Health · Everyday wellbeing basics
Label Smart: healthy eating basics and reading food labels
Six lessons built on official guidance from Eat for Health, FSANZ, the NHS, the FDA and WHO: the food groups, what to limit, nutrition panels, front-of-pack labels, ingredients, dates and allergens. No diets, targets or weight-loss plans.
About this course
Nutrition course for beginners: healthy eating and reading labels.
Starter · About 1 hour of learning · 6 lessons · 18 quick checks · 1 download
Who it's for
Adults who want to understand official healthy-eating guidance and read food labels, in Australia, the UK, the US or elsewhere.
How it works
6 guided lessons in your browser, with worked examples, exercises and a quick check after each lesson. Progress is saved in this browser only, and you can restart at any time. You start with just your first name and email, and you can take one whole course that way. After that, a free account lets you continue past lesson 1.
Sources we rely on
29 published sources, mostly regulators and official bodies, listed below so you can check the original guidance yourself.
By the end you can
- Describe the shared principles of official healthy-eating guidelines
- Name the food groups and explain variety over a week
- Name the nutrients guidelines say to limit
- Use the nutrition panel to compare similar products (per 100 g or %DV)
- Use front-of-pack labels, ingredients, date marks and allergen information, and know where to get support
Downloads
- Label-reading cheat sheet .docxOfficial label guidance for AU, UK and US on one page, a product comparison worksheet, a routine planner and eating-disorder support lines by country. No targets or counts.
Rules by country
Learning time
About 1 hour of learning. May count towards your CPD or professional development; check your professional body's rules. Estimated from reading time, exercises, quick checks and downloads.
Sources
Check the originals.
How these courses are made. Spotted an error or out-of-date rule? Send a correction.
General information only, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or another qualified health professional about your situation. In an emergency call 000 (AU), 999 (UK), 911 (US/Canada) or 111 (NZ).
- Australian dietary guidelines 1 to 5 · Eat for Health (NHMRC, Australian Government)
- The five food groups · Eat for Health (NHMRC, Australian Government)
- Australian guide to healthy eating · Eat for Health (NHMRC, Australian Government)
- Discretionary food and drink choices · Eat for Health (NHMRC, Australian Government)
- How to understand food labels · Eat for Health (NHMRC, Australian Government)
- Nutrition information panels · Food Standards Australia New Zealand
- Ingredient lists · Food Standards Australia New Zealand
- Date marking · Food Standards Australia New Zealand
- Health Star Rating System · Food Standards Australia New Zealand
- Allergen labelling · Food Standards Australia New Zealand
- Health Star Rating System · Australian and New Zealand governments (healthstarrating.gov.au)
- The Eatwell Guide · NHS (UK)
- Food labels · NHS (UK)
- 8 tips for healthy eating · NHS (UK)
- How to understand and use the Nutrition Facts label · US Food and Drug Administration
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans · US Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services
- Healthy diet: fact sheet · World Health Organization
- Eating disorders: an overview · healthdirect (Australian Government-funded)
- Eating disorders: overview · NHS (UK)
- Eating disorders · National Institute of Mental Health (NIH, US)
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 · Butterfly Foundation (Australia)
- Beat helplines · Beat (UK eating disorder charity)
- ANAD Eating Disorders Helpline: 1-888-375-7767 · National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD, US)
- Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14 · Lifeline Australia
- Contact a Samaritan: 116 123 · Samaritans (UK and Ireland)
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline · 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US)
- Triple Zero (000) · Australian Government, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts
- When to call 999 · NHS (UK)
- National 911 Program · 911.gov (US Government)
Publisher
Who publishes this course.
Published by trainyourself.org, a trading name of Combine TRS Pty Ltd (ABN 42 112 983 678), Brisbane, Australia.
How it's made: researched from published official public-health and government guidance, then run through automated quality checks against our course depth standard and automated source checks that match each rule to its official source, listed above. Read how these courses are made.
Last updated:
General information, not tax, accounting, legal or professional advice. Spotted an error or an out-of-date rule? Send us a correction.
Keep going
More in Everyday wellbeing basics.
-
Take Control of Your Gambling: How to stop gambling, step by step
How to stop gambling or cut back, for adults and teens, with gambling addiction help for AU, UK and US: self-exclusion, blocks, money, urges and family support.
-
Menopause Explained: Menopause explained: symptoms, stages and getting support
Menopause explained in plain English from NHS, NIH and healthdirect sources: the stages, common symptoms, treatments to discuss with a doctor and support.
-
Quit Plan: Quit smoking and vaping: a practical plan
How to quit smoking or vaping: set a quit date, plan for cravings and triggers, and get help from Quitline, NHS Stop Smoking Services or 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
Start learning
Pick a course and start today.
Every open course starts with just your first name and email. Want to go further? Premium courses are open for enrollment now.