If you read food labels, what numbers do you look at?

[KurtNYC]

In a telephone survey of 554 adults nationwide by The New York Times, 85 percent of the respondents said they read the label closely some or all of the time. About 66 percent said they had used information to decide whether or not to buy something.

But follow-up interviews with some of those questioned in the poll, which was conducted on Oct. 12 and 13, indicate that people may concentrate on just one or two items on the label and ignore the rest. Twenty-five percent of those polled said the first thing they looked at was the amount of fat, 18 percent said calories and 10 percent said sugar.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/01/dining/01LABE.html

Personally, I would look at saturated fat, partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat) and sodium. The sodium count is not because I am afraid of salt. I just find many commercial foods to be over-salted, eg. DiGiorno pizzas.

Carbs? Sugar? Vitamin?

[Left Is Write]

1. I look at calories and fat. I also look at

overall nutritional value (including carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and minerals).

I look for dietary fiber.

I read the ingredient list looking for high-fructose corn syrup.

[Worst Username Ever]

2. Saturated fat, calories, trans fats

and in the ingredients, the hated "hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils." Also, sodium, but I don't care about that as much. Have to have SOME flavor.

[tishaLA]

3. Sodium first. Then fat.

then the overall nutritional values.

[Phentex]

12. me too...

the calories are easy to spot as well.

[bearfan454]

4. Sugar is worse than anything.

Even if it says 0 grams of sugar the ingredients might say fructose, sucrose, dextrose, or corn syrup. These are all sugars.

[Left Is Write]

9. If the ingredients include sugars, the label shouldn't be saying

0 grams of sugar.

[KurtNYC]

13. True - Pure orange juice will list sugars

due to the fructose in oranges.

[MissMillie]

5. Sugar, and saturated or trans fat

And protein. These days I struggle to get all the protein I'm supposed to get, so I really go for things that are high in protein.

[newscaster]

6. Calories, salt, carbs & fat

:hi:

[amazona]

7. trans fat or not

Don't care to eat trans fat.

I also check for calorie content. I don't want to pay money for food that doesn't have enough calories to keep me going. But this mainly goes when I'm out and can't afford/don't have time to buy a meal. Some little 220 calorie thing is not going to work to replace a meal. It needs to be closer to 400 calories. It is surprisingly tough to be small in a world of people who are watching their weight.

[Dora]

8. Fiber, sodium, sugars

And ingredients. Processed corn products are out.

[Ima]

10. calories and fat

[Eugene]

11. First calories and calories from fat...

then high sodium and sometimes sugar.
I check vitamins and minerals
to help determine overall nutritional value.

[flvegan]

14. Animal products, then fats (all of em)

[eoberhauser]

15. I'm a mad label reader

First I read the indgredients to make sure there are no hidden animal products. Soups are the biggest on for this. Why do I need "powdered chicken" in my vegetable soup? *shrug*

Next I look at calories and then sugar. I also check for protein content as I don't eat meat, I like to eat things with at least some protein.

Erin

[otohara]

16. Sugar, Fat, Ingredients

if it has things I can't pronounce, back it goes.

[freeplessinseattle]

17. Calories, animal products, soy (allergies) sodium, weird multisyllbic

ingredients. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was when food labeling became mandatory, I remember freaking out in high school if something didn't have a nutrition info label, and carrying around a calorie counting book everywhere. of course, at the time, calories were all I cared about, but now I really appreciate knowing everything that is in my food.