How to read a nutrition panel is one of the most useful skills an active person can learn, and it takes about five minutes. Every packaged food in Australia carries the same table, so once you know where to look, you can compare a protein bar, a yoghurt or a bag of muesli in seconds. This is the walkthrough we give members at our Samford gym.
The two columns: per serve and per 100 g
Every panel has two columns. Per serve is what the manufacturer says one serve is. Per 100 g is a fixed amount, so it is the column to use when comparing two products.
The catch is that serve sizes vary. One protein bar might list a 40 g serve and another a 60 g serve. Compare per 100 g first, then check the per serve column to see what you actually eat.
How to read a nutrition panel line by line
| Line | What it tells you | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Kilojoules in the food | Whether it is a snack or closer to a meal |
| Protein | Grams of protein | 15 to 20 g per serve for a snack that covers a meal gap |
| Fat, total and saturated | Grams of fat | Lower before training, less important at other times |
| Carbohydrate and sugars | Total carbs and how much is sugar | More useful before and during long sessions |
| Dietary fibre | Grams of fibre | Keep lower in the hour before training |
| Sodium | Milligrams of salt | Useful on long, hot days; watch it in everyday snacks |
The ingredient list matters too
Ingredients are listed in order of weight, largest first. If sugar or a syrup is in the first three, it is a big part of the food. A short list of recognisable ingredients is usually a good sign.
Some products also list extra components below the main panel. Protein powders may show amino acids, and lecithin products often state phospholipids. If you have seen one of those and want to know how much is in a serve of sunflower lecithin, this page lays out the numbers for phosphatidylcholine.
A quick checklist at the shelf
- Compare per 100 g between products.
- Check the per serve column against how much you will really eat.
- Look at protein first if you want a snack that holds you between meals.
- Check fat and fibre if you plan to eat it within an hour of training.
- Scan the first three ingredients.
Common traps
Tiny serve sizes: a muesli that lists a 30 g serve when most people pour 70 g.
Front-of-pack wording: words like high protein or natural sit on the front. The panel on the back tells you what is actually there.
Protein per bar vs per 100 g: a bar can claim 20 g of protein because it is large. Divide by the weight to compare fairly.
Putting it to work
Once you can read a panel, choosing a pre-training snack gets easy: moderate carbohydrate, low fat and fibre, small serve. Our pre workout snack guide and what to eat before parkrun show what that looks like on a plate.
Common questions
Should I use per serve or per 100 g?
Use per 100 g to compare products, and per serve to see what you are actually eating.
What does the percentage daily intake mean?
It shows how much of an average adult’s daily amount one serve provides. Active people often eat more than the average, so use it as a rough guide.
Is sugar always bad on a label?
No. Around long or hard training, carbohydrate including sugar is useful fuel. For everyday snacks, lower is usually better.
Do I need to read every label?
No. Read it the first time you buy something. Once you know your regular foods, you only check new ones.
When to get it checked
If you are reading every label but still feel underfuelled for training, book in with an exercise physiologist to look at your training load, and we can connect you with an accredited dietitian.