Understanding food labels and nutrition lists

Food labeling is there to help us stay informed about the ingredients that go into the foods we are consuming. But with so much information on one package, it can sometimes be overwhelming and confusing. 

In this article, we’ll look at what you can find out from the labeling on food packaging and how you can use that information to decide which foods may better support your health when you’re out shopping. 

Nutrition information and portion sizes 

Most food packaging will contain a Nutrition Facts label that gives you a nutritional breakdown of the product. This is where you can find the number of calories, total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, added sugars, fiber, protein, and salt in a serving of the product.  

Tip: Be sure to check how much a serving is. Sometimes it may be a lot smaller than you would expect, especially when it comes to prepackaged drinks and snacks. 

You will also come across a column with % Daily Value (%DV). This column shows you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. Daily values are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume or not exceed each day and are standardized for the average adult. 

Tip: 5% DV is considered “low” in a nutrient, and 20% DV is considered “high” in a nutrient. More often, choose foods that are higher in %DV for dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium, and lower in %DV for saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. ⁴

The nutrient breakdown and %DVs can often help you decide between two different products. If you’re wanting to eat something that will have less of an impact on your glucose, you may want to choose the option that has the most fiber or protein, as these can help slow the absorption of glucose to your bloodstream. 

Nutrition and health claims 

Nutrition claims relate to what a product does or doesn’t contain or contains in a high or low amount.

For example:¹

• Sugar free — must contain less than 0.5 g sugars per serving 
• Low fat — must contain less than 3 g fat per serving 
• High in fiber — must contain at least 20% or more of the DV of fiber per serving 
• Contains, provides, or is a good source of a nutrient — must contain 10-19% of the DV of a nutrient per serving 

Tip: Products that have “low fat” on their packaging often contain extra sugar. Manufacturers add this to make up for the change in taste that comes from having less fat. 

Health claims are claims that state or suggest there is a relationship between a product and your health.

For example: 

• Calcium is needed for the maintenance of normal bones. 
• Potassium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure. 
• Vitamin C contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. 
• Folate contributes to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy. 

Health claims on food labels are not allowed to state that the food can prevent, treat, or cure any disease or medical condition. They’re also not allowed to refer to a specific rate or amount of weight loss. 

Ingredients lists and sugar 

The ingredients list always appears in descending order by weight. For example, if the first ingredient is oats then the largest proportion of the product is made from oats, followed by the next largest, and so on. 

You may notice the first ingredient on some foods like breakfast cereals is sugar. This means that much of the product is made with sugar.  

If you’re trying to support healthy glucose levels, it's helpful to be clued up when it comes to reading food labels and identifying the different names that sugar might fall under. Products high in sugar can be more likely to cause glucose spikes.

Here are some different names for sugar that may be easy to miss if you’re not aware of them: 

• Maltose 
• Sucrose 
• High fructose corn syrup 
• Fructose 
• Cane juice 
• Agave syrup 
• Honey 
• Maple syrup 
• Coconut nectar 

All of these ingredients listed above are a form of sugar and are likely to result in a glucose spike when eaten alone or in large quantities.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend getting no more than 10% of your calories each day from added sugars, as high sugar intake has been linked to poorer health outcomes.^2,3 For example, someone who eats 2,000 calories a day should eat no more than 50 g of added sugar per day.⁴

The Nutrition Facts label will list the amount of added sugars in a product separately to the total sugar amount, along with the %DV of sugar the food contains.

Here’s what to look for when you’re searching for a food that’s low in added sugars: 

• Sugar (or a different name for sugar) is not one of the first few ingredients on the ingredient list. 
• The %DV of added sugar is around 5% or less. 
• There is less than 10 g of added sugar per single serving. 

Try to limit the daily total amount of added sugars in your diet to 50 g or less (this is about 12 teaspoons). 

You do not need to completely avoid foods containing these ingredients and they can be enjoyed sparingly as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle, but it's important to be aware of these hidden sugars and where they might be unintentionally sneaking into your diet, allowing you to make conscious choices for your well-being. Sugars can often be added to foods that you may not expect, like peanut butter, sauces, dressings, and other condiments, so be sure to check their labels. 

You’ll be able to see how these foods can affect your glucose with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) like Lingo. These devices can provide data to show you the impact of your eating habits, giving insights to help you discover which foods might work for you. 
 
Tip: Try consuming foods containing sugar after a balanced meal of vegetables, protein, and healthy fats, which may help to decrease the impact on your glucose level. 

All this doesn’t mean you have to avoid your favorite chocolate or dessert. Even if you buy a high-sugar food, you can always use the tips Lingo gives you to reduce the spike those foods are more likely to cause. 

A final note from Lingo 

To keep your glucose steady, it's important to prioritize a balanced diet with plenty of fiber-rich veggies as well as protein and healthy fats. 

Keeping an eye on portion sizes as well as moving after meals can also help reduce your post-meal glucose. 

And finally, slow down and enjoy your food. You can learn to enjoy the foods you love in a way that reduces the impact on your glucose and maximizes the impact on your health. 

You can track your glucose using a CGM like Lingo and use the personal data it provides to help inform how you approach your favorite foods. 

_ALB-02616