Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, from most to least. The first few ingredients are generally a tell-tale sign of how nutritionally sound the item is. So, if the first ingredient is glucose or high fructose corn syrup you’re in trouble.

Other things to consider:

• The purer the product, the fewer ingredients.
• Look for ingredients that you can understand, read, pronounce and recognize as food.
• Even though Trans Fats may not be listed in the nutritional breakdown, they could still be hidden in the product. Hydrogenated oils ARE Trans Fats.
• Food dye is not food.
• Although “cane sugar” may be purer and less processed than corn syrup, if it’s listed as the fist ingredient – than that product is still high in sugar.

Let’s compare three labels, all are peanut butter. Which would you pick ?

Peanut Butter Number One: Note that for 1 Tbsp this peanut butter contains 100 calories, 8 grams of fat (1.5 saturated), 0 mg of Sodium, 1 Sugar and 4 proteins.

Ingredient List : FRESHLY ROASTED PEANUTS

Peanut Butter Number Two: Note that for 1 Tbsp this peanut butter contains 85 calories, 8 grams of fat (1.5 saturated), 75 mg of Sodium, 3 Sugar and 3.5 proteins.

Ingredient List : MADE FROM ROASTED PEANUTS AND SUGAR. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: MOLASSES, FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (RAPESEED AND SOYBEAN), MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SALT.

Peanut Butter Number Three: Note that for 1 Tbsp this peanut butter contains 85 calories, 6 grams of fat (1.25 saturated), 125 mg of Sodium, 2 Sugar and 4 proteins.

Ingredient List : PEANUTS, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, SUGAR AND SOY PROTEIN, CONTAINS 2 PERCENT OR LESS OF: FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (RAPESEED AND SOYBEAN), SALT, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, MOLASSES, NIACINAMIDE, FOLIC ACID, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, ZINC OXIDE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE, AND COPPER SULFATE.

At first glance just looking at the nutrition stats and not the ingredients you may be inclined to buy peanut butter number three. It’s lower in fat than number one and lower in calories than number two. But looking closer at these ingredients, this is a no brainer. My pick is with Number One. Although higher in calories it contains one ingredient. Peanuts. No filler, no sweetener, NO TRANS FATS! And although number two and three say nothing about Trans Fats on their nutritional label, hydrogenated oil is another word for Trans fat! Not to mention the “light” peanut butter (number three) seems to be the worst of the bunch with ingredients I don’t even recognize. And the reality is – sure you’re saving 2 grams of fat, but your getting the same number of calories, you getting more sugar (FROM CORN SYRUP!), more sodium, Trans fats and chemicals to boot!