Hey Friends! How’s it goin?
I’m sitting at home almost in tears at the loss of the warmer weather we had yesterday π
My family and Trini friends think it’s hilarious that I call 5C ‘warmer weather’. But when you’ve experienced -30s, 5C seems positively boiling π
Nutrition Facts Panel vs. Ingredient List

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However, like many readers commented last week, I generally pay more attention to the ingredient list than the nutrition facts panel.
Why?
Because knowing what’s actually in my food is more important to me than the calorie count.
So many low-calorie, low-fat, low-sodium, low-everything foods have ingredient lists that read like the inside of a chemistry text book, with no real, whole foods in sight.
And that is not okay for me or my body.
Don’t get me wrong, I definitely don’t eat all natural all the time. But even when eating processed foods, the ingredient list can give some invaluable information.
The only problem is that the ingredient list can be just as hard to understand as the nutrition facts panel π
The lists are long and recognizable words are few and far between, so most people just don’t bother. I would know. I used to be one of them.
But over the last year I’ve learned a few things can make it a little easier to choose healthier foods based on the ingredient list.
You don’t want to buy something that has an ingredient list that’s longer than your arm. Foods that have less than 5 ingredients are generally less processed and contain more whole foods.
2. The first few are key
Did you know that ingredients are listed in descending order by weight? That means that the most predominant ingredients are usually listed at the top. So if you pick up a can of tomato sauce and tomatoes are the last thing on the list…put it back and RUN!
3. Look out for sugar
Sugar can creep up on you from anywhere. It’s hidden in ‘healthy’ cereals, pasta sauce, salad dressings, yogurt and so much more. Be mindful of how much sugar you’re actually consuming and make sure that it isn’t in the first few ingredients.
Common names for sugar: corn syrup, fruit juice extract, brown rice syrup, fructose, glucose, cane juice and more.
Tip: Anything that ends in ‘ose’ is usually sugar.
4. Other things are hiding too
Sugar isn’t the only ‘nutrient’ that frequently appears on ingredient lists by another name.
Saturated Fats: Cocoa butter, coconut or coconut oil, hydrogenated fats and oils, lard, shortening
Trans Fats: Hard margarine, hydrogenated fats and oils, partially hydrogenated fats and oils
Sodium: MSG, baking powder, baking soda, brine
5. Stick to whole foods
This isn’t a tip, so much as a suggestion: Most of your food shouldn’t have an ingredient list at all. I’m talking about fruits, vegetables, ground provisions, fresh spices and herbs etc. If buying whole foods is an option, take it!
What about you?
Do you look at the nutrition facts panel or the ingredient list first?
Do you have any other tips for understanding the ingredient list?
Share in the comments below!
Great tips! I tend to check out the ingredients list first. I’m always disappointed to find a product that I love, or was considering purchasing, to be full of junk. Aside from fruit, I’ve noticed that anything convenient = full of chemicals.
Ree recently posted…the liebster award
I know! It took me a while to get past all the low this and that claims on the front and start looking at the ingredient list. And when I did so many of my fav foods were off the list all of a sudden π But now I have so much fun cooking and baking my own stuff I don’t even realise π
GiselleR recently posted…Food Label Mysteries: The Ingredient List
Great list. We read ingredients because I am gluten intolerant, but we have grown to realize how much better whole foods are for us than something with an ingredient list. So many chemicals! Yuck. I’m always shocked by the amount of sugar, like you said.
Ashley @ Snow Cream and Syrup recently posted…Outer Spice – healthier food seasoning (review)
Thanks Ashley! And honestly the sugar still shocks me sometimes. I shouldn’t be but I just can’t believe how much is in some foods π
HA! You and I are SO IN SYNC!!!! The ingredients that creep into our packaged foods are crazy! I am an ingredients list girl, I hardly look at the nutrition panel because while that might look “heavenly” the second you look at the ingredients and see trans fat and other chemicals – you know it’s “EVIL”!!!!
GiGi Eats Celebrities recently posted…Those Are Some Bad Words
Awesome minds think alike I guess π We should start an ingredient list revolution. I can sense that it will be epic lol
Hmmmm Perhaps you should email me and we can collab on something! π
GiGi Eats Celebrities recently posted…Those Are Some Bad Words
I found MSG hiding in a packet of taco seasoning the other day. I was like REALLY? WHY? Needless to say I threw that crap out and made my own. Mine tasted better anyway!
Nicole recently posted…Being Kind to Yourself When Youβre Trying to Lose Weight
Taco seasoning is definitely one of those things I make on my own. The sodium is insane even without the MSG!