How To Read Nutrition Labels!

After chatting with my clients about buzz words to avoid we talk about how to look at a nutritional label!  Typically I tell my clients to first start at the top!

At the top you are going to find:

Serving size- you want these numbers to be as exact as possible! Examples: 2 cups, 2 tablespoons, 1 waffle. Having these be as exact as possible allows our mind to be aware of what an actual serving size looks like.

Servings per container - this is important because this allows us to be mindful of how long a product should last. Whether that’s 1 serving in a Vang or 20 it allows us to be mindful of how long we should be using the product.

Calories- this is one to be mindful of because so many people forget calories are are PER SERVING not per product! Calorie counting is not what I suggest for clients but looking at calorie comparisons for foods that you often eat is something that I like to educate people on. An example of this would be a bagel which is typically 250 + calories vs a bagel thin which is typically 100 calories. If you eat a typical bagel often and are struggling to hit your goals a simple swap to a bagel thin most days may help you without having you completely give something you enjoy.

 These are the first few categories that I educate my clients on when learning to read nutrition labels to help them become aware of how valuable learning to read a nutritional label can be!

Next we really dive into the nitty gritty of the nutritional label!

Total fat- our foods are most likely going to have fat; so being aware of this number and knowing this little formula will be helpful to categorize the type of food. When total fat his higher than carbs and protein it should be thought as as an accessory and not a protein or carb!

Saturated Fat- this is most often found in animal products like eggs, butter, and bacon. We should limit our saturated fat intake since it can cause high cholesterol. Being aware of this number on the nutritional label helps you be mindful the types of foods you are eating on a consistent basis.

Cholesterol is often found in foods like eggs, shrimp, or beef, I don’t have my clients focus on this number unless they are advised to by a dr.

Sodium- most foods will have sodium to help make foods taste good and extend shelf life. Guidelines recommend about a tsp (2300mg) of salt a day, most Americans eat 3400mg a day. If you are looking at a label and it has 1000mg or higher a serving know that is a lot and you should be mindful. Some products that are healthy but are high in sodium are pickles and soy sauce. If you do enjoy these foods know sodium may cause fluid retention which can lead to increased bloating and weight. This part of the nutritional label is one of the main struggles for a lot of my clients! They forget to look at this part!

Carbohydrates when grams of carbs are higher than protein and fat it’s a carb if you are following the 2B mindset. We break down what carbs should be in the 2B mindset so I’m not going to do that here. But knowing what a carb is made up of and how much of the product is carbs is important to reaching goals.

Dietary Fiber the higher the number the better. Fiber helps promote hear health, gut health, and promotes weight loss. Fiber is found in fruit, veggies, beans, and grains. You can also find it in cereals, crackers, and breads.

Sugar is broken down into multiple sections on a label- total sugars, added sugars, and sugar alcohol.

Total sugars is the total amount of sugar

Added sugar is what has been added to the product which we often don’t need. Yogurt is a great example of this- if you compare a plain yogurt with a fruit yogurt you will see a drastically different sugar number. You should always reach for the plain yogurt because you can sweeten it yourself at home; that way you know exactly what is in it and how much!

Sugar alcohols are most often on sweet low calorie diet products. - There isn’t a lot of research on them if they help or hurt weight loss goals. We should always try to limit foods with lots of sugar.

Vitamins- we all know that we need vitamins daily and some foods will have them and some won’t. Be mindful of what you are eating and supplement vitamins if you need to.

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Other Ingredient tips:

-When looking at this list we often should avoid hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and added sugars.

-Some Sneaky Sugars we need to be mindful of: agave, honey, evaporated cane juice, brown sugar

-Some Sneaky artificial sweeteners we need to be aware of: saccharin, sucralose, acesulfame K, aspartame.

We are all going to have sugar in our lifestyle in one way or another so it’s just good to be mindful of the types of sugars and how much we are consuming.

-Ingredients are also listed in order of weight- meaning the first ingredient is the main ingredient and that there isn’t much of the last ingredient listed. This is sooooo important to know and check!

I can not wait to hear if these tips were helpful or overwhelming! Remember if it's overwhelming please break down the process into smaller steps! Small daily changes lead to big changes in your lifestyle! Allow yourself to be successful and ask your questions! I am here to help in any way that I can!

If you are interested in learning more about how to fuel your body and create a positive relationship with food and live your best life learn more about the 2B Mindset here! As a 2B Mindset Certified mentor I am ready to help you live your best life without dreading the food you eat!