You know how books have a table of contents that explains what's inside?
Nutrition labels are sort of like that. They tell you what's inside the food you're eating and list its smaller parts
Food labels were regulated in 1994. Before then, food companies could print their products’ nutritional information basically anywhere they wanted to (and often in really small print).
Deciphering food labels is tricky business. They're filled with lots of multi-syllabic words that border on being impossible to pronounce, chemicals that sound like they could kill you just by touching them and ... much, much worse.
The fact is that they can be misleading.
The nutrition facts label on your favorite breakfast cereal tells you it's full of vitamins and minerals. So it must be healthy, right?
But what if it's also loaded with sugar?
Do you often see labels on foods that say things like "fat-free," "reduced calorie," or "light?"
It's important to remember that fat-free doesn't mean calorie free. People tend to think they can eat as much as they want of fat-free foods.
Fat-free or low-fat foods may contain high amounts of added sugars or sodium to make up for the loss of flavor when fat is removed.
Get the inside facts when you read the label. Reading labels helps you buy products that fit your budget and the amount needed for your family.
It can help you find foods low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.
Also, be sure to read labels for information about calorie, sugar, fiber, protein content etc.
The most important thing is to become familiar with ingredients by consistently reading labels. You will begin to recognize common ingredients and when there is a questionable one, you can research it (which is fairly easy to do on the internet) to determine if it is safe.
Nutrition labels are sort of like that. They tell you what's inside the food you're eating and list its smaller parts
Food labels were regulated in 1994. Before then, food companies could print their products’ nutritional information basically anywhere they wanted to (and often in really small print).
Deciphering food labels is tricky business. They're filled with lots of multi-syllabic words that border on being impossible to pronounce, chemicals that sound like they could kill you just by touching them and ... much, much worse.
The fact is that they can be misleading.
The nutrition facts label on your favorite breakfast cereal tells you it's full of vitamins and minerals. So it must be healthy, right?
But what if it's also loaded with sugar?
Do you often see labels on foods that say things like "fat-free," "reduced calorie," or "light?"
It's important to remember that fat-free doesn't mean calorie free. People tend to think they can eat as much as they want of fat-free foods.
Fat-free or low-fat foods may contain high amounts of added sugars or sodium to make up for the loss of flavor when fat is removed.
Get the inside facts when you read the label. Reading labels helps you buy products that fit your budget and the amount needed for your family.
It can help you find foods low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.
Also, be sure to read labels for information about calorie, sugar, fiber, protein content etc.
The most important thing is to become familiar with ingredients by consistently reading labels. You will begin to recognize common ingredients and when there is a questionable one, you can research it (which is fairly easy to do on the internet) to determine if it is safe.
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