The Nutritional Fact labels that the US Food and Drug Administration mandates must appear on most all prepackaged foods are intended to give consumers clear information about of nutritional value of the food they appear on. The labels are there to supplying information about a prepackaged foods calorie count and suggested serving size. Additionally, the labels are intended to to tell you how much of you daily recommended intake of certain nutrients you would receive by consuming the food in question. However, without having a context for some of the information printed on the label, you might end up unintentionally consuming excessive amounts of unhealthy food.
This Authority Nutrition post outlines some of the common misconceptions about Nutritional Fact labels. For example, the label’s lists a product’s ingredients by descending order of quantity. That means if you look at a product back label and its first few listed ingredients are refined grains and sugars, you can completely discount any language about it being “all natural” or “light.” Also, many products have deceptively small serving sizes. That means finishing that entire bag of tortilla chips added considerably more sodium to your system then you might’ve initially believed. Check out the rest of the article to learn how not to be lulled into a false sense of security by Nutritional Fact labels.
Read the full article here: How to Read Food Labels Without Being Tricked