How to Read Nutrition Labels Without Getting Confused

Nutrition labels contain a lot of numbers, and it's easy to either ignore them entirely or get overwhelmed trying to check everything at once. A few key numbers matter more than the rest.

Check the serving size first

All the numbers on a label refer to a specific serving size, which is sometimes much smaller than what's actually eaten in one go — a common way calories and sugar get underestimated by accident.

"Per 100g" is the number for comparing products

Comparing two products by their per-serving figures can be misleading if the serving sizes differ — the per 100g column is the fair way to compare similar products against each other.

The numbers most worth glancing at

• Sugar — particularly in products that don't sound like a dessert but contain a surprising amount.
• Fibre — higher is generally better, and it's often skipped over entirely.
• Protein — useful for judging how filling something is likely to be.

What's less useful to obsess over

Chasing "low fat" specifically often means higher sugar to compensate for lost flavour — the overall picture matters more than any single number in isolation.

The honest takeaway

Labels aren't there to be memorised in detail — a quick glance at serving size, sugar and fibre gives a genuinely useful picture in a few seconds.