Reading Nutrition Labels

Reading nutrition labels is an important skill to develop. You’ll find these labels on all food packaging, and some (but not all) fresh produce or meat. They may appear slightly different from country to country but they will all display the carbs, protein, fat and fiber (if any) of the food item.

Below is an example of a basic nutrition label. The areas circled are what you’ll want to focus on and track.

1. Serving Size in Weight: Most nutrition labels will display the serving size in weight. This is the best way to measure accurately.

2. Total Fat: This is the number you will track for your fat intake.

3. Total Carbohydrate: This is the number you will track for your carbohydrate intake.

4. Fiber: You can also track fiber using these labels. If it’s not listed on the label, then that means the food has no fiber.

5. Protein: This is the number you will track for your protein intake.

Pro Tip: If the package serving size does not include a weight with the serving size, you can cross reference the item on sites like calorieking.com, nutritiondata.self.com, or you can Google the nutrition facts. Then, create your own food entry for use in the future or search for an entry in MyFitnessPal by entering the food item, followed by ‘grams’.