Your guide to reading the nutritional label of packaged foods

Do you routinely buy packaged food and ready-to-eat meals? If yes, you need to read the nutritional label to know what exactly you are putting on your plate.

By: Jahnavi Sarma | | Updated: February 28, 2020 2:10 pm

Tags: Diet and Nutrition Healthy Nutrition

When you pick up a package, be sure to check how many people can eat out of it. @Shutterstock

Given today’s hectic lifestyle, food and meal-planning often take a backseat in most people’s lives. Almost all of us are guilty of substituting a home-cooked meal for something pre-packaged or ready-to-eat. Though this is not the healthiest of habits, often there may be no alternatives to it. After all, what do you do when you are perpetually out of time for almost every single thing in life? Also Read - 5 common nutrients that you may be deficient in

Well, the least you can do is go through the nutritional labels that come with each and every ready-to-eat, heat-and-serve or pre-packaged meals. This will give you a fair idea of what exactly you are going to put on your plate. But for this you have to know how to read the label correctly. For a novice, this can get very confusing. So, here, we guide you on how to read nutritional labels correctly. Know that foods with more than one ingredient will have a ingredient list on the nutritional label. All the ingredients will be in descending order according to weight. You need to read this carefully, if you have any allergic conditions. Also Read - 5 foods that may trigger an allergic reaction

Know the serving size

When you pick up a package, be sure to check how many people can eat out of it. One serving means how much you will eat at one time. If you eat food equivalent to 2 servings, then you will have to calculate the rest of the nutritional label by doubling everything. Also Read - 5 popular food myths you should stop believing

Take the calorie count into account

Read the label carefully to see how much calorie will be there in one serving.

Know the nutrition terms

Read up and make yourself familiar with terms like low calorie, low cholesterol, reduced, calorie free fat-free, etc. You will come across this a lot in nutritional labels. For example, low calorie means 40 calories per serving and calorie-free actually means less than 5 calories per serving. Some terms can be misleading, and you need to know exactly what it means to make an informed choice.

Look for additives

Many packages nowadays mention all additives if any. So try to go for one that says no or less saturated fat, sugars and sodium. This will reduce your risk of many chronic ailments. Also check to see if there are any added vitamins, minerals and fiber. Many packaged foods now come fortified with nutrients. It will be mentioned in the nutritional label.

Published : February 28, 2020 2:08 pm | Updated:February 28, 2020 2:10 pm

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