Good Primer on Nutrition Labels – 5 stars
If you need help interpreting the standard nutrition labels found on foods, this book is for you. Each of the lines found on standard format labels is explained and analyzed using a box of a popular brand of cereal as an example. Explanations of commonly found artificial and natural additives as well as various types of sweeteners are given.
While I found the setup scenario of the clueless mother researching a box of cereal she just bought to be silly (Who would buy an expensive box of cereal if she’s not even sure if she should feed it to her child? And why did it take her until her daughter was five years old to suddenly become concerned about learning to read food labels?), the information is presented clearly and in plain language that everyone should be able to understand and apply when choosing foods.
I do wish that the author had spent some time covering artificial and low calorie/no calorie sweeteners as he did with regular calorie sweeteners. I was also surprised that there was no mention of MSG since it is found in many packaged foods as a flavor enhancer, and there are some people who are sensitive or allergic to it. A link to more information about calculating recommended calorie intake would have been a nice addition.
Recommended as a good primer for those who wish to take informed control over the foods they choose to consume. Those interested in specific types of additives will need to look a bit further for sources of information.