Does Reading Food Labels & Being Selective Drive you Crazy?

Learning what to buy and reading food labels without going Bonkers!

Ever picked up a loaf of bread, flipped it over, and felt like you were staring at the specification manual for a Space Shuttle? Kcal, Kjewels, carbs, poly-this, mono-that, Hydrogenated Fat, Saturated, Unsaturated — all I wanted was a bacon butty, or toast. All people asked for was, what's in the food they're buying and eating?

Food labels can feel like they’re designed to confuse, or they have just let a sugar-addled geek loose in a food lab. But once you know a few tricks, however, they stop being secret diagrams of nuclear reactors and start being helpful tools. Here’s how to read them without going cross-eyed.

1. The Big Three to Spot Fast

If you only look at three things, make them these: Carbs, Sugar & Fibre.

• Carbs & Sugars - To my mind, this is the most important one. Others may disagree, but it's here a T2D can make a choice whether to have either a Hyper attack, or a hangover, or stay reasonably normal. Mmmmm. Normal???

When I go shopping and let's say I want some yoghurt. Long ago I learned not to eat anything with 4.1g or more, sugar per 100mg. So, I walk along the aisles, I see the yoghurts and decide which one I fancy. I pick up the pot and give myself eye-strain reading, because I've left my glasses at home, or in the car.

So, in my head (apart from a chocolate trifle), I do the maths. Don't Panic! It's easy.

Firstly, it's over 4.0 sugar per 100g. Nope! Not eating it. I put it back......

If I want to delve deeper: Say it is 4.0g of sugar per 100g? So 4 into 100 makes it 4% sugar. How much of this 500g pot am I going to eat in one sitting? A quarter. A half. Sweet Jeez the whole pot? Right do the maths..... If I eat a quarter, that's 125g's right? At 4g per 100. So can my diabetes handle an extra gram of sugar, or thereabouts? Yeah! No problem.

Hang on... This yoghurt is plain. It's gonna taste a bit... well, plain. Mmmm. What about a flavoured yoghurt? Ooo. Eagerly I put down the plain yoghurt pot and pick up a lovely looking strawberry yoghurt. Ooo, this is 500g too. Right! let's have a look at the sugar in this.

So the carbs are 8.1, of which sugars are 7.9 per 100g. Oh my aching head..... A one way trip to planet Zog! This is a no no. I could get the plain and some fresh strawberries, liquidise some and mix it in? Two desert spoons of yoghurt. All that effort? Where's the Chocolate Trifle kept? Nooooo. With practice, this is all done with one glance. You'll become an expert.

• Fibre: This one’s your ally. The more fibre, the better — it slows down sugar absorption and keeps you fuller. It’s recommended we eat around 30 grams of fibre a day. Most of us don't reach that figure though. The bigger the fibre number on the package of food, the better.

• Types of fibre include: Fruits & Veggies. Potatoes, Wholegrains like wholemeal bread, brown rice, oats, quinoa, & wholemeal pasta.

We all know what we should be doing, but... Is there much fibre in Choccy Trifle?

2. Serving Size Shenanigans

Manufacturers love to shrink serving sizes to make foods look healthier. A cereal box might list 30g as a portion (about three spoonfuls). Nobody eats that little. Always check what a realistic serving looks like and multiply accordingly. Just as I did with the carbs & sugar.

3. The Traffic Light System

In the UK, many foods use the red/amber/green system. I'm not sure about the US, or other places?

• Green = good to go

• Amber = think twice

• Red = proceed with caution (or run)

A quick glance here can save you from needing a calculator in the supermarket aisle.

4. Sugar’s Sneaky Names

Sugar is the master of disguise. Look out for these: dextrose, maltose, corn syrup, honey, molasses, fruit concentrate. If the ingredient list reads like a sugar thesaurus, put it back.

5. Fat Facts

“Low fat” often means “high sugar.” Healthy fats (from nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocado) are fine. What you want to avoid are trans fats and hydrogenated oils — the real troublemakers. People have been told utter rubbish by food companies and doctors (not all). Good fats are actually good for you. That includes animal fat. Render. Lard.

6. The 5-Second Hack

In a rush? Forget the fluff. Check:

• Total carbs

• Sugars

• Fiber

If it passes the test, it’s trolley-worthy. If not, move on.

Final Thoughts

Food labels shouldn’t require a PhD in chemistry. With these shortcuts, you can walk into a supermarket, scan, and make smarter choices without losing your sanity.

And if you ever find a label claiming “one serving = half a biscuit,” send me a photo. I can laugh about it while eating the whole thing.