How to Read a Nutrition Label
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires most packaged food to include a Nutrition Label and an Ingredients List, which forces companies to disclose exactly what’s in the food they’re selling.
A Nutrition Label identifies the nutrients found in a portion of food, like calories, protein, and vitamins. Food labels help consumers make purchasing decisions at the grocery store and provide information about what is inside the container. A food label initially helps sell the product to the consumer and gives the consumer information about the product identity, quality, nutrition, and relevant health and safety information. But because consumers are more health-conscious than ever, so some food manufacturers use misleading tricks to convince people to buy highly processed and unhealthy products.
Don’t Let the Claims on the Front Fool You
One of the best tips may be to completely ignore claims on the front of the packaging. Front labels try to lure you into purchasing products by making health claims. In fact, research shows that adding health claims to front labels makes people believe a product is healthier than the same product that doesn’t list health claims — thus affecting consumer choices.
Study the Ingredients List
Product ingredients are listed by quantity — from highest to lowest amount. 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, the product may not have much nutritional benefit. 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.
Watch out for Serving Sizes
Nutrition labels state how many calories and nutrients are in a standard amount of the product — often a suggested single serving. However, these serving sizes are frequently much smaller than what people consume in one sitting. For example, one serving may be half a can of soda, a quarter of a cookie, half a chocolate bar, or a single cracker. In doing so, manufacturers try to deceive consumers into thinking that the food has fewer calories and less sugar. Many people are unaware of this serving size scheme, assuming that the entire container is a single serving, when in truth it may consist of two, three, or more servings.
The Most Misleading Claims
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, like sugar, has been added.
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: 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.
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.
Different Names For Sugar
Sugar goes by various names, many of which you may not recognize. These include cane sugar, invert sugar, corn sweetener, dextran, molasses, malt syrup, maltose, and evaporated cane juice.
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.
The best way to avoid being misled by product labels is to limit processed foods. After all, whole food, like fruits, vegetables, and animal proteins, do not need an ingredients list. Still, if you decide to buy packaged foods, be sure to sort out the junk from the higher-quality products with the helpful tips in this article. Or, click the button below to book a Complimentary Assessment with Success Studio’s Registered Dietitian, R.D. Helen Ballew.
And if you have any additional information you’d like to discuss that wasn’t covered in this article, like, for example, information about micronutrients and empty calories, saturated vs. unsaturated fats on a label, or how to determine net carbs from the information on the label, leave it in the comments below - let’s get a conversation started!