The Secrets to Reading Food Labels

How to Read Food Labels

1. Look at the ingredients first - The first ingredient should be the food it is. If the first ingredient is sugar, think twice. If it's a grain, look for “whole”.  If you can’t pronounce it, move on.

2. If it has 5 or more ingredients, consider another item.

3. Look at the total sugar content.  Look for 10 grams of sugar or less per serving. (5 or less is great!)

4. Choose foods with 2-3 grams of fiber per serving or more.

5. Buy foods that come without a food label – think fruit, vegetables, bulk grains, nuts, seeds, and animal products in their whole, or recognizable state (unprocessed).

More tips

• Avoid trans fats, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, food dyes (yellow 5), MSG, sodium benzoate and other artificial and processed additives.

• Sodium per serving - look for 120 mg or less of sodium per serving or 5 % DV (Percent Daily Value).

• Other words for sugar- high fructose corn syrup, fructose, sucrose, maltodextrin, dextrose, agave