Nutrition Facts are on just about everything… They were my guiding beacon when I first began pursuing healthful eating fifteen years ago. At the time, my main source of health information was Mens Health magazine, which is basically Cosmo but for men.
(I will credit Mens Health for helping to establish the desire to do better with regard to healthful lifestyle, but it absolutely ascribed to the conventional wisdom of health – low fat, high carb, etc.)
And so, I embarked on my egg white / whole wheat breakfast sandwich regimen and stuck with that for years. Which brings us back to Nutrition Facts. I recall being paralyzed in the bread AISLE of my local grocer… comparing the nutrition facts of two processed whole wheat bread options. Once I had picked a winner based on 0.5g extra protein or 10 fewer calories, I’d move on to the next bread loaf competitor. I was playing march madness among the whole wheat bread options.
Real bread below. My early forays came out of a bag and had significant shelf-life.
How are the numbers on Nutrition Facts labels even determined?
The short answer is that food manufacturers (which should already be a concerning term!) make estimates based on standardized ingredient lists and comparable products. More information here: https://www.nist.gov/how-do-you-measure-it/how-do-you-know-your-foods-nutrition-facts-label-accurate
I’ll close with this: If food has Nutrition Facts at all, approach with caution. Real food doesn’t need a label. Happy shopping!