How to Read Food Labels

Reading food labels can be one of the most confusing and frustrating exercises. Their primary purpose is neither to educate nor inform, but rather to get you (the customer) to buy their products. Information on labels can help you make wise food choices, if you know what to specifically look for and what to ignore.

Let’s think of food labels as magazines. The first thing you see is always the cover (or in the case of labels - the front panel). This is where the big juicy headlines designed to grab your attention are located. “Low Fat”, “Heart Healthy”, “Low Carb”, “Sugar-free” and the like. The front label is where manufacturers can say almost whatever they want. Here are some immediate red alerts that you should look out for when shopping for food:.

• Fortified, Enriched, Added, Extra, and Plus. These words imply some of the "good' nutrients - such as minerals and fiber - have been removed from the item and other “selected” nutrients have been added during processing. Keep in mind that if foods are naturally healthy, they don’t need to be fortified or have additional nutrients added.

• Fruit Drink. There may be some fruit in a fruit drink, but most likely there's probably little or no real fruit in the juice and a lot of sugar. Look for juice make with 100% pure juice and no added sugar.

• Made with Wheat, Rye, or Multigrain. These products almost always have very little whole grain and for the most part are made with regular highly processed flour. Look for foods that state they are made with the 'whole" grain and the word "whole" is listed first in the ingredients.

• Sugar-Free or Fat-Free. Don't assume products listed as sugar or fat free are automatically low in calories too. Manufacturers often compensate for removed sugar and fat with other unhealthy ingredients and often have more calories and unhealthy ingredients than the real thing.