The Importance of Reading The Food Labels

We promise, we’re not trying to sound patronizing – we know that you can all read. However, there’s a difference between reading and then understanding food labels.

In an ideal world, the text would tell you exactly what the food in question is doing for your body. As we all know, we don’t all live in an ideal world.

Instead, we reside in an environment where marketing ploys are a big problem. Many of the food manufacturers will really bend the truth, whilst still managing to stay within the law, and fool you into thinking that some products are healthier than they really are.

It’s for this reason that we will now take a look at the exact nutrients you should be looking for, the ones to avoid, as well as all the tricks of the trade that are blighting your opinion of certain foods.

The nutrients that you need to look out for

We aren’t going to spend too much time on this issue for now, as we will dedicate entire chapters onto the major macronutrients that you should be regularly turning to.

These come in the form of protein, fat and carbohydrates and pretty much every food that you turn to will contain these. Again, read further chapters to find out more on these in detail, but for the purposes of analyzing food labels these should always be on your radar

Instead, the bulk of this section is going to focus on some other nutrients which tend to be covered by the labels. These are still very important and to highlight in more specific terms what you need to consume, here’s the lowdown on each one.

Sugar

Let’s start with the most obvious “other nutrient” that we will cover. There’s a simple rule that you need to take into account with sugar; eat too much and you will increase your fat levels. As such, whenever you cast your eye on a food label, make sure that it contains a very small amount.

On the flip side, some will argue that fruits contain a lot of sugar. While this is completely true, also don’t forget that you’ll be taking in plenty of other nutrients from the fruit which at least offsets the sugar-factor somewhat.

Sodium

A lot of foods contain sodium, and there’s no doubt that it’s a crucial component of a solid diet. However, some foods have huge amounts (with takeaway meals being a prime example) and these should be avoided like the plague.

Excessive sodium consumption can cause all sorts of problems, including high blood pressure, so make sure that you really do consume in moderation.

Cholesterol

This is perhaps one of the interesting elements of a label we’ll look at as historically, dietary cholesterol was linked with all sorts of problems. However, studies have found that it doesn’t necessarily impact your blood cholesterol, meaning that it’s not an absolutely crucial part to check.

Fiber

As fiber has been found to fill you up, it goes without saying it’s a Godsend when it comes to losing weight. Fruits and vegetables will suffice here though – there’s no need to actively look for fiber-based products.

The importance of micronutrients

As well as some of the major components of your diet, there are also micronutrients. These are the bread and butter, to coin a phrase, of a solid diet and ensure that you’re not eating empty calories. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Iron

Iron is something that is crucial to help you make hemoglobin, which is the part of your body which carries oxygen to your blood cells.

Making sure that this is part of your diet can help in umpteen ways, with many people finding that a lack of iron can also cause energy lapses. Beef, beans, turkey and spinach are some of the best sources of iron.

Calcium

We’re taught from a young age that calcium is needed to keep our bones strong, and this is exactly true. Most dairy products will provide you with sufficient amounts of calcium, while away from that avocados, cabbage and kale are also good sources.

Vitamin D

This will be more important for some of you than others, as Vitamin D is traditionally obtained from the sun. Obviously, not all of us are able to tap into this, which is where supplementation might enter the picture.

Being wary of the organic factor

These next sections of the chapter are going to talk about some of the elements of the industry that marketers are well and truly taking advantage of right now. In other words, they will big something up to such an extent that nobody even questions if they are just manipulating the truth somewhat.

The first part of this comes in the form of organic foods. Firstly, let’s make a definition here. Organic foods, by their official definition, do not use any pesticides, sludge, GM-organisms, synthetic fertilizers or anything else along such lines.

This also covers animals that may have been given any hormones to stimulate growth. To make the matter even more complicated, the labels tend to fall into several categories:

• 100% Organic: As the name suggests, everything in such products is made completely organically.
• Organic: At least 95% of the product is made from organic ingredients.
• Made with organic ingredients: This time, just 70% of the product is organic. With that being said, there are restrictions on the remaining ingredients, such as preventing GM-organisms being included.

At this point we should also remind you that organic isn’t all-natural. This term isn’t regulated, so you should ignore it as soon as you spot it on a label.

So, should you buy organic products for health reasons? In some regards, no. If we look at organic cookies for example, just because they are organic doesn’t mean they are good for your body. They still contain sugar and all of the other things that we’re telling you to avoid. So, they might be slightly better, but whether or not this benefit is worthwhile from a health perspective is debatable at best.

In relation to organic milk, this is another topic that could string over a dissertation. The high price leads many to suggest that it’s much healthier, but again the jury is out.

The high price is actually due to the lower demand (due to strict regulations related to organic certification) – so always bear this in mind before getting your wallet out.

Gluten free: should you jump on the bandwagon?

Next on our list is the labels related to gluten. Firstly, there are plenty of people out there who can’t eat gluten for various health reasons – and if you fall into said category we’ll forgive you for switching off somewhat.

Gluten is something that is found in the likes of wheat, barley, rye and is difficult to digest by some humans. Therefore, if you suffer from this intolerance, opting for a gluten free solution is obviously the best solution.

The problem is that a lot of food companies will add a “gluten free” label to their products, even though it’s not been made any differently. In other words, it’s never contained gluten in the past and you are paying an unnecessary premium.

Even though some athletes have well and truly bought into the gluten free phenomenon for performance reasons, there’s no scientific evidence it’s going to help you if you don’t suffer from the condition. Additionally, just like in the previous section, just because a set of cookies doesn’t contain gluten doesn’t mean to say it’s healthy.

Other common marketing ploys

It would be fair to say that organic and gluten are two of the main issues that the labels are honing in on right now. However, wait, there is more. There are plenty of other ploys that can fool you, your pocket and your body into thinking that you are being healthy, when in actual fact you aren’t. Here, we have outlined the two that tend to fool most people.

No added sugar

This is probably one of the most ridiculous labeling tactics of the lot. It sounds great, and suggests that you are severely limiting your sugar intake.

Unfortunately, it’s really not like this. The no added sugar label effectively means that a product has less sugar, than one of a similar ilk.

It doesn’t even have to be of the same manufacturer. The upshot is that sure you’ll be eating less sugar, but it might be just fractionally less than a similar product. Considering the fact that this label can be added to products like ice cream, it’s bordering on a scandalous tactic.

Whole-grains

You’ll also find that a lot of labels claim to be made with whole-grains. This is for the simple reason that years ago, studies found that whole grains were healthier than refined grains.

Sure, the above might be true, but let’s not forget that grains as a whole are blatantly bad for your body. They are a primary reason that people gain weight, and through the whole-grains label such a trend is only going to continue.

How should you buy the most common foods?

We are now going to talk about some of the most common foods which are subject to label issues; chicken, eggs and meat.

As you’ll find out, there aren’t many direct recommendations for such products as the labeling requirements are so vague for manufacturers. Instead, the best bet is to talk to the farmer who has brought the food to the market – although admittedly this isn’t going to be an option open to everyone.

Chicken

This is one of the trickiest food labels to look at, as you’ll see everything including free range, organic, all natural, pasture raised and even vegetarian fed.

A lot of these labels relate to the upbringing of the chicken. For example, one that is classed as free range should have actually been allowed to set foot outside captivity. Unfortunately, this isn’t very well regulated so most definitely isn’t guaranteed.

One of the most misleading comes in the form of all natural. This is a problem because every single chicken in the country must be natural anyway; the regulations stipulate that no farm can provide hormones or steroids regardless to their animals. Therefore, this is anything but a USP.

Perhaps the most interesting type comes in the form of pasture raised. This means that chickens can roam as they please, eat anything they find off the floor and in one sense just live like they would have historically. There are no cages here and if you were to pick one option, this would probably be the most favorable.

Eggs

Unfortunately, the labels take another turn for the different when it comes to eggs. There are all sorts that you could consider, with vegetarian-fed, cage-free, certified humane, free-range and organic being some of the common ones.

The best advice we can give is to opt for something with a label stating that it is Animal Welfare Approved.

While all of the others have all sorts of loopholes that don’t result in the welfare of the chicken being guaranteed, this at least pits the manufacturers up against the highest animal welfare standards. It means that they won’t be housed in a cage and they will always be able to perform naturally (by perching, bathing etc).

A lot of the other labels might stipulate that the chicken has to be treated in one regard, but in practice the rules are so light that it’s by no means enforced.

Meat

Meat is another which throws all sorts of confusion out there in relation to labels, but let’s simplify things.

The best, and least misleading label of the lot, is 100% grass-fed. This, as the name suggests, means that the cow has only consumed grass and nothing else.

This is really important as a lot of the other foods that farms provide their animals are given to bolster their size and suffice to say, this isn’t doing the condition of the animal any good in the slightest.

It will cost more, and for some people it just won’t be possible. However, if you are looking for the very best meat for your body (as well as taking into account the health of the animal), the 100% grass-fed solution will serve you well.

A summary on food labeling

Hopefully the message through this chapter was very simple; keep an eye on food labeling and don’t believe everything you read.

The one element of the label that you can trust, and isn’t subject to shady tactics, is the list of nutrients and ingredients. If you stick to reading this, you’ll know exactly what’s entering your body and won’t require anything else.