How to Read Food Labels and 5 Ways to Spot Misleading Nutrition Facts

The nutrients you should look for in your food labels – and the ones to avoid.

You want to feed yourself and your family healthy foods. You buy brands that boast healthiness – but you're not sure if you can actually trust them. It may surprise you to know that many "healthy" food brands actually contain lots of unhealthy additives.

This article will empower you with the knowledge of how to read a food label and know exactly what you're consuming. Plus, we’re sharing many of the toxic ingredients you should avoid.

How to Read Food Labels

You’re grazing through the aisles of the grocery store shopping for food for the week. There are so many options available to you. With 10 different kinds of peanut butter on the shelf, how do you know which to choose?

You end up looking for the peanut butter with the healthiest-looking branding and throw it in the cart. But since you didn't know how to read the food label, you didn't realize that you were actually making an unhealthy choice.

Even if a brand advertises itself with a healthy-looking label or says they’re "all-natural," this may not actually be true. For example, many peanut butter brands pack their PB with additives like sugar that you simply don't need. (1)

So, how do you know when there are unhealthy additives in your food? First, you'll need to learn how to read a standard food label.

A food label generally contains 5 different sections (2):

• Serving Size. Most packaged foods are measured in standard serving sizes that make it easier to compare similar foods. They’re usually provided in units like cups or pieces, followed by the metric amount – the number of grams.

Serving size can be misleading because this only accounts for the single serving. To understand what’s contained in the full container, you must multiply the serving size by the number of servings in the package.

For example, if your peanut butter has 7 grams of sugar per serving, it might not sound like a lot. But if there are 14 servings, one bottle contains 98 grams of sugar – which is way more than you should be consuming!

• Calores. A calorie is a unit of energy. The number of calories on a food label provides a measure of how much energy you get from one serving of food. 

Some sources may tell you to balance the number of calories you consume each day to the number of calories you burn. But the quality of nutrients you’re consuming is far more important than tracking your caloric intake.

• Nutrients. These are the key ingredients that impact your health. Look for foods that contain the nutrients you want to increase your consumption of. And avoid the ones that have ingredients you don’t want. Unhealthy ingredients tend to sound like something from your high school chemistry class.
  

A few nutrients you probably don't need to be consuming are…

• Pro-inflammatory fat like seed oils, canola, sunflower, and hydrogenated oils

• Added sugars 

• Refined carbs

Nutrients like these lead to oxidative stress, cellular damage, and inflammation. Added sugars are not natural sugars of the food – they were added by the manufacturer. Sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and refined carbs spike insulin and lead to insulin resistance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), metabolic diseases, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more. 

• The Percent Daily Value. The % Daily Value (%DV) indicates how many nutrients are recommended to consume or not exceed each day. But this section is highly misleading.

While these different components of a food label offer insight into what you’re consuming, the most vital section to understand is the ingredients section. Avoiding ingredients with toxins and increasing your intake of quality ingredients has the most significant impact on your health.

Generally, we recommend you look for foods with little additives and ingredients. This usually means that the food is less processed and primarily includes its own natural ingredients. 

Food Label Ingredients to Avoid

Unfortunately, too many foods in the general American diet include ingredients that are harmful to your health. These ingredients are hiding in so many packaged foods, it’s vital you know which to look out for and avoid.

A few of the many harmful ingredients to avoid include (4)…

• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). This ingredient indicates that the food is highly processed with tons of added sugars. Despite being truly damaging to your body, HFCS is found in countless common foods.
  
  HFCS increases your cholesterol and triglyceride levels and is a leading cause of obesity. Plus, it includes dangerous contaminants.

• Artificial Sweeteners such as Aspartame, Sucralose, and Saccharin. Artificial sweeteners are popular since they often contain few calories. But like we said, calories are not an indicator of how healthy a food is.
  
  Artificial sweeteners take a huge toll on your metabolic system and are highly toxic. They are linked to cancer. Despite popular belief, they usually don’t lead to weight loss.
  

• Sugar in disguise. If you don’t see HFCS or artificial sweeteners listed on the ingredients, it doesn’t mean your product is void of sugar.
  
  There are over 55 different names that food manufacturers use for sugar – which can be tricky to spot. A few to look out for include: cane juice crystals, dextrane, diastatic malt, fruit juice, treacle, and molasses.

• MSG (monosodium glutamate). MSG is a synthetic taste enhancer that contributes to a highly concentrated sodium level. Companies use it because it makes food more addictive, making you want more of it.
  
  Processed foods with added MSG can be harmful to your brain and lead to harmful conditions like asthma, depression, and diabetes. MSG has even been linked to diseases like MS and Parkinson’s.
   

• Seed OIls. These oils undergo a series of intensive manufacturing processes that can lead to the oxidation of fatty acids, the formation of harmful byproducts, the presence of trans fats, and the introduction of questionable chemicals. These lengthen the amount of time that food can remain on the shelf before it spoils. You’ve heard that some kinds of fats are healthy for you – but seed oils are the worst kind you can eat.
  
  These fats are highly pro-inflammatory and harmful to your health. Excessive consumption can lead to various health issues, including weight gain, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, cognitive decline, dementia, and cancer.

• Sodium Nitrites and Sodium Nitrates. Often found in low-quality, processed meats to preserve the meat’s shelf life. This preservative contains chemicals that are extremely harmful.

  
  Sodium nitrites and sodium nitrates are linked to colon cancer, heart disease, and obesity.
  

• BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) & BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene). BHA prevents the breakdown of fats. These synthetic antioxidants are also used as food preservatives.

  But like other synthetic preservatives, BHA and BHT are very harmful. They affect your nervous system and could lead to extreme illnesses like cancer.
  

• Artificial Colours (red, yellow, blue, green). Food brands use artificial food coloring to make foods look more appealing. But artificial coloring is unnatural and unnecessary for your body.
  
  Artificial food dyes can lead to cancer, thyroid issues, and even disorders like ADD and ADHD.
  
  

• Potassium Bromate. Primarily used in bread, this preservative bleaches the dough white to look more appetizing.
  
  Potassium bromate is highly cancerous and can lead to harmful diseases. It’s an endocrine disruptor and displaces iodine, which is necessary for optimal thyroid function. This chemical compound is so dangerous it's banned in various countries.

It may shock you to learn how many brands include these ingredients, despite the extreme harm they cause to your health. Even the brands that are marketed as “healthy” tend to include toxic ingredients. Ingesting toxins puts much higher nutritional demands on the body. So, it’s vital you know what ingredients to avoid.

For example, certain cereals are branded as healthy. Their choice of natural colors, logo, and language choices lead many to think they’re good for you. But the truth is, most cereals on the market include extremely high amounts of added sugars and unhealthy additives.

The American Heart Association recommends that women consume less than 24 grams of added sugar per day, which is much more than what’s healthy. For example,  Kashi GO Crunch contains more than half of the daily recommended serving – at 13 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup serving.

You may expect this healthy-looking brand to be better for you than other cereals. But Kashi includes even more sugar than Reese’s Puffs cereal.

Empower yourself with the knowledge to identify and avoid harmful ingredients and the brands that use them. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) and this website are excellent resources for you to learn more about making healthy choices.

Healthy Food Labels and Nutrition Facts

Now you know which ingredients to avoid, but which should you look for? These are the exact nutrition facts to look out for that offer health benefits.

The food we eat today is not as nutrient-dense as it once was. Modern farming practices have depleted soil from natural nutrients. And packaged foods with little nutrients make up a large portion of the American diet. So, many Americans are deficient in important nutrients.

Five specific nutrients that you likely need more of include...

• Dietary Fiber

• Vitamin D

• Magnesium

• B vitamins 

• Essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA)

All these nutrients are vital in supporting your health. But remember that everyone is unique, and it’s best to find out the exact nutrients you need more of. This information is largely dependent on your specific lifestyle, diet, toxicity level, genetics, and epigenetics.

Fortified processed foods are not an effective way to get your daily dose of nutrients. Your body cannot absorb nutrients in processed foods because they tend to be a chemical form of the nutrient. Or worse, the nutrients can contain toxins that lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

To understand which nutrients you may be lacking in and why, request a free consultation with Dr. Martina Sturm at Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine. We specialize in nutritional consultations and functional lab testing that uncovers nutrient deficiencies and the root causes of health concerns.

Food Labels That Are Misleading

Any brand can claim they are “all-natural” and “healthy.” Only you can discern whether it's true by having the knowledge of what to look for. 

Four common misleading food labels include... (3)

1. Multi-Grain. This sounds like you’re going to consume a lot of grain, which our brain associates with being healthy. But "multi-grain" simply means there is a multitude of grains. These grains could be refined, hybridized, genetically modified, etc. which isn't necessarily healthy.
   
   Disregard this label from your decision-making and overall lower your intake of grains in general. They commonly wreak havoc on your gut and your brain. Two helpful books to read on this topic are Grain Brain and The Mind-Gut Connection

2. No Cholesterol. This implies that the cholesterol has been removed from the food, making it healthy. But high cholesterol isn’t caused by foods containing cholesterol. Foods that are high in sugar lead to insulin resistance, fatty liver, and ultimately cause high cholesterol. So, even if your food doesn’t contain cholesterol, it could still lead to it.
   

3. Natural. You may think foods labeled as “natural” are made with healthy, organic ingredients. But the truth is, this is not a claim that’s verified by any reputable food regulator. Many brands use earthy colors like green or brown to look deceivingly healthy – even when they’re not. So, don’t trust this branding at face value.

   On the same note, be aware of “natural” flavors or “natural” colors in the ingredient list. These are far from natural or healthy.
   

4. Made With Whole Grains. If a recipe includes whole grains, it could still include other unhealthy non-whole grains, too. Plus, wheat is the top food sensitivity so even whole grains can still cause digestive issues and other food sensitivities among a whole slew of downstream issues – like arthritis, allergies, migraines, and more.
   

5. Gluten-Free or Dairy Free. Being void of gluten and dairy doesn’t necessarily mean the food is healthy. Gluten-free foods are often full of sugar, other carbs, and/or hydrogenated oils. Non-dairy creamers often include thickening agents like guar gum and carrageenan, as well as preservatives, which are all bad for you.

Look out for the misleading food labels above on all your foods. Usually, these imply that a food is a healthy choice when it may not actually be. We recommend you choose non-packaged and non-processed foods that only include a few, natural ingredients without unhealthy additives.

Understand Your Nutrient Needs

You're ready to take control of your health and nutrition. But how do you know what your unique body needs more of to be its best? 

Changing your whole diet at once can be overwhelming and lead to burnout. Instead, come see us at Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine. We'll help you understand the exact nutrition changes that apply to you– and how to implement them in a step-by-step fashion.

We’ll talk about your health in-depth and determine the functional lab tests that may be right for you. Then, we'll recommend a nutrition plan, high-quality nutritional supplements and herbs, and any other treatments that could benefit your health. Knowing what your body needs and understanding food labels puts you in better control of your health.

Resources:

1. Eatthis

2. FDA

3. Gaples Institute

4. Walker