Nutrition Facts Often Confusing

Eating correctly is getting more and more difficult every day, as reports on what is good for you and what is harmful to your health seem to change frequently. While state requirements on food-labeling are meant to help consumers make better decisions based on nutrition facts, many labels are confusing and others even directly misleading. While the governments' label information requirements are meant to help people make more informed decisions about what they eat and how much, not having the right nutrition facts, or understanding them means you're left with useless information.


Virtually every food product that is sold must list nutritional facts about the product. The information should include not only the ingredients but also the amount of fats, saturated fats, vitamins, carbohydrates and minerals along with other information. It might also offer the percentage of the daily recommended daily allowance for each of the nutritional groups listed on the label.

This can be where confusion sets in, as rarely will the nutrition facts label indicate the diet to which these numbers pertain. The facts listed are meant to be a guideline as each person metabolizes food at a different rate and what may represent 20 percent, for example of a typical diet may be 15 percent of the requirement for a different person.

You Need Nutritional Exams to Decipher Information
One of the biggest complaints from consumers (as also evidenced in the movie "Supersize Me") about the nutrition facts is the use of "serving sizes" listed on many package. Many times, they will include the information and include the number of servings in the package, leaving it to the consumer to figure the difference. Many don't think of this when buying a pack of cereals or other products.

Anyway, the confusion over some of the labels listing nutrition facts has made it important to emphasize you should check them out to determine how much of which ingredients are being consumed in order to stay on a particular diet. This information can also be helpful for those with specific food allergies to know whether they can consume the specific product.