I've read a handful of studies that all suggest that roughly 60% of U.S. citizens actually read the nutritional content labels and just 50% check the ingredients when food shopping for new items. This is too low, especially considering that about a third of Americans are at least 35 pounds over a healthy weight. Understanding what ingredients and the nutritional value of those ingredients is paramount in eating healthy.
Food companies don't make it easy to find out what's in their food. They uses the smallest type possible. They don't want you to know how unhealthy their product is or what unpronounceable chemicals you're eating. The powerful food lobby spends a great deal of money keeping transparency to a minimum and your focus on the front of the package where they make marketing claims that often lack oversight or don't mean what you think they mean.
The nutrition information of food packaging was created by the FDA, which mandates that food producers put it on their processed foods. This information helps consumers understand what they're eating by providing per serving data of fat, carbohydrates, and protein, as well as fiber, cholesterol and salt/sodium. You may have noticed the percentile information next to each macronutrient or vitamin. It is based off of the government's recommended daily amount. It tells you that the food's serving size represents X% of cholesterol or whatever nutrient you are looking at.
This is based off of a 2,000 calorie diet and only helps you understand what the recommended daily amounts are for this calorie level. If you eat more or less than that, you have to adjust. Many people misunderstand this point and think the percentages represent the fat, carbs, or proteins percentage of the total nutritional value. If you take a 100 calorie meal that has 5g of fat, the product is 45% fat while the RDA % will show only 7%. The smaller the serving size, the more you have to be careful of this issue.
There are a few things to consider when reading food labels and ingredient lists. First, ingredients are listed in size order from largest to smallest. Sugar listed first can be significantly different than if it's listed last. Also, the fewer the ingredients, usually is better, but not always. You still have to read the list to see what's there and assess each ingredient.
With the growth in usage of processed foods, due to convenience and lower costs, there are so many chemicals in our food today, often ones the average person knows nothing about. It pays to do your homework about every ingredient you ingest. If you're in a bind, a good rule of thumb is if you don't know what it is, can't pronounce it, and you or your spouse wouldn't buy it separately to make a home-cooked meal, it's probably best to avoid.
The marketing claims on the front of a packaged food are typically worthless. Although some of them are straightforward and have oversight, like USDA Organic or Non-GMO Verified, most others have significant issues. They are either meaningless like the "all natural" food claim, which can be filled with chemicals and additives or their is no oversight. If you want to eat healthy, it pays to forget these claims or understand their shortcomings, and read your food labels.
Food companies don't make it easy to find out what's in their food. They uses the smallest type possible. They don't want you to know how unhealthy their product is or what unpronounceable chemicals you're eating. The powerful food lobby spends a great deal of money keeping transparency to a minimum and your focus on the front of the package where they make marketing claims that often lack oversight or don't mean what you think they mean.
The nutrition information of food packaging was created by the FDA, which mandates that food producers put it on their processed foods. This information helps consumers understand what they're eating by providing per serving data of fat, carbohydrates, and protein, as well as fiber, cholesterol and salt/sodium. You may have noticed the percentile information next to each macronutrient or vitamin. It is based off of the government's recommended daily amount. It tells you that the food's serving size represents X% of cholesterol or whatever nutrient you are looking at.
This is based off of a 2,000 calorie diet and only helps you understand what the recommended daily amounts are for this calorie level. If you eat more or less than that, you have to adjust. Many people misunderstand this point and think the percentages represent the fat, carbs, or proteins percentage of the total nutritional value. If you take a 100 calorie meal that has 5g of fat, the product is 45% fat while the RDA % will show only 7%. The smaller the serving size, the more you have to be careful of this issue.
There are a few things to consider when reading food labels and ingredient lists. First, ingredients are listed in size order from largest to smallest. Sugar listed first can be significantly different than if it's listed last. Also, the fewer the ingredients, usually is better, but not always. You still have to read the list to see what's there and assess each ingredient.
With the growth in usage of processed foods, due to convenience and lower costs, there are so many chemicals in our food today, often ones the average person knows nothing about. It pays to do your homework about every ingredient you ingest. If you're in a bind, a good rule of thumb is if you don't know what it is, can't pronounce it, and you or your spouse wouldn't buy it separately to make a home-cooked meal, it's probably best to avoid.
The marketing claims on the front of a packaged food are typically worthless. Although some of them are straightforward and have oversight, like USDA Organic or Non-GMO Verified, most others have significant issues. They are either meaningless like the "all natural" food claim, which can be filled with chemicals and additives or their is no oversight. If you want to eat healthy, it pays to forget these claims or understand their shortcomings, and read your food labels.
About the Author:
You can learn more at my website Food Labels or my blog at Food additives to avoid
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