Have you ever cared to read a food label? Or do you just trust the brand and check the pricing?
Well, you should read a food label because you can find tons of information about that particular product through it.
First, let’s understand what a food label is and what info we can find through it.
A food label
is the amount of information written on any product. It tells about what ingredients are used in that product, how it is made and what is the nutritional value of that product.
Basically, a food label could be your guide to awareness.
Generally, people trust a product just by its name or popularity, but they are potentially buying something that could be perilous for them. So, it’s the right thing to read every detail mentioned on the food label.
With this blog, I aim to throw some light on the things that are mentioned in food products that may go unnoticed.
The contents
First and foremost we should focus on the content. What are the things that are used to make that particular product? Generally, some products claim that they are made of milk, and when we read the label, we find a tiny mention of milk. So reading a label can tell you about the authenticity of products.
With this, we can also know about the freshness of the product.
The nutritional value
Now, this is something very important and people ignore this the most
In nutritional value, our first aim should be seeing the serving size. Serving size tells you about how much quantity is okay for you to eat at once. It also tells about what “additional” things you have with it.
By additional things I meant, sugar, sodium, carbs, and other things in that food product. Let’s understand it better with the pics I’ve gathered for you:


First, let’s look at the energy mentioned in these
> Energy means calories and on average, a human being needs 1600- 2000 calories (normal lifestyle). From 100 gm of this chocolate and 100 gm of Nutella, we are getting over 532+ calories. That means if you eat 1 whole chocolate, you are almost getting 25% of your daily requirement.
2 spoons of Nutella contain 200 calories.
Please note-Amount of calories required by a person depends on various factors like their lifestyle, age, gender, height, weight. Sometimes people may need more than 3000 calories which is normal for them. Consult an expert regarding this
FGW
> Next, I want to highlight carbohydrates in such products. Normally, 45-60% of calories intake should come from carbs (complex carbs). For example, if you have 2000 calories a day, 225-325 gm should be carbs.

These products include a lot of carbs in them. So make sure you are not eating too much of them. Like the Oreo biscuits, contains a lot of carbs.
> But, the most alarming thing I see in these products is Sugar. We should always be very wise while picking products because indirectly we are eating extra sugar.
According to American Heart Association, We need 24-35 gm of sugar per day. As you can see these products are way beyond those levels.
You will see Total sugar and added sugar, which means a product contains a specific amount of total sugar, and added sugar means the sugar is added to it artificially. Consider Total sugar for less confusion and look out for the serving size.
If the product is of 300 gm and the nutrient value is based on 100 gm, then we are eating 3 times the shown value.
Eating extra sugar could invite heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dental cavities, and more.
> You cannot ignore the fats mentioned in these. By fats, they generally mean saturated fats, which are not the healthiest of them all.

This oil contains significantly high amounts of fat.
Again for a 2000 calories diet, we can have around 44-77 gm of fat per day. All the products I’ve shown are high in fats.
Let’s look for something that is very common, especially in the Indian market.

Before I talk about how much sodium 100 gm of Maggi has, I want to talk about how much sodium we need daily.
We need around 1500- 2300 mg of sodium a day (according to AHA). When we eat more than this, it could lead to stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, and more.
Now, look back to this pack of Maggi noodles. It contains 1028 mg sodium in 100 gm. Then sometimes we add extra stuff for flavor and hence we are increasing the sodium consumption.

Not only Maggi, but all the other products that I’ve mentioned or any other product you see in the market contains some sodium, and we need to look out for that.
> Another sneaky thing is cholesterol, which is often not even mentioned in many food products. Consuming >300 mg of cholesterol is considered safe.
Other things you need to look out for
> Vitamins, minerals, and protein are other important things you need to look out for.

This is baby food and the nutrient babies needs is a lot less than adults. Make sure you choose wisely.
> If you’re buying anything with the name of a certain nutrient, then make sure the product has that thing in a sufficient number. For example, this protein bar has considerably less quantity of protein.

This cannot certainly replace breakfast
> 2 Similar products of different brands also use 2 completely different things in their products. Like, most ice cream makers in India use Edible vegetable oil, and they don’t reveal which oil do they use.
While Amul uses coconut oil. Both Vegetable oil and coconut oil are harmful if taken in higher quantities. Ice-creams are significantly higher in calories, cholesterol, carbs, and saturated fats. Make sure you eat in limited quantities.
> Many food products also contain nuts and other things to which people are allergic, you need to be careful about them as such things are easy to miss.
> The process of how the particular product is made should also be a point to check. Certain products use certain things to increase the shelf life, but it also decreases the quality of the product.
Fancy names
Many companies use typical names of ingredients to baffle the consumer
> Like Malt sugar, date sugar, corn syrup, malt syrup, rice syrup, maple syrup, etc. These are fancy names for sugar. It harms you as much as sugar is harming you.
> The term “Natural” is used in many products to attract consumers. But, this doesn’t mean that only natural ingredients are used and no artificial thing is added.
It’s commonly used by packed fruit juice
> Beware of products that say low fat and low sugar. They could be high in other things.
Generally, biscuits, chocolates, snacks, and diet sodas use this gimmick. But, they are still high in sodium, carbs, calories, and cholesterol.
Sugar-free products still have artificial sweeteners, and they are doing you no good at all.
> Food is also labeled as fortified. This means additional nutrients are added to it. But, this could also mean additional sugar and artificial ingredients are added as well.
You can see this word on milk, but check out its label.
> The word “Organic” is used shamelessly to make products more expensive. People think that it’s more healthy, but that’s not true always.
Veggies and fruits are sold with this label more often.
> “Gluten-free” should be used for products that have no gluten, which is found in certain grains. But, nowadays every other brand uses it under their products. They may or may not be gluten-free.
Cutting on gluten without medical advice is neither smart nor suggestible.
> Whole grains are also mentioned in many products, but you need to see if those products contain refined grains. Refined grains are less nutritious and contain fewer proteins, fibers, vitamins, and minerals.
> Trans fat which is the worst kind of fat is often furtively fed to us. “Partially hydrogenated oils” or “PHOs,” “hydrogenated vegetable oils,” and “shortening” are some of their names.
What to do?
You need eagle eyes, to hunt down products that are best for you. I cannot recommend any product because I don’t want to spread lies in the name of the trust.
Good and healthy products are available in the market. What I’ve seen is that such products are not easily available and are a bit pricey as compared to other products. This is why people generally stick to popular brands.
Look out for products and compare them. I’m sure you can find the good stuff.
This is the end of the blog and let me tell you this blog took me 7 months to write it. The reason for that is, I never cared to write about it until now, and I never felt a strong connection with this topic until this point. I suddenly got an idea to work on this, and I am working on this for 2 weeks.
If you have any doubt about this, then let me know in the comments, or let me know about your favorite food products.
Do you still buy food products, seeing the pricing and brand name? Well, now you know why you need to reconsider this habit.
Until next time SHINE *\0/*
Some other super useful blogs by FGW
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92 responses to “Why reading a food label is important?”
Learning to read labels is crucial to health, especially for those dealing with food sensitivities. It’s amazing to me how many people never even look at the ingredients and frustrating to me that manufacturers can hide nasty ingredients under so many different names.
Sneaky names are used for many products
especially for those who hide under the mask of “natural”
Consumer needs to be smart while shopping.
One huge pet peeve is how they are allowed to hide so many things under the term “natural flavors”. Dog poop is natural too…doesn’t mean I want to eat it!
In India
They use words like “national” “100 % pure” to sell there stuff.
Many companies Target on nationalism agenda.
Oh my gosh, Dawn! So funny. I say a similar thing about #1 (pee)
Too funny!
Great minds think alike, ha ha!
My daughter was finally diagnosed with Celiac disease, after struggling with severe digestive issues for her whole life. She has been doing a lot of research, and has found that gluten finds its way into the unlikeliest products, many times in the form of preservatives and sugars, which originate from wheat products. This has been a big learning curve for both of us to read labels for these culprits!
I hope this blog becomes a learning curve for people.
We need to research a lot
A lot of problems can be solved if we eat the right food
I’m more and more amazed how many illnesses and diseases are caused by poor food choices and how they can be reversed by making better choices!
Yes true!!
Many of the diseases like
High cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes (type 2), heart attack, stroke, obesity, digestive issues, etc.
Are related to food choices 🤷🏻♂️
Yes, and then those trigger other issues in the body, like dominoes!
I think in this age when almost all food products pride themselves on quality, they should refrain from using health as a marketing strategy. The words like, ‘gluten-free’, ‘immunity’, and so many other words are used to sell their products. The branded companies shouldn’t make false claims and strict actions should be taken against them.
I definitely agree with you
And people buy the products when the hear and read words like swadeshi, national, natural, 100% pure.
Btw, what’s wrong with your site?? You are not blogging anymore?
Thanks for your concern, Devang. I am not blogging everyday but only twice a week. I still need to fix a schedule, so I am experimenting with what days suits me. This year, I am focusing on updating content, building connections through sharing, and improving overall blogging experience for my readers.
No, I mean
I can’t reach your site.
The link is broken
When you tap your name or site’s name, it’s shown the site is been deleted.
Oh! I don’t know why this has happened again. 🙁 Checkout this link: https://strongfitnessmoves.wordpress.com/ I hope this link works.
This works
But you need to fix it. It’s not a good thing
Either ask support team on wp
Or Pooja, she’ll help.
Thanks a lot.
Don’t thank me buddy
I hope you find the solution
Majorly important D! Great job here! ❣️
Thanks for reading CG!
When I developed a range of allergies suddenly about 20 years ago, I had to start reading labels. Some of the allergies/intollerances have gone but because I still have a hazelnut allergy, I have to be careful. Its surprising what turns up sometimes
Yes true
And allergy info is mentioned is shown less
We need to be vigilant.
I hope things are well for you BH
Things are great DU. In this country there is a legal requirement to list allergens and clearly identify them. I think a couple of court cases brought it to the fore here
I don’t always read the labels, ideally I make food myself or just trust the brand. I agree with you it’s important to know what we are consuming, we have to be picky. I am sad that a lot of ‘organic’ foods are not always the best if you read the contents. So, be on top of it, and try to make everything from scratch, which is not a very realistic but still great goal for us, consumers
Well making everything from scratch is not possible.
Like we would need things like salt, sugar, milk etc
And seeing how they are made is must in that case.
Yes, oraganic food are not organic most of the time. 🤷🏻♂️
Consumers needs to be very careful
Absolutely, it makes me feel uneasy at times
Such a detailed blog, D
Great work.
I would definitely keep these things in mind😊
Thanks V!!
I hope you do 😝
Yes, i will😅
I might not remember all the terms, though
I would refer to this blog of yours!
Yes you can share this blog with grocery store
And let them know that these things are not good for you and you want a product with these things.
You don’t need to remember the names V
You just need be observant.
You are smart already sis ☺️
Next time you go for shopping, let ke know what do you see?
Oh yes, that would be great!!
For sure😃
Thanks for your work on this important topic. I have a gluten allergy and so does our child. So I read every food label of every product and have found many alternatives to wheat. We have food sensitivities to nightshade plants (tomato, potato, bell pepper, hot pepper, eggplant) and cow’s milk as well.
It’s good to look at the food product.
There’s always alternative to everything.
I’m literally struggling with remembering fancy names of sugars! Looking for more such blogs Devang 💯
You don’t have to worry about remembering the names!
Any fancy names, or something that is hard to understand is suspicious.
The sugar are mentioned with different names so that companies can evade suspicions
I never buy something without reading the packaging. Ever. My parents taught me to read it no matter what I buy just to make sure it’s the best option.
Well this is why you are so amazing 🤩
Good habit PG ☺️
Thanks, I owe a lot of it to friends and family keeping me in the right direction!
Great
Everyone needs such friends and family.
And everyone needs a PG in their lives
Everyone needs a Devang to remind them of healthy living too.
Yeah but then there are people like you who are always 10 steps ahead.
Whatever I share, is either known or followed by you 🫣😝
Not always 😅
Very educational!
Thanks for commenting
My family members have diabetes and high cholesterol so I always look for the Nutritional Value. It’s absolutely crucial because I have health anxiety. I always avoid foods with trans fats especially. My mom always raised me to look at ingredients no matter if it’s foods or not! I also look to see what I can and can’t eat and manage since I’m trying to lose weight.😂
If I’m gonna go out, I don’t want it to be health issues.
That’s a great way of living Feets 🙂
I lost some weight too, I have mentioned in a separate blog 🙂
Thank you for sharing what you have learned, you are helping so many of us with your blog posts. I have been reading food labels for many years now, you would be surprised the scary ingredients in many of the food products in the United States
I will learn more about the ingredients used in Usa🙂
It will help me in a future blog.
Please feel free to enlighten me ☺️
I am anxious to read more of your informational guides in the near future
Thanks!! 🙂
Gizmo is following you
Gizmo is amazing!!
I will read more of your work
To get in proper touch with you.
Keep smiling
Thank you my friend
You’ve put great effort into this post. Bravo you!
Thanks a lot for appreciating
You’re welcome! 🌻
Thank you for all of the invaluable information. I didn’t realize until probably a good 10 years ago or so how I should really pay much more attention to what’s in the ingredients of items.
All foods are not equal in that they could be the same food but manufactured /processed differently.
I try to stay away from items that have ingredients with a very long list or have words I can’t pronounce or don’t understand what they mean.
The fewer ingredients, the better generally speaking.
That’s great actually
Things which are hard to understand are the fancy names of something dangerous.
True about fewer ingredients, better in general
Spot on, Devang! This is a well researched post. I have seen the ingredients in energy drinks the major portion in which is of sugar. This is precisely the reason why we are prone to diseases despite taking cares like drinking mineral or RO water. It’s better to go to basic, homemade food like khichdi, dal, green vegetables etc.
True that sir!!
Basic home food is best.
Energy drinks are more like sugar drinks
Very good information Devang, thank you.
Thanks for reading and appreciating 🙇🏻♂️🙂
Thank you for providing this information and breaking down the various ingredients! I try to read the nutritional labels for most things when I’m shopping, but it’s very confusing. I don’t know what is a healthy amount of sugar or sodium, like for a jar of tomato sauce. So I just pick the one with the lower sodium number. If the sodium is low, then the sugar is high.
Once again, thanks for the work you put into this post!
Thanks a lot for reading and appreciating.
I am sure, you can find the right product with some additional research
You’re welcome! I should do some research on it…it’s time well spent on making better food choices.
True!!
There’s so manu food products and companies often use tricks to deceive the consumers.
So we need to be careful
To make good choices, there’s a lot of studying to do. It’s funny that I read the labels and compare but have mediocre knowledge of what I’m reading. lol.
You can learn these things easily.
I didn’t know much before this blog.
Good thing is we are carrying a powerful device with us, it can guide anytime
True! It’s something I’m hesitate to learn because of all the numbers and ingredients to consider. But I should invest some time into it. Thanks for suggesting it and bringing it to our attention.
Again
Thanks for reading and appreciating
You’re welcome! I like how interactive you are with your readers. You make it seem so easy. Keep it up!
I’ll check your work 🙂
And spam you later 🫣
See you around 🔆
LOL. Take care! And thank you for the follow.
I don’t remember if I followed you before
And something went wrong 🤔
WP acts weird sometimes…..
I’m sorry for that.
I’ll see you next on your blogs. Stay amazing 🙇🏻♂️
I had the same thought! I thought you had followed me before. Hmmm, WP can get finicky at times. Anyhow, happy you are following again.
Hope you are staying well and having a good week. 🙂
I don’t know what happened 🤷🏻♂️
I was reading your work
And suddenly I stopped getting it on my feed. I thought you were on a break or something 🫣
It has happened to few others I know here. 🤦🏻♂️
Glad you’re back!
🔆
Have a great weekend and take care!
Where were you??
Seeing you after a while
Been kind of nuts with homeschooling and health issues. At the last bit of March, our whole family got Covid. We were in the clear for 2 weeks, and my son just caught the flu from a church outing. So we’re back to our bubble life. Yikes. It’s been crazy to say the least.
Hope you’ve been well and healthy!
Ohhh you please take care
And recover well
Covid is spreading here again.
Our healthy choices are foundation for the future
My goodness…you stay well too! We’re always taking precautions because my daughter has a heart condition but my husband was in a car accident and with the whole mess of the situation he didn’t wear his mask for a few hours. He caught it within that time and of course, it spread to all of us.
As for the flu, my son was masked up but one of the kids had a hacking cough and wasn’t wearing a mask. It happens, right?! Live and learn
Hmmmmm
Live and learn
Sending you some positive vibes.
Best wishes
Thanks Devang!
☀️🥗
[…] Sodium and sugar should be limited in the daily diet. We need only 2300 mg sodium a day and 24 gm sugar. Beyond that could invite unwanted diseases. Check out my blog to know more about why reading a food label is important. […]
Reading food labels is so annoying but also so necessary
Well yes
Takes a little time, but saves health