Words like light, multigrain and detox do not tell you what is on the plate. The ingredient list and the nutrition table follow labelling rules, so read those before you trust the front of the pack or the line on the menu.
Which words tell you very little?
Terms such as light, detox, superfood and clean carry no number behind them, so any kitchen can use them. FSSAI does set rules for claims such as low fat and sugar free in its advertising and claims regulations, and those words come with a limit per 100 g. If a pack makes one of those claims, the table should support it.
Does multigrain mean whole grain?
Multigrain means more than one grain went into the product. The flour can still be mostly refined. Ingredients are listed in order of weight, so check whether whole wheat or atta is the first item or the fifth.
What does no added sugar tell you?
It means sugar was not added as an ingredient. Dates, jaggery, honey and fruit concentrate can still sweeten the product, and they still raise blood sugar. Read the ingredient list for those names, and compare the sugars line in the table.
How do you read a restaurant or tiffin menu?
Menus have no table to read, so ask three questions: how is it cooked, how much oil goes in, and how many grams is the portion. Grilled, steamed and roasted are cooking methods you can ask about. Healthy is an opinion. A kitchen that plans its menu will answer all three without a pause.
What can you trust?
- The order of the ingredients.
- The nutrition table, read per 100 g so products compare fairly.
- An FSSAI licence number you can look up on the FSSAI FoSCoS portal.
- A kitchen that tells you grams, oil and method when you ask.
The WHO healthy diet fact sheet is a reliable plain reference when a claim sounds too good to check.
See your own numbers.
Take two minutes with the calculator, or ten minutes with a dietitian. Either way, there is no pressure.