Grocery shopping can be daunting any day. Add in the stress of watching your weight while filling your cart and it can get down-right nerve-rattling.

By arming yourself with a little basic knowledge, you will find your next trip down the aisles a little easier.

Is “Light” Always Right?

Light means a product has one-third fewer calories or half the fat of its “regular” counterpart.

That means a light product may contain the same number of calories, but fewer fat grams than its non-light counterpart or vice versa. Always compare the labels to find the best calorie bargain.

But be careful … Light can also have other meanings on labels.

Olive oil, for example, can be labeled light due to its milder taste. It has the same fat and calorie content as one that isn’t light.

Light can also apply to texture or color.

Light corn syrup simply means the syrup is a lighter shade than another corn syrup.

Beware the word “lite”. I recently compared two types of chips from the same maker. The “lite” version contained only 10 fewer calories per serving than the regular — this definitely …
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