Behind The Food Label

If you are buying any food in a packet it is worth getting into the habit of reading the label. Look at the ingredient list and make sure that the claim on the front matches what is actually contained in the product!

Ingredients are always listed by quantity from highest to lowest. If you see any form of sugar in the top 4 ingredients you can be fairly sure it is a high sugar product.

Here are a few other things to look out for:

Low Fat - usually means higher sugar

Contains Natural Sugar – I’m afraid that sugar is sugar just because it is ‘natural’ does not mean it is good for you

Sugar Free - Likely to be full of sweeteners which have been shown to disrupt the microbiome and affect the satiety response

No Added Sugar –It could contain high levels of natural sugars or be packed with sweeteners.

Contains superfoods – Just because it contains a little bit of blueberry does not negate the other potentially unhealthy ingredients

Multi Grain – How many grains does it contain? A multigrain muffin could still be full of sugar or multigrain bread might be high in salt

Free From – The free from ranges are often marketed as healthy but by taking out gluten or dairy the manufacturers often have to substitute with less healthy ingredients make the product taste palatable.

Organic – Don’t assume all organic products are good for you! An organic cereal bar could still be very high in sugar

 As a general rule the more ingredients a food contains the more processed it is and the less it will benefit your health.