Food Labels Made Easy: How to Read, Scan, and Log Without Confusion
Sep 19, 2025
Food labels look straightforward but can be misleading if you don’t know the basics.
The real amounts of nutrients can be concealed, or you might not know what everything means. Even if you do, it can be tricky to put it into the context of your body and goals. That's what we're here to help with.
Serving sizes
Most values are “per serving” — but a “serving” rarely matches what you eat. Always check weight or scan.
Rounding and error margins
Manufacturers can legally round calories up or down by up to 20%. That’s why weekly averages matter more than daily precision.
When to scan vs create custom
Scan: packaged foods with barcodes
Custom: home-cooked meals or when entries don’t match
Staying accurate
Pick one entry and use it consistently. Over time, trends matter more than perfect single-day numbers.
How Calorik can help
Calorik lets you simply snap a photo of food labels, and we will import every nutrient from the label. You don't have to understand what things mean, or manually log it all – we take care of all that for you.
