Nutrition · 4 min read · 2026-03-05

How to read a packet without a nutrition degree

The front of the packet is advertising. The back, in small type, is the food.

This page is general education for families in Gurugram. It is not a diagnosis, a medicine list, or a reason to skip a clinician. Doses are deliberately not given.

In plain language

Look first at the serving size. A number that looks modest may be for half the pack you will actually eat. Then look at sugar and sodium. Ingredients are listed in order of amount. If sugar, glucose, or invert syrup is near the front, the food is a sweet. ‘No added sugar’ can still be a juice full of sugar. ‘Multigrain’ and ‘baked’ are not medical claims.

Signs worth noticing

These are the clues families usually notice first. One of them, on its own, is not a diagnosis.

You feel misled by a ‘healthy’ biscuit.
A snack you can finish without noticing the salt.
A drink sold as energy that is mostly sugar.
A medical diet prescribed for kidney disease. Those labels need a clinician, not this general method.

What usually sits underneath

Packaged food is designed to be finished. Salt and sugar are the tools. Reading one label a week teaches you more than a diet book, because you learn the brands that sit in your own kitchen.

Care that is reasonable at home

Compare per 100 grams so serving-size tricks fail.
Put the packet down if you would not add that many spoons of sugar yourself.
Use the label to choose the less salty namkeen, not to declare a winner among biscuits.
Cooked food does not need a label. It needs a portion.

These steps are for someone who is otherwise stable. If the picture is changing quickly, skip the home trial and come in.

When waiting is a bad idea

A child with a food allergy. Learn the allergen line properly. This article is not an allergy guide.
A medical condition with a strict potassium or sodium limit.
Swelling or pressure surges that you can tie to a specific packaged food. Mention it at the visit.

How Rao Lokram Charitable Trust fits in

Bring the packet, or a photo of the label, if you want a clinician to explain one product. We would rather see the label than a brand name from memory. OPD runs Monday to Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM at Near Rockford School, Anaj Mandi Chowk, Kadipur Road, Shakti Park, Sector 10A, Gurugram, Haryana. Call 98185 48492 or 70423 28047. There is no appointment form on this website.

Questions people ask

Is brown bread better?

Sometimes slightly. Many are coloured and still mostly refined flour. The ingredient list answers it.

Are juices healthy if they say 100 percent?

They are still a concentrated sugar drink. Eat the fruit.

What sodium number is high?

Treat a large number per 100 grams as a reason to eat less of it. People with blood pressure should not make packaged snacks a daily habit.

If this sounds like you, bring the article on your phone if you want, but let the clinician examine you. Old reports and a list of current medicines make the visit shorter.