If you walk into the grocery store you are going to see aisles and aisles of food, drinks, sauces, and many different snacks. We load up our carts with many different things, but often don’t actually know what we are about to eat? Most people walk around the store basing their entire purchase off the front of the package, which often tells you nothing but lies. The packages are lined with vibrant colors and big bold print stating “low fat” or “reduced fat”, which we all know means it is extremely healthy and loaded with nutrients, right? Wrong. The truth is located on a small printed rectangle strategically placed on the back, a food label.

How many times have you read the food label before deciding on buying the item? The answer to that question most often times is “not a lot.” Is this because of a lack of knowledge with the content of food labels? If this is the case, we should take it upon ourselves to find answers or ask professionals about what each category means and what to look for. Is it a time constraint? Reading a food label can be done in a matter of seconds, so I doubt this to be the answer. Honestly it may be a combination of things but I know one thing for certain, reading food labels have affect on people’s dietary intake. In an article published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine states

Analyses revealed patients eating diets lower in fat were much more likely (51% versus 26%) than patients whose diets were higher in fat to report labels influencing their food purchase decisions, as were patients eating diets higher in fruits, vegetables, and fiber. Patients with high blood pressure were 63% more likely than those with normal or low blood pressure to look for sodium on the nutrition label, but no more likely to look for other nutrition label information. Similarly, patients with high cholesterol were more likely than those with normal or low cholesterol to look for saturated fat and cholesterol on the label, but no more likely to look for other nutrition label information.?? (Kreuter, Brennan, Scharff, and Lukwago 277-283).

As you can see reading a food label does have an effect our food choices.

When reading these labels some key points be aware of are

  • Saturated and Trans Fat content(under.5g of trans fat doesn’t show up on the label)
  • Amount of sodium
  • Sugar content
  • Serving size and what you are actually ingesting
  • The actual Ingredients(very important)
  • What Ingredients are listed first( First means highest percentage in product)
  • How many ingredients are listed( Fewer are usually better)
  • If artificial sweeteners or processed sweeteners were used (Such as Aspartame and High fructose corn syrup)

Food labels can be tricky at times and hard to understand, but reading them can be the first step into making a healthy dietary change.

REFERENCES:
Kreuter, MW, LK Brennan, DP Scharff, and SN Lukwago. “Do nutrition label readers eat healthier diets? Behavioral correlates of adults’ use of food labels..” American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 13.4 (1997): 277-283. Print.