Learning how to read a food label is important if one of your health and wellness goals is eating better. I recently joined the CBC Live Right Now movement and took the "Get Label Literate" challenge, so it was time to take label-reading seriously. Check out my three label-reading tips below. [caption id="attachment_1398" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="You can eat healthier by reading nutrition labels."] [/caption] Here are 3 tips for reading a food label 1. Look for the serving size. The serving size appears at the top of a food label. When something appears low calorie, take a good look at the serving size as it may be tiny. Also, it's important to remember the serving size written on the product isn't necessarily a healthy serving size. 2. Look a little harder. So your yogurt says it's fat free, does it? But did you notice all the sugar it contains so it still tastes good? Or maybe a non fat-free version of your favourite healthy snack contains more fibre than its fat-free friend. If you look a little harder you'll be able to make the healthiest choice. 3. Say no to trans fats. Just because a product says it contains 0g of trans fats, it may not necessarily be true. A food company is allowed to list that it doesn't contain trans fats if the product contains less than 0.5g. To be sure, read the ingredients. Anything with the word "hydrogenated" in it contains trans fats. Bonus tip: Remember to read the ingredient list. If there are words you don't understand, chances are they aren't very good for you. A good way to avoid bad-for-you foods is to stick to the perimeter of the grocery store where the ingredient lists are usually much shorter (try to find something you can't pronounce on a bag of spinach!). Check out for food-label reading tips here. Head over to CBC's Live Right Now movement to find more great health and wellness goals, and to sign up for your own nutrition or fitness challenge.