 By Adda Bjarnadottir, MS, RDN (Ice) — Updated on August 19, 2020 Reading labels can be tricky. Consumers are more health-conscious than ever, so some food manufacturers use misleading tricks to convince people to buy highly processed and unhealthy products. Food labeling regulations are complex, making it harder for consumers to understand them. This article explains how to read food labels so that you can differentiate between mislabeled junk and truly healthy foods.
One of the best tips may be to completely ignore claims on the front of the packaging. Front labels try to lure you into purchasing products by making health claims. In fact, research shows that adding health claims to front labels makes people believe a product is healthier than the same product that doesn’t list health claims — thus affecting consumer choices (1, 2, 3, 4). Manufacturers are often dishonest in the way they use these labels. They tend to use health claims that are misleading and in some cases downright false. Examples include many high-sugar breakfast cereals like whole-grain Cocoa Puffs. Despite what the label may imply, these products are not healthy. This makes it hard for consumers to choose healthy options without a thorough inspection of the ingredients list. SUMMARY Product ingredients are listed by quantity — from highest to lowest amount. This means that the first ingredient is what the manufacturer used the most of. A good rule of thumb is to scan the first three ingredients, as they make up the largest part of what you’re eating. If the first ingredients include refined grains, a type of sugar, or hydrogenated oils, you can assume that the product is unhealthy. Instead, try choosing items that have whole foods listed as the first three ingredients. In addition, an ingredients list that is longer than two to three lines suggests that the product is highly processed. SUMMARY Nutrition labels state how many calories and nutrients are in a standard amount of the product — often a suggested single serving. However, these serving sizes are frequently much smaller than what people consume in one sitting. For example, one serving may be half a can of soda, a quarter of a cookie, half a chocolate bar, or a single biscuit. In doing so, manufacturers try to deceive consumers into thinking that the food has fewer calories and less sugar. Many people are unaware of this serving size scheme, assuming that the entire container is a single serving, when in truth it may consist of two, three, or more servings. If you’re interested in knowing the nutritional value of what you’re eating, you need to multiply the serving given on the back by the number of servings you consumed. SUMMARY Health claims on packaged food are designed to catch your attention and convince you that the product is healthy. Here are some of the most common claims — and what they mean:
Despite these cautionary words, many truly healthy foods are organic, whole grain, or natural. Still, just because a label makes certain claims, doesn’t guarantee that it’s healthy. SUMMARY Sugar goes by countless names — many of which you may not recognize. Food manufacturers use this to their advantage by purposely adding many different types of sugar to their products to hide the actual amount. In doing so, they can list a healthier ingredient at the top, mentioning sugar further down. So even though a product may be loaded with sugar, it doesn’t necessarily appear as one of the first three ingredients. To avoid accidentally consuming a lot of sugar, watch out for the following names of sugar in ingredient lists:
Many more names for sugar exist, but these are the most common. If you see any of these in the top spots on the ingredients lists — or several kinds throughout the list — then the product is high in added sugar. SUMMARY The best way to avoid being misled by product labels is to avoid processed foods altogether. After all, whole food doesn’t need an ingredients list. Still, if you decide to buy packaged foods, be sure to sort out the junk from the higher-quality products with the helpful tips in this article. By Helen West, RD — Updated on April 9, 2019 Eating a lot of added sugar is bad for your health. It’s been linked to illnesses like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease (1, 2, 3, 4). What’s more, research shows that many people eat too much added sugar. In fact, the average American may be eating around 15 teaspoons (60 grams) of added sugar per day (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). However, most people aren’t pouring lots of sugar on their food. A large part of your daily sugar intake is hidden inside various packaged and processed foods, many of which are marketed as healthy. Here are 8 ways that food companies hide the sugar content of foods.
Sugar is the general name given to the short-chain carbs that give your food a sweet taste. However, sugar has many different forms and names. You may recognize some of these names, such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose. Others are harder to identify. Because food companies often use sugars with unusual names, this ingredient can be difficult to spot on labels. Dry sugarTo stop yourself from accidentally eating too much sugar, look out for these added sugars on food labels:
SyrupsSugar is also added to foods in the form of syrups. Syrups are usually thick liquids made from large quantities of sugar dissolved in water. They are found in a wide variety of foods but most often in cold drinks or other liquids. Common syrups to look out for on food labels include: SUMMARY Sugar has many different names and forms, which can make it difficult to spot on food labels. Watch out for syrups as well. Ingredients are listed by weight on packaged foods, with the main ingredients listed first. The more of one item, the higher up on the list it appears. Food manufacturers often take advantage of this. To make their products appear healthier, some use smaller amounts of three or four types of sugar in a single product. These sugars then appear further down on the ingredients list, making a product look low in sugar — when sugar is one of its main ingredients. For example, some protein bars — while considered healthy — are very high in added sugar. There may be as much as 7.5 teaspoons (30 grams) of added sugar in a single bar. When you read food labels, look out for multiple types of sugar. SUMMARY Food companies may use three or four different types of sugar in a single product, making it appear lower in sugar than it is. It’s common sense that a piece of cake or a candy bar probably harbors a lot of sugar. Still, some food manufacturers pour sugar into foods that aren’t always considered sweet. Examples include breakfast cereals, spaghetti sauce, and yogurt. Some yogurt cups can contain as many as 6 teaspoons (29 grams) of sugar. Even whole-grain breakfast bars, which may seem like a healthy choice, can pack up to 4 teaspoons (16 grams) of sugar. As many people don’t realize that these foods have added sugar, they’re unaware of how much they’re consuming. If you’re buying packaged or processed foods, make sure you read the label and check the sugar content — even if you think the food is healthy. SUMMARY Sugar is hidden in many foods — even ones that don’t taste sweet. Make sure to check the labels of packaged or processed foods. Food companies also make some of their products appear benign by swapping sugar for an alternative sweetener that’s considered healthy. These unrefined sweeteners are usually made from the sap, fruit, flowers, or seeds of plants. Agave nectar is one example. Products with these sweeteners often feature labels like “contains no refined sugar” or “refined sugar-free.” This simply means that they don’t contain white sugar. These sugars can appear healthier, since some may have a slightly lower glycemic index (GI) score than regular sugar and provide a few nutrients. However, the amount of nutrients these sugars provide is usually very low. What’s more, unrefined sugar is still added sugar. Currently, no evidence suggests that it’s beneficial to swap one form of sugar for another, particularly if you’re still eating too much overall. Common high-sugar sweeteners that are often labeled healthy include:
If you see these sweeteners on a food label, remember that they’re still sugar and should be eaten sparingly. SUMMARY Food manufacturers sometimes replace white table sugar with unrefined products. While this can make the product appear healthier, unrefined sugar is still sugar. Certain foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, contain naturally occurring sugars. Unlike added sugar, these usually aren’t a health concern. This is because naturally occurring sugars are generally difficult to eat in large amounts. Although some fruits contain high amounts of naturally occurring sugar, their fiber and antioxidant contents mitigate the rise in blood sugar. Fiber in fruits and vegetables is also quite filling, making these foods harder to overeat. Additionally, whole foods provide many beneficial nutrients that can reduce your risk of disease. For example, one cup (240 ml) of milk contains 3 teaspoons (13 grams) of sugar. Yet, you also get 8 grams of protein and around 25% of your daily requirements for calcium and vitamin D (11). The same size serving of Coke contains nearly twice the amount of sugar and no other nutrients (12). Keep in mind that food labels don’t distinguish between natural and added sugars. Instead, they list all of the sugars as a single amount. This makes it tricky to identify how much sugar is found naturally in your food and how much is added. However, if you’re eating mostly whole, unprocessed foods — as opposed to packaged or processed items — most of the sugars you’ll consume will be natural. SUMMARY Food labels often lump added and naturally occurring sugar together into one total amount. Thus, it can be hard to determine how much sugar is added to certain products. It’s not always easy to tell which products on the shelf are healthy and which aren’t. Manufacturers often plaster their packaging with health claims, making some items seem healthy when they’re really full of added sugar. The most common examples include labels like “natural,” “healthy,” “low-fat,” “diet,” and “light.” While these products may be low in fat and calories, they’re often packed with added sugar. Do your best to ignore these claims and carefully read the label instead. SUMMARY Products with health claims, such as “diet,” “natural,” or “low-fat,” may still be loaded with sugar. The food industry regularly makes the listed portion size small in order to distort your sense of how much sugar you’re consuming. In other words, a single product, such as a mini pizza or bottle of soda, may be composed of several servings. While the amount of sugar in each of these servings might be low, you would typically eat two or three times that amount in one sitting. To avoid this trap, carefully examine the number of servings per container. If a small food item has multiple servings, you might end up eating more sugar than you intended. SUMMARY Food companies often reduce the portion size to make products appear lower in sugar. You might know that some of your favorite brands of food are low in sugar. However, manufacturers sometimes piggyback on an established brand by releasing a new version that packs far more sugar. This practice is quite common with breakfast cereals. For example, a whole-grain cereal that’s low in sugar may appear in newfangled packaging with added flavors or different ingredients. This can confuse people who assume that the new version is just as healthy as their usual choice. If you’ve noticed different packaging for some of your frequent purchases, be sure to check the labels. SUMMARY Low-sugar brands may still spin out high-sugar products, potentially attracting loyal customers who may not realize the new version isn’t as healthy as the original. Added sugar can be difficult to spot. The easiest way to avoid added sugar is to avoid highly processed goods, selecting unprocessed, whole foods instead. If you do buy packaged items, make sure you learn how to spot added sugar on food labels. |
If youre trying to avoid added sugars which ingredient should you watch for on food labels
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