Sault Naturopath

In the previous post about how to understand food labels we looked at what nutrition claims really mean. Now I want to focus on what I consider the most important part of a nutrition label: the ingredient list. For the most part, the ingredient list tells you exactly what is in a food product.

Have you ever come across an ingredient you could not pronounce? Here are five steps you can take to simplify the ingredient list:

The first thing to consider when reading the ingredient list is that ingredients are listed in descending order according to weight. Therefore, because the first five ingredients listed make up the greatest amount of the food product these matter most.  Read more...

As we’ve touched upon in Parts One and Two, learning how to understand food labels can be quite confusing. You’ve likely seen claims like “all natural,” “low sodium” or “fat free” on packages, but what do these vague claims really mean? Let’s look at some of the most common label claims and if you should actually believe them …

First of all, be aware that the words “right,” “smart,” and “natural” are not regulated. Therefore, they offer no guarantee and can mean just about anything.

High: The food provides at least 20 percent of the daily value for a particular nutrient per serving of that food.  Read more...

In part 1 we looked at the controversy surrounding Health Canada’s latest campaign to simplify how we read food labels and realized that learning how to understand food labels can actually be a complicated exercise. Now I want to look at nutrition labels themselves and walk you through 5 easy steps you can take to get the exact information you need in order to make a wise food choice.

Let’s break down the steps, looking at the top of the label first, and working our way to the bottom … Here’s an example of what a typical nutrition label looks like:  Read more...