Decoding The Nutrition Facts Label

“Stand along the aisles of supermarkets just long enough to observe a habit most shoppers have: They pick up boxes, cans and packets and read the food labels. But here’s the truth: Most of those who check nutrition labels can’t really find use for them. Sure, they can read, they just can’t interpret the labels well enough to use them to make healthier food choices. A survey conducted by the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC) in 2003 revealed by about 83% of shoppers did look at nutritional labels. A survey from the Food Marketing Institute in 2004 showed similar results. In 2006, an Associated Press survey showed 80% of shoppers reading food labels. However, the same survey found that 44% of these shoppers still bought less healthy foods.

These days, eating smart isn’t a choice – it is a necessity. But with so many new vocabulary and mind-boggling figures and percentages, a healthy diet can be downright tedious. The truth is that you do not need to be a dietician or have a medical degree to know exactly what’s in your food and how much nutrients you are getting from it…”

Read the full post here.