How to Read a Nutrition Label in 60 Seconds

A nutrition label tells you almost everything you need to know about a packaged food — if you know where to look. The front of the pack is marketing. The back is information. Spend your attention on the back.

Step 1: Check the Serving Size

Every number on the label refers to one serving. The trick is that the serving might be much smaller than what you actually eat. A bag of crisps might list 30 grams as a serving when most people eat the whole 150-gram bag. Multiply accordingly.

In many countries, labels also show values per 100 grams, which makes comparing products much easier.

Step 2: Calories

Look at calories per serving and per 100 grams. Calorie-dense foods are not bad, but they are easy to overeat, especially when you are trying to lose fat.

Step 3: Protein

How much protein does it provide for its calories? A useful quick check: roughly 10 grams of protein or more per 100 calories is a very protein-rich food. Many "protein" bars and snacks fall well short of that.

Step 4: Fiber and Sugar

More fiber usually means more filling. For sugar, check how much is added sugar if the label lists it — naturally occurring sugar in plain yogurt or fruit is less of a concern than added syrups.

Step 5: The Ingredients List

Ingredients are listed in order of weight, largest first. If sugar or oil is among the first few ingredients, it is a major part of the product. Sugar can hide under many names: syrup, dextrose, maltose, fruit juice concentrate.

Ignore the Health Halos

• "Natural," "multigrain" and "made with real fruit" have little nutritional meaning.
• "Low fat" products sometimes add sugar to compensate.
• "Gluten-free" is important for people who need it, but is not a health or weight-loss claim.