How to Read Food Labels and Tips

How to read food labels correctly

Those familiar with me know that I adhere to a whole food plant-based lifestyle. What many may not know is that I completed a three-course certification program in Plant-Based Nutrition at eCornell and earned a certificate.

I've attempted to decipher food labels, investing too much time in learning how to interpret them. I've devoted even more time to understanding each item on the label. However, the simple truth is that we don't need to spend all our time reading food labels. By following the straightforward rules in this post, you'll gain more knowledge about label reading than most.

Living a whole-food, plant-strong lifestyle means minimizing our consumption of packaged foods. Yet, life's realities sometimes necessitate eating packaged foods. The key is to consume whole, healthy foods and avoid processed packaged goods. When we do choose processed foods, it's crucial to understand how to read their labels.

Four easy points to remember on reading labels

1. Try to eat food that is not labeled, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
2. Don’t believe anything you read on the food package label.
3. Read the ingredients list – look for whole grain.
4. Check the nutrition facts and look for
   1. Bad fats.
   2. Sodium.
   3. Sugars.

– via  Reading Food Packages and Nutrition Labels: Four Tips for Savvy Shopping

Nutritional label reading

An interesting lesson presented during my course at eCornell was on "nutritional label reading" by a dietitian, nutritionist, and Chef, Jeff Novick. Jeff makes label reading easy and removes the guessing, mystery, and deception that are hidden in food labels.

See how good you are at reading labels!

Now, look at the label, and you can clearly see that the Pam cooking spray has zero everything. But how can that be? When you look at the ingredients, you see canola oil, which I believe is 100 percent fat, but the label claims Fat-Free. Notice the serving size is one-third of a second spray.

I will provide the answer later in this post, and I am sure you will be as surprised and shocked as I was!

**Industry Trick**

The answer to the question about Pam!

If the serving size is less than ½ gram – you can round it down to zero
Pam advertises nothing – see the label (It’s pure fat!)
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray advertises no calories! (It’s pure fat!)
Mazola Naturally Fat-Free Olive Oil ¼g serving size (It’s pure fat!)

Jeff Novick's on food labeling

He is a great speaker and very entertaining. In this video, he discusses the games that marketing and food labeling companies play. To me, it was very disturbing that these games were played, and no thought was given to our health. The bottom line, of course, is money and greed!

Simple rules for reading nutrition facts

Here are some straightforward guidelines for reading food labels, developed by nutritionist and chef Jeff Novick, Registered Dietitian.

That's it! Simple and effective. Take a few trips to the store to master these, and then you'll need about ten seconds to evaluate a package. Combine this with the simple idea that we should be eating good minimally processed plant-based foods -- raw foods -- and limiting the volume of "foods" found in cartons, cans, bottles, and packages -- and we are well on our way to a successful health quest. – via  Raw Some Creations

Did you enjoy reading this post?

II hope you found this post enjoyable. If so, feel free to use the share buttons below to pass it along to family and friends who might find the information useful.

Express your opinion

What are your thoughts on this article? Did you find it valuable? 

Do you feel that we are being deceived in this manner? It deeply concerns me that we might be misled. If you have any questions or would like to share your opinion, feel free to express your thoughts by leaving a comment below.