HOW TO READ A FOOD LABEL
Oftentimes, food labels are meant to distract you. Words that sound official
—like fat-free and healthy ingredients—can be misleading. Fat-free can
mean a food is packed with sugar, and just because a food contains healthy
ingredients doesn’t mean unhealthy ones aren’t hiding in there as well.
Plus, it can be difficult to interpret some of the numbers you see in the
nutrient calculations. So keep these things in mind when looking at foods:
In general, fewer ingredients is better. And if you don’t recognize an
ingredient, there’s a good chance it doesn’t come from Mother
Nature.
Don’t just take calories into account; consider the size of a serving as
well. If a can of food has 100 calories, that may not sound like a lot
—until you see that it contains 3.5 servings and you had planned on
eating the whole thing.
Keep sugar (especially added sugar) to less than 4 grams per serving