FIND YOUR SUPPLEMENT
Bone, joint & muscle
Children's Health
Cold, Flu & Immunity
Energy & Performance
Eye Health
Gut Health & Digestion
Fish And Krill Oils
Greens & Reds
Hair, Skin And Nails
Iron Supplements
Memory And Brain Health
Men's health
Multivitamins
Practitioner
Pre & Probiotics
Sleep & Stress
Women's health
Prescription
Brands
Catalogue
Clearance
Learning how to read nutrition labels is a great way to become more informed about the foods you’re eating. Whether you’re comparing products or just curious about the nutritional value of your snack, the nutrition label has a lot of great information.
The nutrition label on a food or beverage gives you:
A good way to compare the nutritional value of different foods is to pay attention to the column that tells you about the content per 100 grams.
Certain food products such as vinegar, tea bags, herbs and spices aren’t required to display nutrition information because they have low nutritional value in terms of energy.
Have you ever seen a packet of sweets or lollies that says ‘fat free’? To the untrained eye, that may seem like a health win. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a redundant claim. Yes, it’s factually correct but isn’t very meaningful when the main ingredient is and reason for enjoying it is sugar. It’s important to be mindful of these claims when reading nutrition labels.
You may see the phrase ‘x percent of your daily recommended intake’ on your snack’s nutrition label. What does that mean? Basically, it’s there to tell you how much of your daily allowance this snack is taking up of that particular nutrient.
So, if your edamame snack has 25% of your daily recommended protein intake, you’re a quarter of the way to eating the right amount of protein for the day. It’s important to be aware, though, these amounts are based on a so-called ‘average’ person. So use them as a guide only.
A simple tool to provide insight into your shopping habits and inspiration to make healthier choices
Check out healthylife Food Tracker - a simple tool to help inspire you to make healthier food choices and achieve a more balanced diet.
Related:
Reviewed by the healthylife Advisory Board September 2021. Updated September 2023.