Imagine this:

You’ve just decided to start eating healthier so you can get your dream physique.

You clear out all the junk food in your house and now you’re on the lookout for healthy foods.

You march into the grocery store with your head held high … but soon you’re confronted with 20 different yogurts, an entire aisle of cereals, and 8 different brands of eggs.

With so many options to pick from, how do you know which ones are the right choices for your body?

That’s why it’s essential you learn how to read food labels like an expert if you want to achieve optimal results.

Food labels come with a nutrition information panel and an ingredients list.

They look like this:

In most countries, all manufactured foods must have a food label by law.

This information will help you decide if a food is good for you or not.

The following steps will help you make the best choices for your health and avoid added sugars, fats, salts, and chemicals.

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Step 1) Start by looking at the Nutrition Information Panel

Nutrition information panels are your best way of finding foods that are good for you.

They outline key nutrients contained in each food and let you compare similar foods in a food group.

Let’s start making sense of these panels, starting at the top and work our way down.

Item A) Serving Size

The serving size of foods is found at the top of nutrition information panels.

This is one of the most important pieces of information on the label.

That’s because the nutrition information shown under “quantity per serving” is based on the exact amount of food listed.

For example, if a serve of a food is 30 grams, then the nutrition information provided per serve is for EXACTLY 30 grams of that food.

Without knowing the serving size, the rest of the information is useless to you, so be sure to take note.

Depending on the food in question, the serving size may be listed in grams, cups, millilitres, and more.

In the example above, all nutrition facts under “quantity per serving” are for 1 EXACT serving of food.

So if a serving is 112.5 grams, and you only eat about 55 grams, you can cut all the nutrition information provided in half.

And if you eat 225 grams you would double all the numbers.

Quick Note: When serving sizes come in unit of measurements, it’s impossible to tell by eye how much a serving is.

I mean, what on earth do 112.5 grams look like?

The only real way to get an accurate idea of what a serving looks like is by weighing it out on a food scale (at least once).

Once you’ve done that a few times, you will roughly know what a serving of food looks like.

The only real way to know what a serving looks like is by weighing it out on a food scale (at least once).

The good news is most foods in the same food group look similar.

So if you knew what 100 grams of chicken looks like, then you will be able to estimate 100 grams of beef.

Item B) Servings Per Package

“Servings per package” tells you how many servings are found in the entire box, bag, can, jar, packet, or whatever your food came in.

In the above example, the entire container has 20 servingsof ice cream.

This is important because people make the mistake of thinking one packet of food is equal to one serving.

The packet of chips pictured above (Figure 5) is NOT 1 serving.

If we’re not careful, it can be very easy to believe we’re eating much less food than we actually are.

That’s why “servings per package” is something you always need to look at

Item C) “Quantity per serving’ and “Quantity per 100g”

“Quantity per serving” is useful for estimating how much nutrients you are eating from a food.

But what if you wanted to compare the nutritional value of 2 or more different foods?

To make an accurate comparison, we need to make sure we’re comparing the SAME amount of foods.

And since similar food items can have very different serving sizes …

We must use “Quantity per 100g” when comparing the nutritional value of DIFFERENT foods.

Item D) Percentage Daily Intake per serving

Some labels list nutrients in a serving of food as a percentage of the daily requirements for an “average adult.”

This information should only be seen as a rough guide.

That’s because your needs are almost guaranteed to be different to the “average adult.”

You may need more or less of every nutrient depending on your age, height, weight, sex and activity level.

“Percentage daily intake” doesn’t tell you much about how a food fits into the context of YOUR diet and lifestyle.

You’re better off looking at the food’s actual nutrition content to decide if it’s a good choice for you.

Remember: Not all information on food labels may not be relevant to you.

Item E) Energy, Kilojoules and Calories

The first nutritional information you will see is energy.

Energy is usually given as “Calories”, a measurement of energy. It can also be given as kilojoules (kJ) in countries like Australia and New Zealand.

The number listed in “Quantity per serving” represents the total energy contained in exactly 1 serving of food.

Energy is one of the most important nutrition facts on the entire label if you are trying to lose, gain, or maintain your weight.

If you eat too many high-energy foods, you’re likely to eat more energy than your body needs, and you will gain weight.

If you eat foods low in energy, you’re more likely to eat less than your body needs, and you will lose weight.

I know I’m repeating myself but please keep the serving size in mind.

If you eat exactly 1 serving, then the information given is the amount of energy you have consumed.

But if you eat 2 servings, you must now double the energy value.

The same goes for if you’re eating half of a serving, you’d divide the energy value in half.

And so on …

Item F) Protein

The first “macronutrient” listed on the panel is protein.

Macronutrients are the nutrients that provide your body with energy.

They also have numerous roles in the body.

Protein is often seen as the most important macronutrient because it’s the building block of all cells in your body.

People who eat the right amount of protein perform better, build more muscle, lose fat easier, and enjoy better health.

So when you’re comparing foods, don’t worry too much if a food has a higher protein value per serving or 100g.

Most people could use a bit more protein in their diet.

Some examples of high protein foods include meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, nuts and beans, and products based on these foods.

Remember: Protein content is only a single factor. When deciding whether a food is a good choice or not, make sure you take everything into account.

That includes the amount of other nutrients, the ingredients used, possible additives, and of course, your goals.

Item G) Total Fat

Dietary fat is listed on nutrition information panels as “total fat.”

That includes every single kind of fat you can find in foods (monounsaturated, saturated, trans, and polyunsaturated fats).

It’s hard to say how high or low you want the total fat of your food to be.

That’s because everyone has different requirements and preferences.

As a very general recommendation, you should choose foods with less than 10 grams of fat per 100g.

That’s because fats contain the most calories per gram of all macronutrients (9 calories per gram) and can add up very quickly.

If you eat a lot of high fat foods you’re more likely to exceed your daily energy requirements.

And it’s always better to be slightly under your requirements because you can always just eat more later.

(The same is true for all nutrients.)

The majority of your daily fats should come from foods such as nuts, seeds, eggs, olive oil, and fatty fish.

Item H) Saturated Fat

Below “total fat” is usually a list of anywhere from 1 to 4 specific types of fat contained in the food.

Saturated fat is the fat listed most often.

Saturated fat is often labeled “bad” by big health organisations. But it’s far more complicated than that (and for this article).

Basically, “Saturated fat” is actually a broad term for a whole bunch of different saturated fatty acids and they all affect the body differently.

Just like “Asian” could mean Chinese, Japanese, Korean … You get the metaphor.

Remember: You shouldn’t avoid saturated fats. The key is to get the right amount in your diet.

What’s the right amount?

When you’re looking at a food, compare the saturated fat content to the total fat content.

Generally speaking, saturated fat should not be more than 1/3rd of the food’s total fat content.

Other Fats

Sometimes other fats are listed on food labels. This usually happens when food companies decide to make a “nutrition claim” about a type or types of fat.

(We will talk about nutrition claims later in the article.)

Companies must provide the relevant information by law if they make a claim about a fat.

Of course, companies also have the option of listing all fats out of goodwill … In other words, it never happens.

But in any case, here are some other fats you may or may not see on food labels:

Trans Fat

This is one dangerous fat you’re not likely to see on food labels.

You must make an effort to look out for it in the ingredient lists.

Trans fat is a man-made fat that harms almost all aspects of your health. It’s one of the only things in nutrition where there’s no debate over how bad it is.

If you see any trans fats on a food’s label, you should pick something else.

Now the big problem is this:

Some countries do not require food companies to list trans fats on their nutrition information panels.

So the only way to be sure your food doesn’t contain trans fats is by looking at its ingredient list.

A food contains trans fat if you see the words “hydrogenated” or “partially-hydrogenated” or “shortening” in the ingredient list.

Trans fats are most common in heavily processed foods like cookies, potato chips, pastries, and all the typical junk foods you should be avoiding anyway.

Polyunsaturated Fat and Monounsaturated Fat

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are referred to as the “good” fats.

How healthy they are is a complicated topic.

But they tend to be linked to better health outcomes (and are neutral at worst).

These fats are rarely listed, but if they are, a good food choice would have at least 2/3rd of its total fat content coming from these fats.

Examples of food high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are fatty fish, nuts and seeds, and olive oil.

Item I) Carbohydrate

Carbohydrate is a nutrient where your needs may be extremely different to someone else’s.

That’s because its main benefit is providing the body with energy.

Someone who is active will need a lot more carbohydrates than someone who is sedentary.

There are two main types of carbohydrates: simple (sugars) and complex (starches).

Foods high in starch include cereals and grain products, beans, legumes, and vegetables like potatoes.

Foods high in sugars include fruit, dairy, confectionery, biscuits, and other typical junk foods.

As very general guidelines for good health:

• You want to limit high sugar foods to only fruits.

• You should get most of your carbohydrates from starchy foods.

• When choosing starchy foods, avoid processed options and choose vegetables, wholegrains, beans, and legumes.

These guidelines allow you to get the most nutrients from your carbohydrates.

Item J) Sugars

Sugars are included under total “Carbohydrate” and also listed on its own.

Sugars on labels include both naturally occurring and added sugars.

Sugar is a nutrient that’s extremely easy to overeat and can contribute to many health issues. This is especially true for foods with added sugar.

It’s not a nutrient you should actively seek to eat more of.

You’ll get all your body needs if you just eat some fruits and dairy.

As general guidelines for good health:

• You want to limit high sugar foods to fruits only.

• Avoid foods with more than 15 grams of sugar per 100g.

• Keep your daily sugar intake under 50 grams.

Remember: There are many names for added sugars on food labels. Keep an eye on the ingredient list for the following:

Sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, glucose, lactose, molasses, syrup, malt, malt extract, raw sugar, brown sugar, modified carbohydrate, golden syrup, honey, maple syrup.

Item K) Dietary Fibre

Dietary fibre helps your gut function and may help you avoid diseases including heart disease and colon cancer.

It’s another nutrient most people don’t eat enough of.

You can find fibre in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, legumes, wholegrains, and related products.

Adults should aim for between 20 to 35 grams of fibre per day (or about 14 grams per 1000 calories you eat).

As a general rule of thumb, look for foods with 3 grams or more of fibre per serving.

Note: In Australia and New Zealand, “Carbohydrate” on nutrition panels only include starches and sugars. Dietary fibre is not included under “Carbohydrate” and is listed on its own (or not at all).

But in other countries, dietary fibre can be included in total “Carbohydrate”.

Regardless of where it is listed, you should still look for foods with 3 grams or more of fibre per serving.

Item L) Sodium

Finally we have sodium (better known as salt).

Sodium is found naturally in almost all foods we eat. It’s also added to most foods during processing.

The total sodium content listed on food labels include all naturally occurring and added sodium.

Your body needs sodium to function, but too much sodium in the diet is linked with several health issues.

What is “too much” is a very complicated topic.

Your sodium needs depend on your body size, activity levels, how much water you drink, the amount of potassium you eat, your genetics … and more.

But most people tend to eat too much sodium (due to eating too much heavily processed foods).

That’s why my very general recommendations are to:

• Choose foods with less than 400mg of sodium per 100 grams of food.

• Choose lower sodium options among similar foods by comparing the “per 100g” value.

Examples of high sodium foods include most packaged foods, canned soups and vegetables, snack foods like potato chips, and processed meats such as ham.

Note: If you’re lucky you may find other minerals and vitamins on food labels (such as iron and vitamin C).

This information is usually not required by law (meaning they are provided by food companies voluntarily).

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Step 2) Check the Ingredient List for Hidden Additives and Allergens

Now that you are familiar with the nutrition information panel, it’s time to look at the ingredients list.

All ingredients in a food product are listed in order from largest to smallest by weight.

In other words:

• The first ingredient listed makes up the largest amount of the food product

• The last ingredient listed makes up the smallest amount of the food product.

Checking for added sugars, salts, and fats

We know the first few ingredients listed are the major ingredients of a food.

So if sugars, salts, or fats are the first ingredients on the list, the food in question may not be the best choice for your health.

Remember: Food companies use different names for added sugar, salt, and fats. Here are what you need to look out for:

• Other names for added sugars: sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, glucose, lactose, molasses, syrup, malt, malt extract, raw sugar, brown sugar, modified carbohydrate, golden syrup, honey, maple syrup.

• Other names for added salts: sodium, rock salt, onion salt, celery or garlic salt, vegetable salt, MSG, yeast extracts, booster, stock, baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, meat extract, sea salt, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, stock cubes.

• Other names for added fats: partially hydrogenated oil, oil, shortening, tallow, lard, dripping, cream, copha, milk solids, monoglycerides, diglycerides, butter, margarine, animal fat, animal oil, beef fat, coconut oil, coconut cream, ghee, suet, palm oil, dripping.

Information for food allergy suffers

This information is vital if you have an allergy to foods such as dairy, seafood, and nuts.

Food allergens will typically be highlighted in ingredient lists.

Most food products also have a separate section advising you of any potential allergens.

For the health and safety of yourself and your loved ones, make sure you always look for allergens on food labels.

And when you have even the slightest of doubt about a certain product, play it safe and pick something else.

Looking out for other food additives

Food additives are often added to extend the shelf life, improve safety, or change the qualities of a food product.

These additives include flavourings, sweeteners, colourings and more.

Some substances used as additives are natural such as ascorbic acid from fruit.

Others additives are man-made. Examples include artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and colouring agents.

You can spot food additives on ingredient lists by looking for a function and a name or a number.

For example: “Natural Colour (160b) or “allura red AC (129.”

The food manufacturing industry will tell you all additives are safe. But you can never be too sure.

It’s hard to perform long-term safety studies on these additives. And most tests are currently done in animals or individual cells (not humans).

As a rule of thumb, choose foods with fewer numbers and brackets in the ingredient list for better health.

Remember: The more highly processed foods you eat, the more additives you’ll eat too. The healthiest natural foods on the planet don’t contain any additives.

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Step 3) Know the “Best Before” and “Use By Dates” to Prevent Food Poisoning

This final step is essential if you want to avoid food poisoning (and potentially death).

“Best before” and “use by” dates tell you how long foods can be kept before they become unsafe to eat.

What’s the difference between “best before” and”use by” dates?

Foods that MUST be eaten before a certain time for health or safety reasons have a use by date. Examples include perishable foods such as meats.

Foods past their best before dates can still be eaten. They SHOULD be safe from a health perspective, but may have lost some quality.

Examples include most processed packaged foods.

Realistically though, why risk it?

Follow the storage directions on food labels and use them before they pass their “use by” or “best before” date.

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Other Information You May Use

Here are some other pieces of information you may find on food packages. Some are more useful than others.

A) Nutrition content claims

Sometimes food labels include nutrition content claims.

These claims are exactly what they sound like.

They’re facts about the nutrition content of a food product.

Examples include low fat, reduced salt, or high fibre.

How useful are they?

Well …

They give you hints about the nutrition content of a food, but sometimes they can be very misleading.

For example:

• A food with “no added” or “reduced” sugar, fat or salt may still be high in sugar, fat and salt.

• “Low fat” and “low sugar” foods can also be higher in energy than similar foods without claims.

• And how exactly do we define “low” and “high” anyway?

You’re always better off looking at a food’s actual nutrition content when deciding if it’s a good choice for you.

Remember: Heavily processed junk foods modified to be “high fibre” or “low fat” are still heavily processed junk foods.

B) Health claims

Different to nutrition content claims, health claims link a food or a nutrient to a health effect.

There are two types of health claims:

• General level health claims which refer to a nutrient and its effect on a health outcome.

For example: “calcium is good for bones and teeth.”

• High level health claims which refer to a nutrient and its relationship to a disease.

For example: “diets high in calcium may reduce the risk of osteoporosis in people 65 years and over.”

Again, these claims may give you a hint about the nutritional value of a food.

But it’s always better to check the food’s actual nutrition content to decide if it’s a good choice for you.

C) Health Star Rating System – The only system where potato chips get 5 out of 5 “health stars”

The Health Star Rating is a system used in Australia and New Zealand to “help the public make informed food choices.”

It’s completely voluntary, so food manufacturer will not put a Health Star Rating on its product if they know the stars will be low.

And how are the stars judged?

• Foods receive negative points based on the amount (per 100 grams or 100 millilitres) of saturated fat, total sugars, sodium, and energy.

• And they receive positive points for how much protein, fibre, fruit, and vegetables they contain.

Points are then converted to a star rating, from half to five stars.

If you think that’s a bit arbitrary, I agree.

Now here’s the confusing part.

This system is only meant to be used for comparison between similar food products.

For example, comparing one packaged breakfast cereal to another.

So you end up in a situation where some ice creams can have a higher star rating than a much healthier yogurt … purely because of the products they’re judged against.

In figure 15, the ice cream on the left has a higher “star rating” than the natural Greek yogurt to the right.

You’ll also see plenty of 2 star lollies, and even 5 star frozen potato chips.

So what the Health Star system ends up doing is encouraging companies to market their processed foods as healthy options.

These foods can have their nutrient composition manipulated to get more stars.

The bottom line? Ignore the Health Star Rating (and 99% of arbitrary food ranking systems being promoted by food industries around the world).

It only takes a few factors into account and doesn’t tell you how a food fits into the context of your diet and lifestyle.

And let’s not forget the healthiest foods on the planet don’t come in packages or with stars attached.

I know I’m repeating myself, but the key takeaway message of this entire article is this:

You should ALWAYS be looking at a food’s actual nutrition content to decide if it’s a good choice for you and your goals.

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Congratulations, you have reached the end of this article.

That means you now know all you need to know about nutrition information panels and ingredients lists to help you achieve your goals.

I understand all this can be overwhelming when you’re just starting out.

But the good news is the usefulness of this knowledge is essentially permanent.

And more you read food labels and nutrition information panels, the easier it gets.

So now it’s over to you.

Go read some nutrition information panels and food labels, learn more about what you’re eating, and find ways to improve the quality of your diet.