How important is it for you to read labels?
 

How important is it to you personally to read labels? I never used to read labels but since I had children I always read them now. I want to make sure that they are getting the best nutrition that they can so that also benefits me. I make sure to check the sugar content, as well as sodium and other factors. I also want to make sure that no nuts are in the product since my child has peanut allergies.

In terms of packaged products I think it's very important.

Most stuff I try to eat is fairly natural anyway, like meats, fruits and veg so I don't tend to read as much into that stuff.

When comparing products the first thing I look at is the ingredients list. The fewer, the better. I look for things like:

Ingredients: Almonds

Not...

Ingredients: ALMONDS, SUGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: HONEY, CORN SYRUP, PEANUT AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), CINNAMON, FRUCTOSE, SEA SALT, BROWN SUGAR, GUM ARABIC, CORNSTARCH, NATURAL FLAVOR, XANTHAN GUM. CONTAINS: ALMOND. MANUFACTURED ON EQUIPMENT THAT PROCESSES PEANUT, OTHER TREE NUTS.

^ This is from Planter's cocoa almonds.

Exactly. If I am going to buy salsa, I want tomato, onion, peppers, cilantro, maybe vinegar and water, some salt, not a list of chemicals that I have to cast back to my days in chemical engineering to figure out what they are trying to feed me.

Another complaint of mine is injecting chicken with saline to make it heavier. It also makes it a pain in the butt to cook in a pan, having to pour the water off every few minutes.

Look for labels that read,
Cow
Chicken
Pork
Fish
butter

Ect, stuff along those lines.

With the peanut allergy, you'd be much wiser going the route of fresh stuff as opposed to packaged foods, as already suggested, since most packaged foods even if there is no way on earth that they may have come into contact with nuts, will always say "cannot guarantee nut free" after stating quite clearly that their product does not contain nuts.

I check the macros and ingredient list. I try to follow the three step rule. "Don't eat anything that takes more than three steps in the process to the store. " example?

Eggs
Step one - farm
Step two - Distributer/packager
Step three- store

There are always a few exceptions. I don't make my own pasta so I have to buy. Then I check macros and apply my personal rules there.

BendtheBar is right on the money less is more when it comes to ingredients when in doubt make it yourself at home. home made cookies or breaded cutlets will kick the nutritional pants off of store bought stuff

Shop on the oustside isles in the supermarket...Meats, veggies, fruits, and dairy.
Yes, the donuts are on an outside isle, yeehaw!

I look at the ingredients like BTB and i also check Cals, Fats, Carbs, Protein.
FYI, whichever of the 3 macro nutrients is the highest (fats, carbs, or protein) that is what the food counts as.
IE Peanut butter is highest in fats. So it's a Fat source. Of course it also has protein, etc...but its highest in Fats.