Deciphering Food Labels

While understanding food labels seems overwhelming, once you know what to look for it is actually easy! There are 5 main parts that you want to look for when reading a food label - serving size, calories, macronutrients, micronutrients, and % daily value. All of these categories can give you a lot of information about what you are consuming.

Serving size - This is where a lot of people tend to mess up. When you are consuming food, if you are eating more than what the serving size is (which most people do), then you will need to take that into account when reading all the other aspects of the food label.

Calories - Many people hear this word and get scared. Calories can be good for you if you are consuming them properly and slashing calories can ultimately lead to worse results. Calories are defined as a unit of measurement that represents the energy content of food. Basically, without calories your body will not function properly, but with too many calories, you will be overdoing it.

Fats, Cholesterol, Sodium - All three of these are considered macronutrients. A macronutrient is what your body needs in a relatively large form in order to function properly. While your body does need fat, cholesterol and sodium, too much of it can do harm. That is why it is important to limit these macronutrients.

Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, Potassium - All four of these are considered micronutrients. Micronutrients are what the body needs in smaller portions in order to function properly. Without some of these micronutrients, you could develop some health issues.

% Daily Value - This is considered the recommended amount of each nutrient - both macro and micro - that someone should consume each day. The % Daily Value is based on a standard 2,000-calorie/day diet. If you are in a calorie deficit, these numbers will change for you. As a general rule of thumb, 5% or less is too low and 25% or more is too high.