Sucrose? Sodium? Low-fat? Lean? These words are scattered across food labels at the grocery store, but what exactly do they mean?
It’s not as easy as pie — reading a food label can make anyone wonder what they’re actually eating. But many complex-sounding ingredients are pretty simple once you know how to decode the terms. Some nutritional experts say it’s most important to look at the first three ingredients listed, but it’s good practice to pay attention to all the items in your food, especially for allergies, dietary concerns, and other food sensitivities.
What’s in This Food?
Sugar: The sweet stuff goes by lots of different names on food labels. One rule of thumb is to look for words that end in “-ose.” That suffix means “full of” and indicates sugars in biochemistry. Examples include “fructose,” “sucrose,” “maltose,” “lactose,” “galactose,” “dextrose,” and “high-fructose corn syrup.” Other not-so-apparent sugar sources to look out for are “agave nectar,” “barley malt syrup,” “honey,” “dextrin,” and “dehydrated cane juice.”
Salt: On U.S. food labels, salt is usually listed using different chemical names. Table salt is “sodium chloride,” and other salts might be in ingredient lists as “sodium benzoate,” “disodium,” “monosodium glutamate,” “disodium phosphate,” “brine,” “soy sauce,” or “monosodium glutamate (MSG).”
Fats: These can be tricky to parse out. There are different types of fats, and they all affect our health in different ways. Traditional fats can be listed as “glycerides,” “glycerol,” or “shortening.” However, saturated fats often appear under “butter,” “cocoa butter,” “palm oil,” “powdered whole milk solids,” “coconut oil,” “lard,” “hydrogenated fats,” and “oils.”
What Are Manufacturers Saying About Food?
Businesses make claims about their products all the time in advertisements. But claims about food products are closely regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — and this includes the wording on labels and packaging.
For example, it would be illegal for a candy company to print the words “healthy” on a package of sugary bubble gum. According to the FDA, every food product labeled “healthy” has to meet specific nutrient standards and guidelines, so consumers know the makeup of the food they are consuming. These words have specific meanings when they are on food labels:
Free: If soda is “sugar-free,” it means it has a negligible amount of the ingredient — less than 0.5 grams per serving. Foods can also be labeled “fat-free” and “calorie-free.”
Lean: The term “lean” describes how much fat is in meat, poultry, or seafood. Beef can be “lean” or “extra lean,” depending on the exact amount of fats or saturated fats it contains.
Light: You might buy “light sour cream” or “lite yogurt” (the alternate spelling is just marketing and doesn’t change the nutritional content). According to the FDA, this means the product has been altered to reduce calories or fat. Sometimes companies add sugar to compensate for the loss of calories or fat, so check the label for the nutrient content.
Organic: In order for foods to be labeled “organic,” they must be grown and processed according to federal guidelines. Organic producers use natural methods as much as possible. Remember: Organic foods can have the same calories and fat as any other foods. “Organic” does not necessarily mean healthy or more nutritious; it only means the food is grown according to certain guidelines.
Reduced: Foods that are labeled as “reduced fat” have been altered to have at least 25% of the fat removed from the product. Items can also be “reduced calorie” or “reduced sodium.”
Feature image credit: Drazen Zigic/ iStock