What to look for in nutrition labels?

The nutritional information on food packages is a very powerful weapon for the consumer who wants and needs to know what his food contains. By learning to read and interpret nutrition labels, where the manufacturer states the key nutrients found in a product, we make more informed choices.

Our dietary requirements, of course, direct us to focus more on specific ingredients of the products, for example a person with diabetes will focus mainly on the carbohydrates and sugars of a food, but let's look at all the ingredients that are mandatory to be in the labels:

1. Ingredients: All ingredients are listed in order of content in the food, in descending order (that is, the first material listed is the one that is contained in a greater percentage in proportion to the rest). Here it will also be indicated if the product contains an allergen. Foods with very long ingredient lists, odd words and lots of additives are likely to be highly processed.
2. Portion size: The nutritional analysis is based on one portion (which will be listed in specific grams or per 100g of the food), not necessarily the entire packaged quantity.
3. Calories/Energy
4. Protein
5. Fats: Here we have 3 types. Unsaturated fats, e.g. ω-3 and ω-6, which are cardioprotective, and have other benefits, so we prefer them. Saturated fats, which are usually found in animal products. We try to take them in moderation, as they raise blood cholesterol. Finally, trans fats, which are the most burdensome for the body and are associated with health problems, and for this reason we avoid them as much as possible.
6. Carbohydrates: Under the carbohydrates will probably be written rta grams of vegetable fiber, and definitely the note "of which sugars", that is, how many of the grams of carbohydrates are simple carbohydrates. Usually, foods high in sugar are of low nutritional value. Only one teaspoon of sugar corresponds to 4g, and with this we can calculate how much sugar a product contains.
7. Salt (Sodium): The recommended amount of salt should be less than 6g. (or 2.4 g sodium) per day.