Interpreting Nutrition Labels
Start with the list of ingredients
Keep an eye out for heart-healthy ingredients such as whole-wheat flour, soy and oats. Monounsaturated fats — such as olive, canola or peanut oils — promote heart health, too.
Avoid unhealthy ingredients, too, such as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil.
Keep in mind that ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. The main (heaviest) ingredient is listed first, followed by other ingredients used in lesser amounts.
Consider carbs in context
If your meal plan is based on carbohydrate counting, food labels become an essential tool for meal planning.
Don't miss out on high-fiber foods. Pay special attention to high-fiber foods. Although the grams of sugar and fiber are counted as part of the grams of total carbohydrate, the count can sometimes be misleading. If a food has 5 grams or more fiber in a serving, the American Diabetes Association recommends subtracting the fiber grams from the total grams of carbohydrate for a more accurate estimate of the product's carbohydrate content.
Keep an eye out for heart-healthy ingredients such as whole-wheat flour, soy and oats. Monounsaturated fats — such as olive, canola or peanut oils — promote heart health, too.
Avoid unhealthy ingredients, too, such as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil.
Keep in mind that ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. The main (heaviest) ingredient is listed first, followed by other ingredients used in lesser amounts.
Consider carbs in context
If your meal plan is based on carbohydrate counting, food labels become an essential tool for meal planning.
Don't miss out on high-fiber foods. Pay special attention to high-fiber foods. Although the grams of sugar and fiber are counted as part of the grams of total carbohydrate, the count can sometimes be misleading. If a food has 5 grams or more fiber in a serving, the American Diabetes Association recommends subtracting the fiber grams from the total grams of carbohydrate for a more accurate estimate of the product's carbohydrate content.
Look at total carbohydrate, not just sugar. Evaluate the grams of total carbohydrate — which includes sugar, complex carbohydrate and fiber — rather than only the grams of sugar. If you zero in on sugar content, you could miss out on nutritious foods naturally high in sugar, such as fruit and milk. And you might overdo foods with no natural or added sugar but plenty of carbohydrate, such as certain cereals and grains.
Do the math
Pay attention to serving sizes. The serving sizes listed on food labels may be different from the serving sizes in your meal plan. If you eat twice the serving size listed on the label, you also double the calories, fat, carbohydrate, protein, sodium and other contents. By Mayo Clinic staff MayoClinic.com gives users access to the expertise and knowledge of the more than 3,300 physicians and scientists of Mayo Clinic.
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Granola Gourmet energy bars are endorsed by Diabetes specialists, Cardiologists, Pediatricians and Cancer Experts. They have no sodium, no dairy and no wheat. They are an energy bar and don’t have the high sugar, fat and sodium content of some popular protein bars.
