Demystifying food labels

I'm a food label addict. Unless I'm familiar with a product, I don't buy anything without reading the label first. I even have my son reading labels -- "13 grams of sugar, mom! We can't get that!" Packaging claims can be too confusing -- the labels are the most reliable source of information. But the labels themselves can be confusing, too. For example, sometimes serving sizes can be misleading. (Like toaster pastries (which are crap food in any serving size, of course) -- they're packaged two-by-two. But the serving size is one pastry. Who thought that up?) It turns out a lot of us are confused by nutrition labels. A recent survey showed 75% were a bit perplexed by nutrition labels.

Until you get used to reading all the ins and outs of food labels, it's best to simplify things a bit. Basically it's good to keep in mind what you want to avoid and what you want to look for. You want to minimize fats, cholesterol, and sodium and you want to get enough of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.