3 Tips for Reading Nutrition Labels!
February 2, 2022
Written By: Registered Dietitian Mairead Nutrition information is everywhere, and it's hard to know how to make choices that align with your health goals! One of the most convenient tools we have are the nutrition facts tables on our food labels, but they only help us if we actually know how to use them!
Whether you're comparing products, or trying to see if a certain food will help or hinder your goals, here's 3 tips to help cut the confusion!
- Use the 5% and 15% rule!
You may have noticed that in the last couple years a small line of text appeared at the bottom of your nutrition facts table. That line says that 5% of a nutrient is considered to be a little, and 15% is considered to be a lot. While it's only just appeared on labels, this has been a helpful tool for a long time! When we're looking at a label, we shouldn't have to do math to figure out if 483mg of sodium is considered to be high or low - no one has time for that. But by using the percentages on the side of the chart, we can see how it fits with that 5% and 15% rule. For more normal healthy people, we want sodium and saturated fat to be on the lower side, and fibre, vitamins and minerals to be higher.
- Use serving sizes as a reference, not a rule!
Just because a label says that a serving is 8 crackers or a sixth of a frozen pizza does not mean that's all you're allowed to eat! The serving sizes on labels are standardized numbers meant to make it easy to compare similar items. This does mean that for the nutrition information to be useful to us, we need to translate it into amounts we actually eat. If a serving size is 8 crackers and you actually only eat 4, we'd cut all the nutrition facts in half. If you're going to eat 16, we'd have to double them.
- Know what information is actually important to you for this food!
So often we just look at labels and then make a vague guess about what it all means. If you're going to take the time and effort to read that label, decide what's important to you. Do you need a cereal that has more fibre? Soup with less sodium? Plant-based milk with more calcium? Figure out what actually matters to you that you're looking for to streamline your decisions and help you pick foods that align with your goals!
Looking for more nutrition help? Not sure if there might be something missing from your diet? This is your time to book a Nutrition Consultation! Limited appointments available!
Not sure if this is the right option for you? Book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat to learn more and make sure this is the right fit for you. Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com for more info and to save your spot!
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