How to Read Nutrition Labels Like a Pro

The 5 Things That Matter Most

1. Serving Size - Everything else is based on this. Many packages contain 2-3 servings.

2. Calories - Compare to your daily target

3. Protein - Higher is usually better

4. Added Sugar - Less than 5g per serving is ideal

5. Sodium - Under 400mg per serving is moderate

Things You Can Mostly Ignore

• Total fat (focus on trans fat = 0)
• Cholesterol (dietary cholesterol has less impact than once thought)
• Vitamin percentages (eat real food instead)

Red Flags

• Serving size that's unrealistically small
• Long ingredient lists
• Sugar listed in the first 3 ingredients
• Multiple types of sugar (hiding total amount)
• "Natural flavors" (could mean anything)