How to Know What's Important On a Food Nutrition Label

Want to know what is really important on a food nutrition label. Most people look at calories and fat content but that’s not the important part. If you are really interested in being healthy, this article details what to look for.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 
    

   INGREDIENTS LIST
   
   The absolute most important part of a food nutrition label is the ingredients list. The fewer ingredients on a food label the better. If a food nutrition label has a long list of ingredients you cannot pronounce or do not recognize, then this is a good sign that is packed full of chemicals and artificial ingredients, no matter what the flashy front cover says. Some of these unrecognizable words may be synthetic vitamins added back in. Also, be aware that the ingredients are listed in order of the amount contained in the food. So, if sugar is the first ingredient, then it contains more sugar than anything

2. 
    

   CALORIES
   
   Calories is probably the most looked at part of a food nutrition label but certainly not the most important. Just be aware that the calories listed are per serving. A box of cookies may list the calories as 20, but this is per serving which could be only 1 or 2 cookies.

3. SODIUM
   
   It’s a good idea to read the sodium content of a food item. Again, the sodium content is based on per serving. So, a can of soup my list 560 mg. of sodium, but a serving might be listed as ½ cup and most of us eat more than this at one time. Packaged and processed foods are generally very high in sodium. Sodium is used for flavor and as a preservative.

4. FATS
   
   The most important part to pay attention to under fats on a food nutrition label is the amount of trans fat. Tans fats are the unhealthiest of fats and should be avoided. However, be aware that food companies are not required to list trans fat under the total fats heading unless it is more than half a gram per serving. If you are trying to avoid trans fat, you must read the ingredients list. Trans fat will be listed as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil or fat.

5. PROTEIN
   
   This can be important if you are a vegetarian and are trying to get enough protein in your diet or if you are trying to limit it.

6. FIBER
   
   Since fiber is so important in our diet, it’s a good idea to pay attention to the grams of fiber on a food nutrition label. Breads and cereals with higher fiber would generally be a better choice.

7. CARBOHYDRATES
   
   Carbohydrates are also listed on food nutrition labels. This can be important to pay attention to if you need to watch you carbohydrates. Many people, especially diabetics or folks with blood sugar issues can find this helpful.

Tips & Warnings

• The healthiest foods to eat are foods with no nutrition label. These foods are called whole foods such as apples, carrots and avocados.

Resources

• Whole Foods Article

[westernmom]

on 5/20/2009 Very good information on knowing what is in the food we eat. Too many of us eat too many processed foods and don't pay enough attention to what we are ingesting. Thanks for writing. 5*

[shasha10]

on 5/20/2009 It is good to focus on the main points on the label. Checking these main points will minimize the shopping time. 5*

[waters]

on 5/18/2009 Good tips on how to know what is important on a food nutrition label.

[pblanch]

on 5/17/2009 The best part of your atticle was at the end. Every day on my commute home from work I eat a big juicy apple I usually pack my lunch and keep it cold with a freezer pack, which anso ensures that my apple is still cool at 5:00. It is my favorite part of the day... really!

[Marilynda]

on 5/6/2009 Very excellent article on knowing what's important on a food nutrition label. I am on who doesn't read the whole list of ingreadients just scans the fat and calories. Thanks for the tips