Dr Cory Couillard

Food labels can be a useful tool in determining the nutritional value and overall safety of a food choice. However, it is very common for individuals to not fully understand the labels and miss the most important components. The percentage of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, calories and serving size is not the most important part of the food label. This component of the food label does not take into account the quality of the labeled nutrients and will mislead the consumer. The recommended daily values do not take into account the age, gender, activity level or specific dietary needs a person may have. All of these factors are known to impact the body’s ability to utilize nutrients in the food.  An unknown, complicating factor is the abundance of highly processed foods in restaurants and grocery stores. Convenience is becoming the most important part of our food – not nutrients.  Recent studies show that the amount of grinding, slicing, mashing and manipulat...