Finally Understand Labels

[ASKSARAH - Sleeve 256]

I never quire How to read a food label. I mean I understand kinda but today it hit me.

I am pre op and trying to do What I would be doing with the sleeve to prepare and I was purchasing some Greek yogurt and that was easy. My daughter asked me to get sour cream for Turkey tacos. So I read that label. I normally get the full fat kind and so I looked at the label for the fat free and I was able to understand even though It's lower in fats and a slight decline in calories but there is more sugar. So I am staying away from sugar and even though It's full fat it has less sugar and in moderation It's in reality a better choice.

I personally had greek yogurt as sour cream on my taco lettus wrap and I was happy with it

But for the first time in my life I feel like I have a grasp on labels.

[Webchickadee 716]

food labels are the devil to understand! Some companies twist things so much it's hard to know what's going on!

I mean really, why label something "per serving" when obviously you're going to eat/drink the whole bag/bottle/container, yet they only label as 1/2 (ie. 2 servings per container). If you just quickly look at the numbers only, you might miss that and be completely mislead!

And giving servings by weight is also tricky, as most often you can't tell (unless you have a scale with you!) how much that "serving" is......

I use a scale at home EVERY TIME, but when I'm away from home, I am always conservative in my choices and overestimate the numbers so that I will consume less of the "less healthy" choices.

Keep reading closely, and congrats for catching the subtle shift in one ingredient vs. another when a company is trying to make something appear more healthy than it really is. This especially true for the "fat-free" trend. Companies often label their products as "fat-free" like it's a bonus for their particular brand, when the item by it's nature is already fat-free! And as you noticed today, if a product is lower in one category, the company has usually compensated in another to keep the flavour/texture, etc. appealing and satisfying.

Well done!

[UTGal99 327]

I HATE food labels! They are so hard to understand and decipher what they mean and how many grams and how many calories and what type of ingredients - ugh!

I certainly wish there was a simpler way to make it easier for everyone. As Tom Brokaw used to say: "It is the fleecing of America!" No wonder we have an obesity epidemic in America. I personally think the school systems should be focused on Nutrition classes for all children.

Ok, getting down off my soap box for the night...