Highly processed foods: Avoid if sugar, syrup, or oils are top ingredients

Understanding food labels is essential for making healthier choices, and the ingredient list is the primary place to start. Ingredients are always listed in descending order by weight, meaning the first few ingredients represent the largest quantities in the product. This simple rule can quickly reveal the nature of a food item.

If sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, or refined vegetable oils appear among the first three ingredients, it's a strong indicator that the product is highly processed and offers little nutritional value, regardless of its packaging. For example, in chocolate, sugar often tops the list for milk chocolate, while high-quality dark chocolate will list cocoa first. A shorter ingredient list with recognizable components generally signifies a product closer to its natural state, whereas a long list with unfamiliar chemical names suggests extensive industrial processing and the addition of numerous additives.

Beyond the ingredients, the nutritional table provides detailed information on energy and nutrient content per 100 grams or 100 milliliters. While manufacturers often include a "per serving" column, these serving sizes can be misleadingly small. It is more reliable to focus on the values per 100 grams. Key elements to monitor include fats, especially saturated fats, which should be limited. The "of which sugars" line under carbohydrates reveals the amount of simple sugars, with a daily recommendation of no more than thirty grams.

Salt intake should also be managed, with a daily limit of less than five grams (about one teaspoon). Even a small portion of snacks like chips or crackers can contain nearly half of this daily allowance. The article also touches upon "E-numbers," which denote food additives approved in the EU. While some E-numbers represent harmless substances like Vitamin C (E300) or natural colorings, others, such as artificial colors tartrazine (E102) and yellow (E110), have been linked to hyperactivity in children. Monosodium glutamate (E621) and the artificial sweetener aspartame (E951) are also mentioned as ingredients to be mindful of due to potential adverse effects on sensitive individuals.