How to read a nutrition facts label?

How should a nutrition label be read?

Reading nutrition labels is essential for making informed decisions about the foods you consume.
Here is a list of elements to look at on a label:

• List of ingredients and allergens: Indicates the ingredients listed from the smallest to the largest amount in the product’s composition. This is the first item you should check when following an Immunonutrition plan in which you remove foods that are harmful to you.
• Serving size: Describes the amount of food that the nutritional information refers to on the label.
• Amount per serving and percentage of daily value: Indicates how much of your daily energy and nutrient recommendations are provided by each serving.
• Calorie content: Describes how many kilocalories or energy the serving provides.
• Fiber content: Shows how many grams of fiber the serving contains. Fiber is important for promoting intestinal transit, regulating blood glucose, and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.
• Total fat: Indicates how many grams of total fat the serving contains.
• Saturated fats: Indicates the number of grams of saturated fats, mostly found in animal-based foods, in each serving.
• Monounsaturated fats: Shows the content of monounsaturated fats, mostly found in olive oil, olives, and avocados, per serving.
• Polyunsaturated fats: Indicates how many grams of polyunsaturated fats, mostly found in nuts and avocados, the serving contains.
• Total carbohydrates: Describes how many grams of carbohydrates, a source of energy in your diet, are in the food.
• Added sugars: Indicates how many grams of refined sugar have been added to the food or product. This is particularly important in weight loss plans, blood sugar and insulin control, intestinal dysbiosis, and anti-inflammatory diets.
• Vitamins, sodium, calcium, and minerals: Shows the milligrams of various vitamins (such as vitamin D, C, and A), whether the food is low in sodium, and other important minerals contained per serving.

What is the importance of understanding food labels?

Food labels with nutritional information are important because they provide consumers with valuable details about the nutritional content of the food products they purchase and consume. This helps people make better decisions.

By reading food labels on packaged products, consumers can learn about the ingredients, amounts of fats, sugars, sodium, protein, fiber, and other nutrients they contain, as well as their energy contribution.

Nutrition facts labels were first implemented in the United States in 1994, and the required information is continuously updated to reflect new discoveries in nutritional science.

In 2016, after more than 20 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made the first update to the required information on nutrition labels for foods and beverages.

Which ingredients should you avoid and how are they related to diseases?

In addition to macronutrients, micronutrients, sugar, and fiber described earlier, other ingredients should also appear on labels. Although they serve specific functions and are usually present in smaller amounts, these food additives can cause various symptoms and inflammation when consumed in excess. Below we describe them:

• Cereals and dairy: These are among the main causes of intestinal permeability because they contain proteins such as gluten and casein, which are difficult for your gut—the home of 70% of your immune system—to digest. For this reason, we recommend removing or eliminating them in the 3R Immunonutrition Protocol.
• Trans fats: According to Yusuke Hirata (2021), trans fats have an inflammatory effect on the body, as they lower HDL (good cholesterol) and increase LDL (bad cholesterol).
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG): Research by Mohammad Mahdi Hajihasani et al. (2023) indicates that this flavor enhancer, used in the food industry to dilate taste buds, can cause neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and even obesity and diabetes.
• Artificial colorants: Saseendran Sambu et al. (2022) report that long-term use of artificial dyes can be toxic to the liver and kidneys, cause cellular changes, asthma, and dermatitis.
• High-fructose corn syrup: Excessive fructose consumption, especially when it doesn’t come from whole fruit, can lead to fatty liver. This topic is explained in detail in the article “Diet for Fatty Liver.”
• Preservatives: Saseendran Sambu et al. (2022) also note that long-term use of preservatives such as sodium or potassium benzoate can cause cellular-level changes.
• Genetically modified ingredients (GMOs): The long-term effects of GMO consumption in humans have not yet been fully studied, so their safety cannot be guaranteed. The main GMOs used include soy and corn—foods that are already considered “enemy foods” because they are difficult to digest.
• Artificial sweeteners: These may negatively affect your gut microbiota and, even though they are low-calorie or non-caloric, they may still impact insulin levels and increase inflammation.

How to use nutrition labels to maintain a healthy diet

Reading a nutrition label can be confusing, but there are key details that make it much easier:

• Analyze the serving size: This refers to the amount of the product that the nutritional table describes. For example, if a packaged food contains 100 grams, check the nutrients provided per serving. If you consume the entire product, adjust the numbers accordingly.
• Check for added sugars: In addition to total carbohydrates, nutrition labels usually specify the amount of added sugar. Try to keep this number under 5 grams per serving, as sugar is not an essential nutrient and provides empty calories that can disrupt hormones and gut microbiota balance.
• Pay attention to saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol: Although there used to be much focus on saturated fats and cholesterol, and the current WHO recommendations suggest limiting cholesterol to less than 300 mg/day, it is more important to ensure that the product is free of trans fats.
• Review calories and daily value percentages: When looking at this section, pay attention to the portion size relative to what is described on the label. It usually indicates how much of the recommended daily intake of energy and nutrients that serving provides.

As you can see, beyond the large words or images on the front of a product, it’s essential to carefully read the ingredient list. For example, a misleading label might claim to be “Gluten Free,” but upon checking the ingredients, you find cereals listed.

If you’d like to learn more about how to read nutrition labels, we invite you to watch this video and schedule your NutriWhite consultation for more personalized guidance and information.

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References:

• Trans-Fatty Acids as an Enhancer of Inflammation and Cell Death: Molecular Basis for Their Pathological Actions. Yusuke Hirata: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bpb/44/10/44_b21-00449/_html/-char/en
• Hajihasani MM, Soheili V, Zirak MR, Sahebkar A, Shakeri A. Natural products as safeguards against monosodium glutamate-induced toxicity. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2020 Apr;23(4):416-430. doi: 10.22038/IJBMS.2020.43060.10123. PMID: 32489556; PMCID: PMC7239414.
• Sambu S, Hemaram U, Murugan R, Alsofi AA. Toxicological and Teratogenic Effect of Various Food Additives: An Updated Review. Biomed Res Int. 2022 Jun 24;2022:6829409. doi: 10.1155/2022/6829409. PMID: 35782077; PMCID: PMC9249520.
• Manual para leer etiquetas: www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/Seniors.- FAO Capítulo 15: Etiquetado nutricional http://www.fao.org/3/v4700s/v4700s0j.htm