How to Read a Nutrition Facts Label
There are many tools out there trying to explain how to read a food/nutrition label. This in and of itself can be confusing and overwhelming. Today our goal is to make it simple. First, choose the 3 items that you are most concerned about. My 3 items change depending on the product I am buying. However, I always start by checking serving size so that I know the “how much” part of the equation. The 3 items that I generally check are calories, sugar and ingredients. If it’s not an item that I’m concerned about the sugar content (such as soup) then I check sodium (salt) content. You may be concerned with the fat, fiber or protein content but calories, sugar and ingredients are my usual 3.
Today let’s choose a cereal for our kids. Cereal is an easy one because it only has two items to be concerned with-Sugar content and Ingredients. Some of you may like to look at sodium (salt content), fiber or calories (especially if you are planning on eating the cereal yourself).
First, I look at the top of the food label at Serving Size. Remember 8 oz. is a cup and 1 bowl of cereal (not for a teenager!) is around a cup. I then look at Sugar. If I am buying a breakfast cereal I try to keep the sugar content less than 6 grams per cup of cereal. If I am buying what I call a “dessert cereal” (used as a dessert, not a meal choice) then I’ll go up to 10. Yep, I know this cuts out most of the cereal out there. You’ve got to make a choice here though. Do you want to feed your kid a bowl of sugar for breakfast or something that is going to make his teacher less likely to call you in for a conversation about ADHD? Remember, most of us eat milk with our cereal which adds another 12 grams of sugar (albeit natural).
If the sugar content is to my liking I then look at the ingredient list. I scan the label for High Fructose Corn Syrup. If that is on the list I immediately put it back on the shelf. If you would like to review our article on High Fructose Corn Syrup and why it’s not a healthy choice please click here. If it says “sugar, cane sugar, honey, or sucrose (a fancy word for sugar)” then we are good to go.
Most of the name brand cereals will list “Enriched (Bleached) Flour” as their first ingredient. It is preferable to have something like “Whole Oat Flour” listed as Enriched Bleached Flour is not a healthy choice. It’s just highly refined white flour which has been striped of just about any nutritional value. Most organic cereals from companies such as Cascadian Farms will use whole grains and are your best bet if you are on a “grab and go” shopping excursion. Look in the health food section. These cereals are often the same or cheaper than your name brands. If you decide to shop the health food isle then you are down to just serving size and sugar content as a general rule. Be careful though, just because it’s Organic doesn’t mean its low in sugar.
My kids know how to check a label and have fun going down the isle to find a cereal which mom will say “yes” to. The other day I took my 5 year old son to Trader Joe’s (one of my favorite places to shop). He asked if he could get a dessert cereal. I said “hmmm, I don’t know….” As he interrupted with “It’s only got 10 grams of sugar!” We hadn’t had this particular cereal in months and he remembered the sugar content! It’s been a popular dessert many nights since!
A few of our favorites:
- Cascadian Farms O’s
- Cascadian Farms Honey Nut O’s are a great dessert cereal choice with only 8 grams of sugar per cup!
- Cascadian Farms Clifford Crunch
- Kashi Heart to Heart
- Trader Joe’s O’s
- Plain oatmeal with a few raisins and half and half added for a bit of creaminess.
We’ll review how to read more labels in future articles. Happy Shopping!
Your partner in health,
Alison
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