Food labels..Solving the mystery with "sugar free"

The food industry is a billion dollar business. We all buy food because everyone needs to eat.  Our decisions are based in part by the packaging. Knowing this companies try to stretch and twist the truth as much as they can so their product appears superior to the consumer.
The food label was put into place to regulate how companies represent the food products. You know to keep it honest. Generally, the food label is on the back of a food product. Some items  have the label on the bag rather than separate pieces like with fruit snacks or fun size candy.
Lets discuss the food label components. Knowing the food label is your ticket to understand what the food product contains. 
  All food labels are titled "Nutrition Facts"immediately below this you will find the serving size. Pay close attention to this as many times the entire package is several servings instead of one.  When you are reading the label you always use the "grams". The percentages on the right hand side is useless information except for "fat". When the fat percentage is 5% or less it is a heart healthy item. So using the fat percentage is a quick way to determine if an item is good for your heart. 
The next item is fat. It will always be labeled "Total Fat". There are two types of fat out there. Saturated fat and Unsaturated fat. Saturated fat is the "bad" kind that causes clogging in the blood vessels and less desirable for this purpose. Unsaturated fat is referred to as the "good fat" that helps prevent clogging. Many people are looking to eat this kind instead of saturated fat to prevent heart disease.  All fats fall into one of these two categories.
Next is "Cholesterol". I don't pay close attention to this because saturated fat causes a larger increase in ones cholesterol blood count than eating cholesterol.  "Sodium" should be watched if you are trying to follow a low sodium diet.
"Total carbohydrate" is the most important thing to watch if you have diabetes. Total carbohydrate is the whole story for carbohydrate. It is made up from dietary fiber, sugars, sugar alcohol, and other carbohydrates.  Carbohydrate is what causes a rise in the blood sugar. So this needs to be watched closely and counted accurately. "Fiber" can generally be subtracted from total carbohydrate. This is because it cannot be broken down. It passes right through the body. "Sugars" comes next. This must be counted every time. Sugar alcohol is generally found in sugar free foods. Half of the sugar alcohol is handled by the liver. The body looks at alcohol as a toxin. The other half contributes to blood sugar. Half of the sugar alcohol can be subtracted. So the carbohydrate you count is the Total carbohydrate less the dietary fiber and half of the sugar alcohol.
Some labels have claims that can be confusing. I think this is done purposely. Some you may have seen is sugar-free, net carbs, or effective carbohydrate.  Sugar -free refers to an item that has less than 5 grams of sugar per serving. This doesn't mean carbohydrate. Also, net carbs or effective carbohydrate. I have seen these used often. Let me explain. Both net carbohydrate and effective carbohydrate are "made-up terms. The food label on the back is your most accurate source of information. It is regulated by law so it can't be "made-up".
When an item is labeled sugar free it isn't always carbohydrate free.

  Examples:

***Cookies that are labeled "sugar free". If they are made with flour it is impossible for them to be carbohydrate free. They are sugar free because they are sweetened with sugar alcohol.

***Sugar free pudding actually has carbohydrate in the powder and then milk is added to make the pudding. By adding milk you add more carbohydrate.

***Sugar-free gelatin can be sugar free. There is no flour in that and milk is not used.

***Sugar free candy such as chocolate bunnies often have more carbohydrate when compared to the regular. Taste is generally not as desirable. Cost is generally much higher as well.