Understanding Food Labels

Roz Burnham

Metabolic Clinical Nutrition

mysite.verizon.net/rozburnham

Reading Food Labels

All packaged foods have a nutritional information label which describes the contents of the package. Careful label reading is a must! Common buzz words on the front of the package are designed to capture your attention! Look at these:

All natural, herbal, vitamin enriched, no trans- fats, healthy, low fat, low calorie, nutritious, whole grain, low sodium, natural goodness, heart healthy, heart smart, low cholesterol, calcium fortified, low sugar or no sugar. The real truth about the product is buried in the details of the inconspicuous small print of the food label.

Serving Size: the number of servings can be very small, unrealistic and not representative of what most people will consume. Ex: 10 chips

Calories per serving: what one serving contains. Do the math here!

Protein: there are 4 calories in each gram of protein. Ex: 10 g. protein=40 cal

Look in the ingredient list to see where protein appears. What is the source?

Total carbohydrate: contains 4 calories per gram. Ex: 30 g. carbs=120 cal

Are the carbs from veggies, fruits, sugars, corn syrup, white flour, whole grain?

Sugar: contains 4 calories per gram. Ex: 40 g. sugar=160 cal. Divide the grams by 4 for teaspoons of sugar. Ex: 40 g = 10 tsp. of sugar. What is the source of the sugar? Is it corn syrup, fructose, glucose, brown or white sugar?

Fat: contains 9 calories per gram. Ex: 10g fat=90 cal. What is the source of the fat? Where does it appear in the list of ingredients?

Trans-fats: ideal is 0 grams per serving. The food can contain ½ gram per serving and can be listed as 0 grams. Look for the words: partially hydrogenated oil in list

Sodium: listed by milligrams in one serving. Total sodium should be < 2500 mg.

Percent % of the Daily Value: this is a misleading number which is only the % you would get if you ate 2000 calories. This has nothing to do with what you need!

List of ingredients: The first 3 ingredients are vitally important-this is what you really are eating. Also, check labels for artificial sweeteners (aspartame, equal, nutrasweet, splenda), high fructose corn syrup, MSG, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial colors and preservatives (BHA-BHT,Nitrites) Where do they appear in the list? How many of these chemicals do you see? How many ingredients are in the product-count them! Do you really want all these chemicals and additives?