How to Read Food Labels [Complete Guide]

There is currently a wide variety of foods available for sale.

It’s normal to feel a bit confused about the best choices.

That’s why we created this guide to help you read food labels.

To achieve your goals, it’s important to know exactly what your diet consists of; therefore, knowing how to read food labels and decode all that information—which is unfamiliar to many—is essential these days.

Food labeling is a mandatory system for organizing nutritional information that allows you to understand a food product’s nutritional data, as it lists the ingredients and their quantities.

Therefore, knowing how to read food labels is essential to understanding what you are actually consuming.

This issue is of extreme importance for people with health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, or gluten or lactose intolerance, for example.

Organization of Nutritional Information

The list of ingredients on a food label is organized in descending order, that is:

The first ingredient listed is the one present in the greatest quantity in that specific food product and is therefore considered the main ingredient.

With this in mind, you should avoid foods where sugar, fats, or salt are the first ingredients, as they will be present in large quantities.

You should also be aware that many of these foods to avoid may have other names, which can lead to some confusion in this regard.

For example, consider sugar, which may appear disguised under other names: invert sugar, brown sugar, fructose, glucose, dextrose, honey, maltose, corn syrup, glucose syrup, sucrose, among others.

Examples of foods high in sugar include: sweeteners, cereal bars, yogurt, cookies, cereal, ketchup, and soft drinks.

In turn, fats can also be deceptive and go by other names, such as fatty acids, vegetable fat, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable fat, margarine, butter, coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter, among others.

These foods contain excessive fat and, as such, should be consumed in moderation: sausages, butter, French fries, frozen meals, and fried foods.

You should keep all of this in mind when shopping for food. This doesn’t mean you have to avoid these foods entirely, but rather consume them in moderation.

After the list of ingredients for a food item, you’ll find the nutritional information in a table, broken down into different categories.

Serving Size

The serving size is used to facilitate comparison with other products and is what determines the number of calories and other nutritional information for a product, whether it’s a slice, a specific number of grams, or a package.

This varies from product to product. Typically, 1 serving equals 100 grams.

Calories

Calories refer to the amount of energy provided by each food.

This is important information to keep in mind to ensure you are neither consuming too many calories nor too few, depending on your goal.

Nutrients

In this category, you’ll find the amount of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals the product contains per serving.

You should also keep in mind that excess fat in a given food is precisely the type of nutrient that can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

When it comes to vitamins and minerals, you should consider your specific needs.

For example: someone with anemia should increase their intake of foods with higher iron content.

Percent Daily Value

The daily value percentage for a specific nutrient is shown as % DV (Daily Value) or RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) or NRV (Nutrient Reference Value) in the nutrition facts panel, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

For example, if a product indicates that it contains 20% sugar, this means that one serving of that food provides 20% of the total sugar that should be consumed daily.

When analyzing a product to buy, you don’t need to pay much attention to this part.

This is because the percentage will depend on how many calories you need per day. Whether you need 1,500 or 2,500, the percentages listed on food labels are no longer relevant.

However, do pay some attention to the percentage of saturated fat, trans fat, or sugar, as excessive amounts of these are unhealthy.

Label Information: What Each Nutrient Means

It’s important to know what you’re buying and consuming, because a balanced diet is essential for your health.

Energy value

Energy value is given in kJ (kilojoules) and kcal (kilocalories), with 1 kcal being equivalent to about 4 kJ.

This value is important for calculating the total calorie content of the food. By analyzing this value, you’ll know if the food helps you achieve your goals… Whether that’s gaining weight, losing weight, or maintaining your current weight.

Let’s say you need 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight.

At the end of the day, if you’ve consumed 2,000 calories, you’ll maintain your current weight. If you consume more or less, you’ll gain or lose weight, respectively.

Don’t make drastic cuts if you want to lose weight; it’s not sustainable and you risk losing muscle.

As a general rule, try to consume 250–500 fewer calories (for women) and 500–750 fewer (for men) than you need. By following this approach, you’ll have a sustainable long-term weight loss strategy.

Protein

This nutrient is responsible for the growth, maintenance, and repair of the body’s organs, tissues, and cells.

1 gram of protein equals 4 kcal.

A question that always comes up is:

“How much protein should I consume per day?”

First, multiply your weight by 2.2. Then, you should consume 0.5 to 1 times that number.

For example, if you weigh 70 kg.

70 x 2.2 = 154

In other words, you need to consume between 77 grams (154 x 0.5) and 154 grams (154 x 1) of protein per day.

You can consume more than this, especially since protein helps satisfy your appetite quite a bit, which is ideal if you’re trying to lose weight. But this is the minimum required.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are often seen as the enemy, but in reality, they are necessary—in moderation—in a healthy diet, since they are the body’s primary source of energy for performing its functions.

After all, what determines whether you lose weight or not is the total number of calories you consume throughout the day.

1 gram of carbohydrates equals 4 kcal.

Here, you should always pay attention to the percentage of carbohydrates that are sugars.

For example, in 100 grams of Oreo cookies, there are 67 grams of carbohydrates, and 37 grams are sugars. In other words, 55% of the carbohydrates are sugars, which is not good.

Compare this, for example, with protein cookies, which may contain (for example), in 100 grams, 52 grams of carbohydrates, of which 16 grams are sugars. Here, 30% of the carbohydrates are sugars, a considerably lower figure.

You don’t need to cut sugar out of everything you eat; just consume it in moderation and try to choose the healthier options.

Lipids

Fats include saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and they serve several functions: they transport certain vitamins (A, D, E, K), act as an energy reserve, and protect vital organs from the cold and external stressors.

1 gram of lipids, or fat, equals 9 kcal. That is, 5 kcal more than carbohydrates and protein.

What you should keep in mind when analyzing lipids is to avoid foods high in saturated fat or trans fat.

The fat in foods like eggs, nuts, fish, almonds, avocados, and olive oil is “healthy” fat.

If you want to lose weight, be careful not to consume too many foods with a high fat content.

These foods are generally not very filling, and since they contain 9 kcal per gram, it’s easier to accumulate excess calories.

Fiber

Don’t forget to include fiber in your diet.

Adequate fiber intake can have a beneficial effect in preventing obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer, but it is undoubtedly essential for proper bowel function.

Fruits and vegetables are foods that are very high in fiber.

Salt

Excessive salt intake is harmful to cardiovascular health. Therefore, be cautious about your intake.

This doesn’t mean you should cut out all salt, just that you should be careful not to consume too many foods high in salt, such as soy sauce, ready-made sauces, Parmesan cheese, and sausages.

Now that you have more information on how to read food labels, you’re better equipped to make the right choices for your results and your health!

Happy training!