Navigating the aisles of your local grocery store can feel like a daunting task, especially when faced with the confusing array of nutrition labels plastered on every product. If you’re someone who wants to make healthier choices but struggles to understand what those labels actually mean, you’re not alone. This blog post aims to demystify the world of nutrition labels, offering practical tips and invaluable insights tailored for people needing help with nutrition. By the end of this article, you’ll be armed with the knowledge you need to make more informed decisions about the foods you buy and consume.

Nutrition Facts Label

The nutrition label lists the macro and micro nutrients that make up the food per serving. These are usually listed in g and mg and also, list the % of daily value for a 2,00 calorie diet. One thing to keep a close eye on is the serving size and servings per container. Often times we look at the nutrition list and think it is ok, when in fact that small item of food may actually consist of several servings. So, if there are 20g of added sugar listed, but there are 4 servings for the package, then if you eat the whole package you are actually eating 80g of added sugar. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is 30g (which is still pretty high).  One 12 oz can of Coca Cola is 39 grams of sugar per serving, which is one can.  So one can of soda is already more than the already inflated RDA for added sugar.  Too much added sugar can cause visceral fat (fat around organs), this causes cardiovascular issues and diabetes.¹

2021 was the last year that partially hydrogenated oils (used as preservative) were allowed in processed foods in the United States.  They were the main culprit in increased trans fat in processed foods and have been deemed not safe for humans.  Keep in mind that meat and dairy naturally have trans fat in them and are deemed safe for humans. The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) is 2.2 grams.  According to the FDA, if a product has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat then it can be labelled as having 0 trans fat.  So, even if you eat two servings of something that states it has 0 grams of trans fat, you could actually be eating 1 gram of trans fat in that one sitting.  Too many trans fats can cause heart disease.²  

Ingredients List Label

The ingredients list label lists all the ingredients in the product. By law they must be listed in decreasing order of prevalence, which means the first ingredient represents the largest amount, etc. In the United States they must be listed by their common name so consumers can recognize what the ingredient is (although many are not necessarily common to the avg person).

Often times, especially with processed foods, there may be multiple types of sugar listed, such as cane sugar, corn syrup and then also fruit concentrate all in the same product.  Beware of products with multiple types of sugar in them (especially if they are added).  Preservatives are usually in names that you would not recognize; such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), sodium benzoate, sodium nitrate and nitrites.  The preservative MSG (monosodium glutamate) goes by several names;  monosodium salt, monohydrate, monosodium glutamate monohydrate, and sodium glutamate monohydrate,(see blog post “10 Ingredients to Avoid”).

Nutrition Claims

These are terms used to signify if a product is a good source of an ingredient or low in a certain nutrient. There are strict guidelines for these. Some of these claims would be; low fat, fat free, gluten free, calorie free, etc. For example; low calorie must contain 40 calories or less; fat free contains less than 1/2 gram of total fat per serving. This is one of the major weasel areas. You may see low fat on the product label and think that it is a good product, but if you also look on the nutrition label, more than likely you will find that it has an inflated amount of sugars. So it is important to read all labels on the product.

You may see on cereal a logo stating that the it is heart healthy, but that is only because of its fat and cholesterol levels listed on the nutrition facts label.  So it is a weasel way to persuade someone to think that the cereal is completely healthy for you, when in fact it is packed full of added sugar, which will do you even more harm.

Agricultural Claims

These are claims such as Natural, Non-GMO, Organic, Cage Free, etc..If you do not know the ins and outs of these terms then you will be bamboozled. 100% Organic means the product contains only organic ingredients. Organic means the product contains at least 95% organic ingredients. Made with Organic Ingredients means the product must contain at least 70% organic ingredients and still be Non-GMO. Be careful here because it may not list this as a plaque on the front label, but may have 100% Organic or Organic in regards to the individual ingredients listed, which does not make the whole product organic.

Terms used for livestock and poultry are cage free, pasture raised, range free, grass fed, natural, grass fed grass finished and wild caught or farm raised. Cage free means they had access to roam outside, but no guarantee that they did. Free range means the they were given access to roam outside at least 51% of their life. Pasture raised means they spend time in the pasture / outdoors for a period of time, but no indication of how long (no FDA regulation on this). Grass fed means the main source of the the livestocks diet was grass, this does not mean that it cannot be supplemented with grain and corn when finished in order to fatten it up. Grass fed / grass finished means that the animal only ate grass during its life and at the end of its life before slaughter. Natural means no artificial ingredients or dyes and is watched by the USDA. This term is also used in the ingredient list of processed foods, which is governed by the FDA, but there is no true definition given by the FDA – the assumed meaning is not artificial. Wild caught means it was caught in the wild and farm raised means it was raised in a controlled environment (deals with fish, seafood, etc.).

Certified Humane has more restrictions. For more information visit their website: https://certifiedhumane.org/free-range-and-pasture-raised-officially-defined-by-hfac-for-certified-humane-label/

In conclusion, reading food labels is an essential skill for anyone looking to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. By understanding the nutritional information, ingredients, serving size, and avoiding marketing gimmicks, we can make informed decisions about our nutrition.  the art of reading labels is very important, but at the end of the day make the best choices you can for yourself and your family.  Let this article be a guide not a dictate.

Sources:

1. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2047487320931303?journalCode=cprc
2. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/trans-fat#:~:text=Trans%20fat%20clogs%20arteries%2C%20increasing,as%20crackers%2C%20biscuits%20and%20pies.
3. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means#:~:text=Organic%20producers%20rely%20on%20natural,three%20years%20prior%20to%20harvest.

*This article is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice. Use of recommendations in this and other articles is at the choice and risk of the reader.

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