usually means that the fat has been reduced at the cost of adding more sugar. Be very careful and read the ingredients list.

Low-carb: Recently, low-carb diets have been linked to improved health. Still, processed foods that are labeled low-carb are usually still processed junk foods, similar to processed low-fat foods.

Made with whole grains: The product may contain very little whole grains. Check the ingredients list — if whole grains aren’t in the first three ingredients, the amount is negligible.

Fortified or enriched: This means that some nutrients have been added to the product. For example, vitamin D is often added to milk. Yet, just because something is fortified doesn’t make it healthy.

Gluten-free: Gluten-free doesn’t mean healthy. The product simply doesn’t contain wheat, spelt, rye, or barley. Many gluten-free foods are highly processed and loaded with unhealthy fats and sugar.

Fruit-flavored: Many processed foods have a name that refers to a natural flavor, such as strawberry yogurt. However, the product may not contain any fruit — only chemicals designed to taste like fruit.

Zero trans fat: This phrase means “less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving.” Thus, if serving sizes are misleadingly small, the product may still contain trans fat (5Trusted Source).

Despite these cautionary words, many truly healthy foods are organic, whole grain, or natural. Still, just because a label makes certain claims, doesn’t guarantee that it’s healthy.

Ingredients to Avoid At All Costs

Here's a comprehensive list of ingredients commonly found on nutrition labels that you may want to avoid due to their potential negative health effects:

Trans-Fat

Trans-fats are often added to food items to lengthen the shelf-life and prevent food from spoiling. While they are very cost-effective and beneficial to food companies, they are extremely harmful to our health, especially heart health. Some researchers have found that trans-fats are twice as dangerous as saturated fats because they increase the LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and decrease the HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). They also cause an increase in triglyceride levels! Simply replacing trans-fats with healthy fats could decrease your risk of heart disease by 53 percent.

Partially Hydrogenated Oils

Partially Hydrogenated Oil is another form of trans-fat to watch out for on nutrition labels. This type of trans-fat is known to clog arteries and contribute to obesity and heart disease.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

High Fructose Corn Syrup is one of the most common food additives and has increased tremendously over the past 10-20 years. This is because it costs less than natural sweeteners, is sweeter to taste, and mixes quite easily with many different ingredients. High Fructose Corn Syrup increases cholesterol and triglyceride levels and also causes people to overeat leading to obesity, insulin resistance, and increased risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.. If you see this on your food label, it is quite likely that the food item is highly processed with a lot of added sugars. This ingredient is not just found in beverages and sweets. Take a look at many baked goods, muffins, condiments, etc., and you may be shocked to see how many food items contain high fructose corn syrup.

Artificial Sweeteners such as Aspartame, Sucralose, and Saccharin

These artificial sweeteners may have a lower caloric intake than natural sugars, but they are very hard on the body’s metabolic system due to potential negative effects on metabolism, gut health, and insulin sensitivity. Some studies have shown that these sweeteners cause an increased caloric intake throughout the day, because the brain believes since we are eating a lower-calorie food item, we can eat more of it.

Examples include: Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose, and Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)

Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Benzoate

These are again preservatives that help to extend the shelf life of food items and prevent mold growth. While they are beneficial to food companies, they can cause disturbances with thyroid levels. As we age, our thyroid hormones are often monitored quite closely, so this is an important ingredient to watch out for.

Sodium Nitrites and Sodium Nitrates

These food label ingredients are often found in processed meats such as bacon, deli/sandwich meat, and hot dogs. They can form nitrosamines, which are potentially carcinogenic compounds and have been known to cause colon cancer and lead to heart disease and obesity. This is why it is important to have good quality meats!

Soy

Soy, particularly when added into processed foods, is so genetically modified that it receives substances of the herbicide glyphosate (the main ingredient in Roundup Weedkiller). Due to all the genetic engineering, excessive levels of this harmful herbicide are appearing in large amounts of our consumable goods such as breads, breakfast cereals, crackers, breaded foods, sauces, meal replacement products, imitation meat products.

This glyphosate has been shown to induce DNA and chromosomal damage, and has also been declared “probably carcinogenic to humans” by The Working Group of the World Health Organization.

MSG (monosodium glutamate)

This additive helps enhance the flavor of food, but often foods containing MSG have very high sodium levels. While some levels of MSG are found naturally in foods, the processed foods with added MSG can be very harmful to brain function.

Artificial Food Coloring:

Some artificial food colorings have been linked to hyperactivity in children and may contain potential carcinogens.

Examples include: FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine), FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1, and FD&C Blue No. 2

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG):

Some people report adverse reactions such as headaches, flushing, sweating, and numbness after consuming MSG. However, scientific evidence supporting these claims is limited.

BHA and BHT:

Synthetic antioxidants used to preserve fats and oils, but they have been linked to potential carcinogenic effects in some animal studies.

Artificial Flavorings:

Some artificial flavorings may contain chemicals that can have adverse health effects, such as allergic reactions or intolerance in sensitive individuals.

Artificial flavors (may be listed simply as "artificial flavors" or with specific names)

MSG (Monosodium glutamate)

Highly Refined Vegetable Oils (such as soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil):

High in omega-6 fatty acids, which in excess can promote inflammation in the body and increase the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease.

Added Sugars:

Excessive consumption of added sugars is linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues. It's recommended to limit intake as much as possible.

Besides HFCS, watch out for other added sugars like sucrose, glucose, fructose, and maltose.

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP):

Some HVP products may contain hidden MSG, and there are concerns about the chemicals used in the hydrolysis process.

Potassium Bromate:

Used as a flour improver in some bread and bakery products but has been linked to potential carcinogenic effects in animal studies.

Sulfites:

Used as preservatives in various foods and beverages, but some individuals may be sensitive to sulfites, experiencing allergic reactions such as breathing difficulties, hives, or anaphylaxis.

Carrageenan:

Some studies suggest that carrageenan, a thickening agent derived from seaweed, may cause gastrointestinal inflammation and contribute to digestive issues in some individuals.

Avoiding these ingredients can help you make healthier choices and reduce your intake of potentially harmful substances. Opting for whole, minimally processed foods is often the best strategy for avoiding these additives and prioritizing your health.