Poll of the Day: Do You Actually Read Nutrition Labels?

Yep. As well as the ingredients. Too much information out there NOT to be fully informed these days.

I'm EVOLVING BABY - SO LOOK OUT! (READ THE LABEL AND THE CONTENT AND THEN TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER)

The Answer is NOW? HELL YEAH!
I NEVER read labels before mid way into losing 80 lbs on MFP. Even then it was only to add fiber content and lower my net carbs.

Over the past two month - nearly 6-8 months into maintaining - I know more about the labels on food than you really want to know. I now look to see how much saturated fat, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and what type of polyunsaturated fat. If the label doesn't tell me I look it up via Wiki or something else. I now could tell you more about what these compounds look like, what they do for you, and where to find them.

EXAMPLE: I saw a recipe with Grapeseed oil. Never bought it before. I was curious. The label just told me what percentage the calories were from fat and how much saturated fat...but nothing else. SO I LOOKED IT UP - SMART PHONES ROCK!

The label said 10 percent saturated fat. What the label didn't say was 72 percent N-6 polyunsaturated linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid) and 16 percent n-9 monounsaturated fatty acid - both good for you. Less than 1 percent was omega (n-3) polyunsaturated fat. Approximately 10 percent was saturated fat. Too much info? I don't think so now!

When cooking for myself I now try and have a healthy balance in my meal if possible or throughout the week. If I'm going to ingest fat I make sure it's heart healthy and a mix of Monounsaturated fat or polyunsaturated n-3 (omega 3) if possible. So far these clearly have the best health benefits lower LDL and possibly raising HDL.

That's real important since LDL carries with it inflammatory properties that injure vessel walls leading to vascular disease of many kinds.

I can now tell you more about energy consumption, where it comes from, how many kJ/kgd (kilojules per kilogram per day) you can maximize out of fat burns, REEs (resting energy expenditures) etc etc. , GI (Glycemic indes) and GL (glycemic load).

Labels still don't tell you if it contains cholesterol...what percent of HDL/LDL but studies show

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pay attention now....that the types of fats you put in your body will affect your HDL/LDL levels far more than the actual cholesterol you consume.

So reading labels you have to know what to pay attention to and what matters. Labels don't go far enough right now.....

So here is a real life real day example:

POP CORN: Good diet snack right? Right....

not to push a brand but Jolly Time 100 cal pop corn does not have Palm oil as an ingredient. Several of the other name brands (Pop Secret, Orville) do. Palm oil is a saturated fat. Those fats increase LDL (BAD CHOLESTEROL). If you have heart disease you avoid this in products.

Now I'm not saying a little is going to kill you...but when you have three products that are similar and one is heart healthy and the other two are not as heart healthy...reading the label helps.

For all the micronutrient people......I get cha.....The more you know...the more it helps....and as you learn you appreciate all the help you can get!

I sure do! I want to know calories, protein and fiber in everything I eat. Carbs from natural sources are fine, but I don't want added carbs. I probably make my husband crazy with my label reading but thats the way it goes!

Yes, Yes and Yes

Now I read them even more and am looking at products online before I head to the store to check them. Allergies, nutrition and what is in the food is important to know.

Yes, otherwise what good does it do? Without reading the label how much do you really know about it?

I generally look at everything on the label now that I think about it. Fat (types and amount) and sodium are probably the biggest for me at the moment, but I also like to keep track of added sugars, so that's why reading the ingredients is pretty important. Sometimes the reason I'll chose one product over another is protein or fibre content. Honestly, calories are not the biggest thing for me, although I do obviously track them. But I'd miss out on heaps of good food if I were only interested in calories.

Yes! I read the nutrition labels FOR SURE I read the labels and the first three ingredients. I hardly ever purchase prepackaged foods though.

Yes, Since joining MFP and recording all my food I'm especially looking at sodium (to consume less), carbs (so not to give in to every craving b/c I gravitate toward carbs when I'm craving or not being vigilant), protein and fiber (to increase).

I used to only look at calories (and usually not even that :glasses: )

Good topic :-)

Constantly! Husband thinks I'm nuts, but he appreciates it too. Also helps tremendously when using my food scale. :bigsmile:

Yes

It's what means the difference to me from a life of obesity or fitness