How to Choose the Best Product Based on the Nutrition Label? (3)

By Alana Marrero González, LND, MHSN

Note: This is the third in a series of four articles on the importance of understanding this educational tool. See the first one here.

Over the past few days, I’ve tried to convey in several posts just how important it is to me to offer you guidance on one of the most important tools for maintaining a healthy diet: understanding the nutrition label. We’ve talked about its different sections and the importance of reading the ingredients… so what’s next?

Now it's time to make some important decisions about your diet and try to choose the best processed foods available to you. Below, you'll find some key ingredients. Check to see how many of these are in the product you're considering buying or eating.

Ingredients	Recommended Amounts	Other names for this type of ingredient / Claim
Total Fat	A product is considered low in fat if it contains less than 3 g per serving.	Animal fat/oil, beef fat, butter, chocolate, milk solids, coconut, coconut oil, milk, heavy cream, palm oil, lard, margarine, tallow, sour cream.
Saturated fats	A product is considered low in saturated fat if it contains less than 1 g of saturated fat per serving.	Animal fat/oil, beef fat, butter, chocolate, milk solids, coconut, coconut oil, milk, heavy cream, palm oil, lard, margarine, tallow, sour cream.
Trans fats	Avoid foods that contain them.	If the nutrition label states that it contains “partially hydrogenated fats,” that means it contains trans fats.
Fat-free	A product is considered fat-free when it contains less than 0.5 g of fat per serving.	“Fat-free” “Libre de grasa”
Sodium	Preferably choose products that contain less than 400 mg of sodium. If a product contains less than 140 mg of sodium per serving, it is low in sodium.	Monosodium glutamate (MSG), sea salt, sodium ascorbate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium nitrate or nitrite, vegetable salt, yeast extract.
Sugars	Ideally, choose products that contain less than 5 g per serving. Products that contain less than 0.5 g per serving are considered “sugar-free.”	Dextrose, fructose, glucose, maple syrup, honey, sucrose, maltose, malt, lactose, brown sugar, muscovado sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice.
Fibers	Choose products with 3 g or more per serving.

Remember that the food industry will always try to sell its products, and it's getting harder every day to figure out what's good for us and what isn't.

However, by spending just a few extra minutes reading the nutrition labels on the products you usually buy, you'll be able to make better choices. If you want to improve your eating habits and enrich your diet, read the nutrition labels.