Making Sense of Nutrition Labels

I'm a label reader. But I'm not obsessive about it. The important thing, in my opinion, is to know what you're looking for and to glean the right information from those labels. First, ingredient lists: Realize that a product's ingredients are listed in order from greatest to least volume. So if a label lists sugar as its first ingredient, obviously you know where the product is getting most of its weight from--that doesn't make the product a bad choice; it just probably shouldn't be the mainstay of your diet (as in a breakfast cereal or yogurt). But it's fine to use a product that's high in sugar in moderation, say, to sweeten your iced tea or jazz up your whole-grain waffles.

Now, about the nutrition information label: definitely pay attention. Note the amount of fiber in the product and realize that a high-fiber product is almost always a good choice, even it is high in calories and fat. And if it IS high in calories and fat, be aware of what KIND of fat (poly- or mono-unsaturated are best; saturated, not so much). Naturally, if a product is high in calories, you'll want to closely monitor your consumption of it, but some high-calorie foods--such as fresh salmon and avocadoes--are wonderful, healthful choices that will help keep you feeling full and satisfied, plus they're jam-packed with good fatty acids and other nutrients that make them smart choices. In general, foods with long lists of ingredients you can't pronounce are to be avoided or severely limited. Go for the least-processed foods you can find, and you'll be doing yourself a favor. For example, why buy pre-made muffins when you can bake them yourself and add fresh blueberries and walnuts to them (not to mention, make them with a portion of whole-wheat flour instead of refined white)? Same goes for instant oatmeal--buy the box of rolled oats and make it yourself--you'll get more fiber, be able to season it to taste and you'll save money. It's a win-win.