Understanding Food Labels

Knowing how to read food labels is crucial to knowing what you are putting into your body.

This may seem like a simple task but keep in mind that manufacturers want you to buy their product and are trying to make it seem as nutritious as possible.

Be a savvy shopper and read before you buy!



Here is some labeling terms that you may run into:

• "Low Calorie " = Contains no more than 40 calories per serving.
• "Reduced Calorie" = Contains 25% fewer calories per serving than regular product
• "Calorie-Free" = Contains less than 5 calories per serving
• "Low Sodium" = Containing 140mg of sodium or less per serving
• "Very Low Sodium" = Containing 35mg of sodium or less per serving.
• "Fat-Free" = Contains no more than 0.5g of fat per serving.
• "Low Cholesterol" = Contains no more than 20g of cholesterol and less than 2g of saturated fat per serving
• "Low Fat" = Contains no more than 3g of fat per serving
• "Lean" = Contains no more than 10g of fat, no more than 4.5g of which is saturated fat, also contains less than 95mg of cholesterol per serving
• "Extra Lean" = Contains no more than 5g of fat, no more than 2g of which is saturated fat, also contains less than 95mg of cholesterol per serving
• "Free", "No", "Zero" = Containing no amount, or a trivial amount
• "Sugar-Free" = Containing less than 0.5g per serving
• "Good Source" = Provides 10%-19% of Daily Value per serving
• "Light" = Can mean one of three things:
• It provides 1/3 fewer calories or 1/2 the amount of fat as the regular product per serving
• If it's a "low fat", "low-calorie" food, it can be called "light" if it provides 1/2 the normal fat present
• It can be referring to the actual colour of the food itself

Stay Healthy,
Tracy