I've read a handful of studies that all suggest that roughly 60% of U.S. citizens actually read the nutritional content labels and just 50% check the ingredients when food shopping for new items. This is too low, especially considering that about a third of Americans are at least 35 pounds over a healthy weight. Understanding what ingredients and the nutritional value of those ingredients is paramount in eating healthy.
Try finding an ingredients list on a package. It's always on the back, side, or bottom. It's never on the front. Shouldn't it be? That's what you're buying. Not their marketing claims of "all natural" or "heart healthy", which often mean very little and lack government oversight. This is by design. The food companies don't want you thinking about what chemicals are in your food or how much fat, salt, and sugar they are loaded with. They spend millions of dollars lobbying against your best interest and information that could help you be healthier.
The Nutrition Facts panel, which was designed and is required by the FDA, informs consumers about serving sizes and provides per serving information on calories, a variety of fats, sodium, cholesterol, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. It also shows the serving size's percentage of said nutrient that is recommended for daily intake. Always check serving sizes to see if they are reasonable compared to what you are actually going to eat. 100 calories or 5g of fat may seem fair, but if you are going to eat seven servings, it's not a realistic measure and is misleading.
This is based off of a 2,000 calorie diet and only helps you understand what the recommended daily amounts are for this calorie level. If you eat more or less than that, you have to adjust. Many people misunderstand this point and think the percentages represent the fat, carbs, or proteins percentage of the total nutritional value. If you take a 100 calorie meal that has 5g of fat, the product is 45% fat while the RDA % will show only 7%. The smaller the serving size, the more you have to be careful of this issue.
There are a few things to consider when reading food labels and ingredient lists. First, ingredients are listed in size order from largest to smallest. Sugar listed first can be significantly different than if it's listed last. Also, the fewer the ingredients, usually is better, but not always. You still have to read the list to see what's there and assess each ingredient.
Based on the massive amounts of chemical additives in our food supply, there's a good chance you're not familiar with a wide variety of the ingredients in today's processed foods. I ask two questions when this happens. First, do I need my high school chemistry book? Second, would I use this if I was cooking from scratch? If you answer yes and no, respectively, it's probably best to avoid. I don't think Grandma ever tasted her gumbo or pasta sauce and said, "This could use some sodium benzoate, disodium chloride, and aspartame."
There is often little oversight on food marketing claims on food labels. Furthermore, the definitions of those claims often have significant loopholes and don't necessarily mean what the average person thinks. A no-sugar product can have sugar in it. All natural can have chemically-created ingredients. It pays to take the time to read and understand what is in your food. Your health depends on it, so read your food labels.
Try finding an ingredients list on a package. It's always on the back, side, or bottom. It's never on the front. Shouldn't it be? That's what you're buying. Not their marketing claims of "all natural" or "heart healthy", which often mean very little and lack government oversight. This is by design. The food companies don't want you thinking about what chemicals are in your food or how much fat, salt, and sugar they are loaded with. They spend millions of dollars lobbying against your best interest and information that could help you be healthier.
The Nutrition Facts panel, which was designed and is required by the FDA, informs consumers about serving sizes and provides per serving information on calories, a variety of fats, sodium, cholesterol, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. It also shows the serving size's percentage of said nutrient that is recommended for daily intake. Always check serving sizes to see if they are reasonable compared to what you are actually going to eat. 100 calories or 5g of fat may seem fair, but if you are going to eat seven servings, it's not a realistic measure and is misleading.
This is based off of a 2,000 calorie diet and only helps you understand what the recommended daily amounts are for this calorie level. If you eat more or less than that, you have to adjust. Many people misunderstand this point and think the percentages represent the fat, carbs, or proteins percentage of the total nutritional value. If you take a 100 calorie meal that has 5g of fat, the product is 45% fat while the RDA % will show only 7%. The smaller the serving size, the more you have to be careful of this issue.
There are a few things to consider when reading food labels and ingredient lists. First, ingredients are listed in size order from largest to smallest. Sugar listed first can be significantly different than if it's listed last. Also, the fewer the ingredients, usually is better, but not always. You still have to read the list to see what's there and assess each ingredient.
Based on the massive amounts of chemical additives in our food supply, there's a good chance you're not familiar with a wide variety of the ingredients in today's processed foods. I ask two questions when this happens. First, do I need my high school chemistry book? Second, would I use this if I was cooking from scratch? If you answer yes and no, respectively, it's probably best to avoid. I don't think Grandma ever tasted her gumbo or pasta sauce and said, "This could use some sodium benzoate, disodium chloride, and aspartame."
There is often little oversight on food marketing claims on food labels. Furthermore, the definitions of those claims often have significant loopholes and don't necessarily mean what the average person thinks. A no-sugar product can have sugar in it. All natural can have chemically-created ingredients. It pays to take the time to read and understand what is in your food. Your health depends on it, so read your food labels.
About the Author:
You can learn more at my website Food Labels or my blog at why artificial sweeteners are bad
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