How to Read an Ingredient Label Without Getting Overwhelmed
Why This Matters…
Let’s be honest—reading ingredient labels can feel completely overwhelming, especially when you're trying to make healthier choices for yourself or your family. You flip over a box of crackers and see a long list of ingredients you’ve never heard of. Sound familiar?
This was definitely me. For years.
As someone who worked in natural healthcare for over 8 years—and studied the deep connection between nutrition and mental health while earning my master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling—I know how powerful everyday food choices are. I also know how hard it is to navigate food labels when no one teaches you how.
That’s exactly why I wrote this post: to help simplify label reading and take away the stress. You don’t need a nutrition degree or hours of research to spot unhealthy ingredients—you just need a few key tips.
Let’s break it down together so you can feel more empowered the next time you head to the grocery store!
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1. Fewer Ingredients = Better
This one almost seems a little too easy. But it’s true. The less ingredients- the less junk you have to decipher from. If you’re eating a food source that is made of real, whole foods- it doesn’t need a long list! Also, if there’s an ingredient you can’t pronounce, then it is probably not good for you or your gut health! Try to aim for food items that are made with 5 ingredients or less whenever possible!
2. Watch for Red Flags
I guarantee once you start reading labels you’ll notice a trend of common ingredients that you have no idea what they are! This is probably a sign that it is made of junk and isn’t good for you…
💡 Want a printable cheat sheet of the most common toxic ingredients to avoid?
I created a free “No-No Ingredients” guide with the worst offenders found in food products—so you can start reading labels with confidence.
👉 Click here to grab it now!
3. Ingredient Order Matters
Here’s something that I bet you didn’t know: the ingredients on an ingredient label are listed in the order by weight. So, the first ingredient is the ingredient that is in the food the most! With that being said- if sugar is in one of the first 3 ingredients, then that item probably has WAY too much sugar for you!
4. Don’t Be Fooled by Buzzwords
I see this happen quite a lot with my moms out there- they think a food item is healthy because it has “natural” plastered across the front of the bottle. Well, I have news for you- that doesn’t mean a damn thing. Neither does “sugar-free” “fat-free” or “made with real fruit”. Sure, those sound nice, but it’s actually just a marketing ploy to get you to buy it and it’s supposed to trick you! When you see that stuff- don’t even bother. ALWAYS go straight for the ingredient label instead!
5. Know the Sneaky Names
Trying to avoid sugar? Then you need to also avoid its aliases like dextrose, maltodextrin, cane juice, and so on. Trying to avoid MSG? Then you need to also avoid its aliases like yeast extract, hydrolyzed protein and “umami flavor”, too! Did those sentences overwhelm you? Then go ahead and get my free “No-No Ingredients List” now!
6. Practice with Real Example
Let’s take a look at 2 very different brands of chocolate chip cookies. We have the typical American favorite- Chips Ahoy. And then we have a better version with the Simple Mills brand.
Here’s why I wouldn’t buy the brand on the left:
It’s made of mostly enriched flour. If it’s not organic flour, then it was sprayed with glyphosate (pesticides)- enriched flour also is stripped of all of the good wheat germ.
The semi sweet chocolate that is the second ingredient is made with a known hormone disruptor-soy lecithin. It also has natural flavor in it (which is NOT natural at all- it is made in a lab).
Sugar is the third ingredient (so, it has a lot of sugar in it).
Seed oils are the fourth ingredient and those are horrible for your gut health.
Then, they throw in some high fructose corn syrup (in addition to the large amount of sugar they’ve already labeled previously). High fructose corn syrup is highly addictive and also made in a lab- it is not naturally occurring!
Again, natural and artificial flavoring. Both are actually artificial AKA they’re made in a lab.
Artificial coloring has a multitude of negative health outcomes.
And finally, at the very bottom you see the disclaimer that these cookies contain a “bioengineered food ingredient”. Gross. Our bodies were not made to break down synthetic junk.
If you look at the ingredient list on the right you’ll notice that you can actually read every ingredient and you probably recognize all of the ingredients. That’s the sign of a good label!
You Don’t Have to Be Perfect
Label reading is tough- even after all of these years. Taking small, consistent steps can be extremely impactful instead of trying to eliminate every bad ingredient out there (there are a lot). Over time, label reading does get easier, though! The fact that you’re even wanting to do better and eat more nutrient dense, real food shows how amazing you are by being curious and informed!
