Losing Weight by Reading Food Labels: 4 Things You Need to Look For

Do you read your food labels when you do your grocery shopping? More than 1 out of 3 people claim to “almost always” check the label on food before they buy it. This is great - a lot of people are conscious about what food they are buying! Unfortunately, only 9% of these people actually actually know what they are looking for on those labels. The vast majority take a look but aren't sure what to make of the information they find. Does this sound familiar to you? It's not surprising. New regulations force food manufacturers to display a plethora of stats about the food they produce. This full discloser approach can be a good thing, but it can also become daunting for someone who just wants a quick way to confirm whether or not a certain food is a healthy choice.

A Simple Approach to Reading Food Labels: The “CSSI Method”

What if there was a simple way to read your food labels that would guarantee your food was a healthy choice, and that it would help you shed fat? Would you take the time to read a food label if there were just 4 things you needed to check? Good news: This is exactly what the “CSSI Method” does. It focuses on the 4 most important pieces of information on every food label and allows you to quickly determine if a food passes the test, or if it should be put back on the shelf. Take a look at the infographic below to learn how to use the “CSSI Method” – Then go to your kitchen and see if your food passes the test.

Infographic by makeyourbodywork.com

Why Read Just These 4 Items?

If the CSSI Method seems really simplistic to you, that's because it is. Yes, there are lots of other food statistics included on the labels, but none of them are crucial IF the 4 elements of CSSI are covered first.

For example, a lot of people like to check the fat content of their food to make sure it's not too high in fat or saturated fat. While this added step is fine, it doesn't provide any useful information. If your food is relatively low in calories, has an appropriate serving size, is low in sugar, and has whole-food ingredients, then you don't have to worry about the fat.

Fat is actually a crucial part of a healthy diet, so analyzing food choices based on fat content is actually counterproductive!

The same can be said for sodium, cholesterol, and even fibre. If the 4 elements of CSSI are checked off for a given food then you can be sure it will fit with your healthy diet.

What About Foods Without Labels?

The CSSI Method obviously applies to packaged foods, but there are many other foods that you should include in your diet that don't come in a package.

If your goal is to lose weight then it's always important to find the most nutritious foods that have the lowest number of calories. For example, broccoli is loaded with vitamins, calcium, and fibre, but it is so low in calories that you could eat it all day and never gain weight. This can't be said for other high-calorie foods such as nuts, cheese, and even many fruits.

To be very well-informed about all of your food choices, it's helpful to look at the nutritional values of all your foods. You can use an online tool like this one and then apply the CSSI Method (although the "I" for "ingredients" may not be very helpful for some foods - A banana contains, well, just a banana!)

The goal is to become mindful of what you are eating an the CSSI Method will help you achieve that. So get started right now - Do the foods in your fridge pass the CSSI test?