The Sneaky Food Label Secrets You Need to Know

Do you want the bad news or the good news first?

Why don't we get the bad news out of the way? That 20 oz. bottle of Sprite you just gulped down has twice the calories as is listed on the bottle. You didn't just drink the 110 calories listed on the label, but over twice of those calories! Does your stomach feel a little more bloated after reading that?

Now for the good news, this can be avoided by learning how to properly read nutritional labels. A closer inspection of that Sprite bottle reveals that it is 2.5 servings, not 1. That means when you drink the entire bottle, the calories, sugar, sodium, etc are almost triple the numbers listed.

Is it any wonder why there are so many overweight people in our society with sneaky tactics like this used by the manufacturers? On thousands of nutritional labels, you will notice what is packaged is not always just one serving. Many times it can be multiple servings, which can easily be the reason for your expanding waistband.

Another sneaky tactic used by manufacturers is "no sugar added". Many times people believe that the product is then unsweetened, which is not usually the case. This is almost always code that you will find aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, or another similar sugar substitue. Since sugar is a natural product and its substitutes are chemical based, it is always best to go with a low sugar based product.

When buying whole grain foods, never go by what is listed on the front. Many products will claim they are "made from whole grains", which can be deceiving. You must always check the label and be sure that "whole wheat flour" is listed as the first ingredient. If you see it is made of "enriched flour" or "wheat flour", then it is made from white flour, which you want to avoid.

Unfortunately, the manufactures are legally allowed to list their nutritional values in such a manner. So as with most things in life, it is up to you to understand exactly what you are putting in your body by closely inspecting each nutritional label.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Sneaky-Food-Label-Secrets-You-Need-to-Know&id=2855283
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