To avoid getting trapped by attractive packaging and healthy formulations, it is essential to learn to read product labels.

First, you should know that the ingredients, as they appear on the packaging, are classified according to their importance in the product. The first ingredient is therefore that which is present in greater quantity in the final product, and the last ingredient that which is less present. The first 3 ingredients usually give you an idea of ​​the quality of the product.

It’s also about understanding the ingredients on the list. Some manufacturers may use multiple names for the same ingredient so as not to make it appear first in the list. Sugar, for example, can be broken down into “glucose syrup”, “fructose syrup”, “maltodextrin” or even “corn syrup”.

In the same vein, the unspecified mention “vegetable oil” often betrays the presence of palm oil, which can be found in large quantities in sweet products and ready meals, but which contributes considerably to deforestation.1.

Finally, beware of long lists of ingredients that are highly likely to contain preservatives, flavors, colors and other chemical additives.

Nutritional values ​​give a more precise idea of ​​the proportions of nutrients contained in the product. However, they are often given for 100 g of product and not for a serving. It is therefore necessary to make a quick conversion to know what we are really ingesting. It can also be useful to know what the quantities represent in concrete terms: know that 5 g of sugar represents a level teaspoon of sugar and 5 g of lipids a teaspoon of oil.