Nutrition food labels provide information regarding energy (calories), fat, protein, carbohydrate, and fiber content, type of fat, and vitamin and mineral content. Investigate the ingredients on the label to identify whether or not foods are highly processed (i.e., changed from its natural state by chemical or mechanical means).

HERE ARE SOME HELPFUL HINTS WHEN READING FOOD LABELS

• Be aware of labeled benefits, as these may be covering up for something else.
• If you can’t define it, neither can your body. If you struggle with defining label ingredients that seem like chemical names, that’s exactly what they are. These ingredients indicate that this is a processed food.
• Preservatives that make food last longer may have harmful effects on you body. Common food preservatives include compounds such as sodium benzoate, benzoic acid, nitrates, sulphur dioxide, sodium sorbate, potassium sorbate, and butylhydroxytoluene (BHT). These chemicals are linked with increased allergies, cancer risk, and may disrupt hormone signaling in our body including disrupting signals from our gut to our brain telling us we are full.
• Substitutes for sugar and fat are not necessarily healthier. Sugar substitutes are usually artificial or non-nutritive sweeteners which may be associated with allergies, digestive issues and may increase the risk of neurological problems. It is also especially important to avoid high fructose corn syrup which is linked to obesity and liver disease.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The FDA has detailed instructions on how to read nutrition labels so you can make informed food decisions that will help you choose a healthy diet:

How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label