A Quick Guide to Reading Food Labels
Lauren Gallant, April 5th 2021
We all get overwhelmed at the grocery store. Aisles and aisles of food all claiming to be “heart healthy” or “whole wheat.” With ten different brands of each product sitting on the shelves, how are we supposed to know which to buy? In order to make the healthiest choices possible when food shopping, understanding food labels is key. Food claims on the front of food packaging may have little to do with the actual nutrition in the product. How do we avoid being tricked? Here are some tips for reading food labels.
Understand the Ingredients
1. Without even reading the ingredients, take a look at the length of the list. The larger the number of ingredients, the more likely that the product contains preservatives, food coloring, and added flavors.
2. Everything on the ingredients list should be a recognizable food item! If it is not, it is likely a chemical additive or processed food. Think about if you were making that product at home – would you use everything on the ingredients list?
3. The ingredients are listed in order from greatest to least amount. Pay attention to added sweeteners, sugars, fats, and chemical additives at the bottom of the list. Combine all these items and they may make up most of the food.
4. Look out for trans fats. They are listed as partially hydrogenated oils or fats. There can be up to 0.5 grams of trans fats in a food before the manufacturer has to include it on the food label.
5. A food might be marked as “whole grain” even if it is mostly refined grains. A common example is whole wheat bread. Look for products that are marked as 100% whole grain on the label. The words refined, white, enriched, and degerminated all signal a refined grain.
6. Beware of chemical additives that may be within foods to enhance color, flavor, or shelf life. Most food additives have not actually been tested to rule out long term health consequences. Keep your eyes out for artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives such as sodium nitrates and sulfites.
Understand the Nutrition Facts
After looking at the ingredients, the nutrition facts can be used to learn more about the fat, carbohydrate, protein, vitamin, and mineral content of a food. Here are a couple things to keep in mind.
The fiber content on a nutrition label can help you determine if a food is a whole grain or not. Whole grains generally contain at least 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein! Refined carbohydrates typically contain a lower fiber content.
Packaged food producers will often add vitamins and minerals to their food in order to market it as healthy or having a high nutritional value. However, these products may still include high amounts of sugar, trans fats, and refined carbohydrates. Don’t be fooled! Read the ingredients list to avoid this.
Busting the Myths About Cholesterol
What exactly is cholesterol and why do we care so much about it? Cholesterol is a type of fat made by the body and also eaten heavily in the Standard American Diet. The liver already makes 75% of our total cholesterol levels – meaning we don’t even need to eat it! Our bodies can produce all the cholesterol we need. Excess amounts of this fat consumed in the diet are linked to heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Major sources of cholesterol include eggs, red meat, butter, bacon, whole dairy products, and most food items containing saturated fat. Check the nutrition label to avoid excess cholesterol.
Test your skills! Check out the difference between these two jars of peanut butter.
Understanding the contents of the food you purchase is a quick way to improve your diet and eat well-balanced, healthy meals. Reading food labels takes practice, and you may occasionally fall for the tricks of production companies. However, with these simple tips, you will be on your way to making smarter and healthier choices at the grocery store.
Transformer Lauren 🙂
The Transform Lifestyle Medicine Alliance Team
Transformer – Lauren Gallant
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