Tommy's Take by Tommy Pomatico 7/14
How to Read a Nutrition Label (And the Sneaky Tricks Companies Use)
If you’ve ever flipped over a package to look at the nutrition facts and felt completely lost, you’re not alone. Food companies love to make things confusing. But learning how to read a nutrition label is one of the most powerful tools for taking control of your health, body composition, and energy.
Here’s exactly how to break it down — plus the shady tactics companies use to make junk food look healthy.
The Basics: How to Read a Nutrition Label
When you look at a nutrition label, start by focusing on these key areas:
Serving Size
Always check this first. Many products look low in calories or sugar — until you see the serving size is absurdly tiny (like 2 tablespoons of cereal or ⅓ of a muffin). If you eat the whole package (like most people do), multiply everything by the number of servings.
Calories
This tells you how much energy you’ll get per serving. Always adjust for how much you actually eat. Calories drive weight gain or loss — if your goal is fat loss, this is where to start.
Dive Deep: Macronutrients
Macronutrients — protein, carbohydrates, and fat — make up the bulk of your calories. Understanding how they show up on a label is key to making smart choices.
Protein
Why it matters: Crucial for muscle repair, growth, immune function, and staying full. Also burns more calories to digest (high thermic effect).
What to aim for: Ideally 20-30g protein per meal or ~1g per pound of your goal body weight daily. Many processed foods brag “high protein” but only have 4-5g — not much.
Carbohydrates
Total Carbs: Includes all carbs — starches, sugars, and fiber.
Fiber: Slows digestion, keeps you full, supports gut health. Look for 3-5g or more per serving in carb-heavy foods.
Total Sugars: Includes natural + added sugars.
Added Sugars: What’s dumped in during processing. Try to keep under 5-6g per serving. Less is better.
Watch out: Some foods say “only 20g carbs,” but most of it is sugar. Ideally you want carbs that also bring fiber.
Fat
Total Fat: Fats keep hormones balanced and help absorb vitamins.
Saturated Fat: Ideally under 10% of daily calories. Too much tied to heart disease risk.
Trans Fat: Should always be 0g. If you see “partially hydrogenated oils” in the ingredients, that’s a hidden trans fat. Avoid.
Focus on fats from quality sources like olive oil, nuts, avocados, and fatty fish.
Sneaky Tricks Companies Use
Food companies are masters of making junk look healthy. Here’s how they trick you:
Unrealistic Serving Sizes
They’ll list nutrition for a tiny serving. Ever see a small bag of chips say “3 servings”? Most people eat the whole bag.
Multiple Names for Sugar
They split sugar into several types (cane sugar, agave, brown rice syrup, honey) so each is further down the ingredients list.
“Health Halos”
Buzzwords like “organic,” “gluten-free,” or “natural” make foods seem healthier — even if they’re loaded with sugar and processed junk.
Hidden Calories
“Sugar-free” or “low-fat” foods often have added carbs, sugar alcohols, or starches. The calories might not be much different.
Misleading Fat Labels
They’ll say “0g trans fat,” but if it’s under 0.5g per serving, they can legally list it as zero. Always check the ingredients for partially hydrogenated oil.
Bottom Line
✅ Start by checking serving size and servings per package.
✅ Look at calories per serving — adjust to what you’ll really eat.
✅ Focus on protein, fiber, and keeping added sugars low.
✅ Scan the ingredients list — simpler, whole-food based is usually better.
✅ Don’t be fooled by front-of-package marketing. The truth is on the label.
The best part?
Once you get good at reading nutrition labels, you’ll see through all the hype. It’s one of the simplest ways to gain control over your health and body — without falling for slick marketing.
