Consumers can thank the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990 for this tool to be informed. Despite its very practical use for health-conscious consumers like myself, I am not entirely convinced of its overall efficacy. As a recent study from New York suggests, only 32% of participants from various socio-economic backgrounds could correctly calculate simple math to discover how much nutrients were in the food they were consuming. More importantly, the majority of these participants stated that they found nutrition labels easy to read and they referred to them often.
The sample nutrition above label looks simple, I know. But it is in fact a language of its own. I have constructed a few lessons on understanding nutrition labels in an attempt to lessen the confusion.
Lesson number 1: Marketing information versus mandated information
When it comes to the nutrition information on foods, the required (and useful) information is located on the white nutrition label. Oftentimes products will also have clever words on the front, suggesting to the consumer that the product is in fact healthy. For example, in a study from Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab, it was found that participants thought cookies contained 40 percent fewer calories just because the word “organic” was printed somewhere on the label!
Tip: Don’t be fooled by clever marketing. In order to make informed choices, only read the nutrition label.
Lesson number 2: Don’t just look at the caloric information!
In addition to looking at the calories content, make sure you understand where your calories come from. Fat? Protein? Carbohydrate? Each of these sources contains different amounts of calories. More importantly, protein generally takes longer to digest, leaving you feeling fuller longer, which is useful information when on a calorie-controlled diet, or when trying to lose weight.
Tip: A well-balanced diet roughly consists of 30 percent of daily calories from fat, 55 percent from carbohydrates and 15 percent from proteins.
Lesson number 3: Checking out the serving size will only serve yourself
All nutrition information is listed per serving size, either displayed per 100 grams or by recommended serving size. This can be very misleading so pay close attention. For example, many cereals provide nutritional information for a serving of 30 to 40 grams. In reality, the average person will consume almost double this amount, doubling the quoted nutrition information on the product.
Tip: Whenever possible, weigh, or measure your portion size to ensure it equals the recommended serving size, and if not, calculate nutrition contents accordingly.
Lesson number 4: The value of looking at the percent daily value
The percentages (%) associated with each nutrient represent the percent of the recommended daily value for each nutrient that is obtained by consuming an amount of the product that is equal to the portion size on the label.
Tip: In general, avoid those foods that are high in sugars, sodium, cholesterol, saturated and trans fats, and, of course, calories and seek foods that are high in fiber and protein.
Lesson number 5: Seeing beyond the negative connotation of “fats”
The term “fats” has a negative connotation, but it’s important to remember that not all fats are detrimental to human health when reading between the lines on a nutrition label. In the sample above, there is an overall amount of fat per serving size (in this case, 1 g). Below it, there is an amount of saturated fats and an amount of trans fats. This is where attention should be focused when reading the fat section.
Tip: The healthier the food, the fat content will be less attributable to saturated and/or trans fats. So, avoid foods altogether that contain trans fats (and high amounts of saturated fats).
Lesson number 6: Understanding Carbohydrates
Similar to fats, not all carbohydrates are created equally. Check out the example nutrition label above. The carbohydrate count per ¾ cup of cereal contains 25g of carbohydrates, 9 grams of which are sugar and 2 of which are from fiber. The remainder contains complex carbohydrates that are beneficial to human health.
Tip: When scrutinizing the carbohydrate section, avoid foods whose carbohydrates are mostly sugars.
There is a ton of information hidden between the lines on elusive nutrition labels. So, whether or not your math and language skills measure up, take some time reading nutrition labels to ensure that what you eat measures up to your health goals.
