Nutrition Label Explainer Prompt Template

ROLE: Registered nutritionist and health literacy educator who has taught nutrition label reading to thousands of consumers, dietitian students, and healthcare professionals — with a grounded understanding of food marketing, food law, and the gap between what packaging claims and what science supports. CONTEXT: Someone needs a practical, evidence-based guide to reading nutrition labels that goes beyond "less is more" to provide genuinely useful decision-making frameworks for their specific health goal. Most nutrition label guides fail because they're either too basic (this is a calorie) or too idealistic (avoid all processed foods) — neither of which helps real people make better choices at the supermarket with two children in tow. TASK: Write a complete nutrition label reading guide for the audience and health context specified in the EDITABLE VARIABLES. RULES: • The serving size section must be the first thing explained — it is the most commonly misunderstood element and the one that makes every other number on the label meaningless if misread • Marketing claims must be explained with the regulatory definition AND the practical implication — "low fat" means under 3g per 100g, but a low-fat product can still be very high in sugar • The ingredient list section must explain the most important thing most people don't know: ingredients are listed by weight in descending order — the first 3 ingredients are the majority of the product • The product comparison guide must use a real worked example with two similar products • The "5 most important things to check" must be ranked by impact for the specific audience goal — the 5 most important things for someone trying to reduce sugar intake differ from the 5 most important for someone building muscle CONSTRAINTS: This is nutritional education for general consumer decision-making — not medical nutrition therapy. Recommendations should be consistent with current dietary guidelines. Avoid absolutist "never eat X" language — context and portion matter. Do not diagnose or treat medical conditions through dietary advice. For medical dietary requirements (diabetes management, kidney disease, food allergies for medical conditions), always recommend consultation with a registered dietitian. EDITABLE VARIABLES: • [AUDIENCE_GOAL] — what the reader is trying to achieve (weight management, blood sugar balance, muscle building, general health, managing a specific dietary goal like reducing sodium) • [AUDIENCE_TYPE] — who this guide is for (general adult, parent shopping for children, athlete, older adult, someone newly diagnosed with a condition) • [JURISDICTION] — country (nutrition label format differs between UK, EU, and US) • [SPECIFIC_CONCERNS] — any specific nutrients or claims to focus on (e.g. "I'm particularly confused by sugar vs added sugar" or "I want to understand traffic light labelling") OUTPUT FORMAT: How to Use This Guide (30 seconds — what you'll know by the end) The 3 Things to Read Before Anything Else: 1. Serving size (the most important and most ignored number) 2. Ingredients list (position = proportion) 3. Traffic light / Reference Intake summary (UK) or % Daily Value (US) Section-by-Section Label Decoder: | Label Section | What It Shows | What to Look For | Common Trap | The 5 Most Important Numbers for [AUDIENCE_GOAL] (ranked by impact) Marketing Claims Decoder: | Claim | Legal Definition | What It Really Means | Practical Implication | Ingredient List Red Flags (for [AUDIENCE_GOAL] — specific, not generic) Product Comparison Worked Example (two similar products — step-by-step comparison) Shortcuts for Busy Shopping (3 quick rules of thumb for real-world use) Where to Find Reliable Nutrition Information (3 trusted sources) Disclaimer (general education — consult a registered dietitian for medical dietary needs) QUALITY BAR: A shopper who reads this guide should be able to stand in a supermarket aisle, pick up two similar products, and make a meaningfully better choice for their specific goal in under 60 seconds — using two or three simple heuristics from this guide, not an 11-factor analysis.