READING nutrition labels is one of the most important habits for anyone trying to lose fat, build muscle, or simply eat smarter. Labels tell you how many calories, macronutrients, and ingredients are in your food — but only if you know how to read them correctly. Without that knowledge, it’s easy to underestimate how much you’re really eating.

“The tricky part is that food manufacturers often design labels to make their products look healthier or lower in calories than they actually are,” said nutritionist Keisha Black.

“From unrealistic serving sizes to hidden sugars and misleading ‘zero-calorie’ claims, these tactics can derail your progress if you’re not careful.”

She said learning how to spot these common tricks will help you make better choices and stay on track with your goals.

So how do you read nutrition labels to track calories effectively, plus know the tricks manufacturers use to mislead you so you can make smarter food choices and stay on track with your goals?

“Start with the serving size,” Black said. “The top of the label tells you the serving size and how many servings are in the package.”

She said many packages like sodas and chips look like one serving but are actually two to three, and you must multiply all the numbers (including calories) by the number of servings you consume.

“Check the total calories per serving. This shows how many calories are in one serving,” Black said. “If the label says 250 calories per serving and you eat two servings, that’s 500 calories total.”

She also advised that you look at macronutrients — protein, fat, and carbs all contribute to total calories.

“So one gram of protein equates to four calories, one gram of carbs equate to four calories, and one gram of fat equals nine calories,” Black said.

She said you should also watch added sugars and fibre, as added sugars equal extra calories with no nutritional benefit.

“Fibre slows digestion and helps with satiety — more fibre is more filling,” Black said.

Another thing to watch on your labels is sodium and other hidden ingredients — high sodium may not affect calories, but it can lead to bloating and water retention.

“Note that the ingredients list is in order of quantity — the first few items make up most of the product,” Black said.

She warned that when reading the product label, you should also know some of the tricks manufacturers use to mislead you.

These include:

Small serving sizes

“For example, a ‘healthy’ granola bar might say 120 calories, but the whole bar is two servings — so 240 calories total,“ Black said.

‘Zero-calorie’ claims

If a serving has fewer than five calories, companies can legally round it down to 0.

This happens with gum, sweeteners, and ‘zero-calorie’ drinks, which may add up if used often.

Different names for sugar

Sugar can appear as cane syrup, fructose, brown rice syrup, agave or maltodextrin.

“All are sugar, so look for multiple sweeteners scattered in the ingredients to mask high sugar content,” Black said.

‘Low-fat’ or ‘low-sugar’ labels

These usually mean they’ve added more of something else (often sugar or starches) to make it taste good.

“Always check the full nutrient breakdown, not just the marketing buzzwords,” Black said.

Health tricks

“Words like gluten-free, natural, or organic don’t mean low calorie,” Black said. “A 300-calorie ‘organic’ cookie is still a 300-calorie cookie!”

Pro tips for tracking accurately

“Weigh your portions with a kitchen scale instead of relying on visual estimates,” Black said. “Above all, stick to whole or minimally processed foods when possible as there will be fewer label games to worry about.”