Get Jacked with Basics Part I: Nutrition Label - Jacked Nerds Issue #006

👋 Welcome Back to issue #006, Jacked Nerds!

I’d like to give a warm welcome to the 76 new readers who joined us last week! I’m pumped to be part of your fitness journey this year — let’s get stronger, smarter, and more confident together.

I visit my parents almost every weekend. My mom’s always experimenting with fun new recipes for the kids, and the dinner table is usually stacked with some of my all-time favourite protein-packed dishes.

But with my dad managing diabetes and my youngest dealing with a mild peanut allergy, we’ve got to be extra mindful about what ends up in the grocery cart — and ultimately, on the table.

Between my years working in retail and consumer packaged goods, plus my obsession with fitness and nutrition, reading food labels has become second nature to me. I’m always reminding my parents to check them too.

It’s easy to look at a nutrition label, ingredient list, or flashy marketing claim in isolation — but real food awareness comes from thinking holistically.

That’s systems thinking: understanding how all these elements work together to influence your choices, your health, and how you fuel your body.

Each piece tells part of the story, but when you connect them, you start to see the full picture.

So I’m kicking off a 3-part mini-series to help you decode the information on packaged foods with confidence:

• Today: How to read nutrition labels - understanding macros and how calories are calculated

• Next week: How to break down an ingredient list - what’s good, what’s sketchy, and how to tell the difference

• Week 3: Decoding food marketing claims - like “low fat,” “made with real“, “natural,” or “high protein” (and whether they actually mean anything)

Let’s dive into Part 1.

In today's issue, you'll find:

• 🧠 Why You Need to Understand a Nutrition Label

• 🏷️ Anatomy of a Nutrition Label

• 🧬 What Do Macros Actually Do?

• 🫵 Your Action Step of the Week:

• 🤓 My Favourite Nerdy Thing of the Week

• 🍖 My Favourite High-Protein Recipe of the Week

• 📣 Share with a Friend!

• 🧠 Final Thought

🧠 Why You Need to Understand a Nutrition Label

Have you ever looked at the calories on a nutrition label and thought:

But here’s the good news: reading a food label is a skill — and like any skill, it can be learned.

Once you understand the why behind the numbers, you’ll start seeing food in a whole new way. It’s not about restriction or rules — it’s about building awareness. And awareness gives you options.

When you know how to decode a label, you can:

• You stop falling for “healthy” marketing buzzwords like “low fat” or “high protein”

• You build intuition around what you’re eating without obsessing over every bite

• You make faster, smarter grocery decisions

• You can estimate how a food will affect your energy, mood, and training - before you even eat it!

The goal isn’t about obsessively tracking calories and macros. It’s about levelling up your food awareness — so you can eat more intentionally, feel more in control, and hit your fitness goals without decision fatigue.

Let’s break it all down.

🏷️ Anatomy of a Nutrition Label

Here’s a sample nutrition label for Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Granola Bar:

I’ve highlighted the key parts of the nutrition label we’ll focus on today in red boxes:

• Calories – the total amount of energy in the food

• Macronutrients – the grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fat

There are other important elements on a label - like sodium, fibre, and sugar - but we’ll save those for another issue.

👉 Before we talk calories and macros, there’s one line you should always look at first: serving size.

The serving size, which I’ve highlighted in the blue box, tells you how much one “serving” actually is. Every number on the label is based on this amount.

In this example, one serving is 1 bar.

So if you only eat half the bar? You’re only consuming half the listed calories, protein, fat, and carbs.

If you eat two bars? Double everything.

Bottom line: Always check the serving size first - it sets the scale for the rest of the label.

Alright, let’s dig into calories.

🧮 Calories = Math

Each macronutrient contributes a set number of calories per gram:

• 1g Protein = 4 calories

• 1g Carbohydrate = 4 calories

• 1g Fat = 9 calories

So using the above example, Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Granola Bar has:

• 4g protein

• 20g carbs

• 8g fat

The math goes:

• 4g protein x 4 cal per protein = 16 cal

• 20g carbs x 4 cal per carb = 80 cal

• 8g fat x 9 cal per fat = 72 cal

16 + 80 + 72 = 168 cal (or 170 calories listed on the package*)

*Depending on where you are, the label might round up or down a bit in accordance with local food regulations.

🧬 What Do Macros Actually Do?

This is where things start to click.

Once you understand what each macronutrient actually does in your body, you can start fuelling yourself with purpose. Each one has a job, and knowing how they work helps you build a better strategy.

💪 Protein = The Construction Crew / The Repair Droids

Protein’s main job is to build, repair, and maintain nearly every tissue in your body. This includes muscle, skin, hair, organs, enzymes, and even hormones.

When you work out, you’re creating microscopic damage to muscle fibres. Protein helps rebuild them stronger and more resilient. It’s also essential when you’re sick, stressed, or recovering from injury.

Think of protein as your construction crew or repair droids: constantly scanning your body for damage and patching things up behind the scenes, especially after a boss fight (like leg day). Without enough of it, your body can’t rebuild efficiently.

Check out Jacked Nerds Issue #005 for my protein staples.

⚡ Carbohydrates = The Gas Pedal / Your Mana Potions

Carbs are the primary source of quick energy for your body and brain. Once eaten, they’re broken down into glucose and either used immediately or stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen for later.

Carbs fuel everything from your workouts to your thinking power. And when carbs are too low, your body starts pulling energy from other places (like fat or even muscle) to compensate.

Think of carbs as the gas pedal or for my RPG nerds, mana potions - they are quick-acting, fast-burning, and essential for high-performance tasks. Whether you're sprinting, deadlifting, or writing code at 11PM, carbs help you cast your best spells.

💡 Bonus tip: prioritize complex carbs (like oats, yams, potatoes, fruit) over sugary processed ones to keep your energy stable instead of spiky.

🔋 Fats = A Slow-Burning Log Fire / Your Warp Core

The main function of fats is to provide long-lasting energy, support hormone production (including testosterone and estrogen), insulate your organs, help absorb key vitamins (A, D, E, and K), and make up much of your brain’s structure.

Fat isn’t the villain. It’s your quiet powerhouse, especially for endurance, recovery, and brain health.

Think of fat is like a slow-burning log fire 🔥 or for my Star Trek nerds, warp core: it is a dense, efficient energy source that power long missions. It’s not for quick sprints but crucial for keeping systems stable during extended operations (like fasting, sleep, or low-intensity cardio).

And yes, eating fat doesn't automatically make you fat. Eating too much of anything (i.e., caloric surplus), beyond your body’s needs, leads to weight gain. Topic for another issue.

🔑 Why This Really Matters

Once you understand how calories are built from macros, you stop treating food like a mysterious force and start seeing it as modular fuel.

💪 Build more muscle? → Pay attention to protein.
⚡️ Want more energy during the day? → Check your carb quality and quantity.
🧠 Stay full longer or support brain function? → Include quality fats

Think of it like crafting your gear before a quest: once you understand what each macro brings to the table, you can assemble meals or know what snacks to buy that actually support your goals, instead of rolling the dice with whatever’s trending online.

And the more you practice reading labels, the faster your intuition builds.

You’ll start glancing at a package and instantly knowing:

• “Ah. Low protein, lots of sugar. Not ideal for post-workout.”

• “Whoa - 30g of fat, barely any carbs. This might keep me full but not fuel a heavy training day.”

• “Nice - solid protein, moderate carbs, low sugar. This could be a great on-the-go lunch backup.”

This is how you become a nutrition-aware nerd! 🤓 

🫵 Your Action Step of the Week:

Pick 3 foods in your pantry or fridge — any items with a nutrition label.

1. Read the calories and macros

2. Use the macro math formula to calculate calories

3. Ask yourself: What macro is this food mostly made of? How does that match my goals?

🤓 My Favourite Nerdy Thing of the Week

I’ve been following Jeff Nippard for a while now. If you don’t know him, he’s known for his ultra-scientific approach to training and nutrition - backed by research, not bro-science.

So it’s no surprise that his latest video went viral almost instantly: He and his biological brother - who had zero training experience - embarked on a one-year experiment to see how much muscle each of them could gain. Jeff is a seasoned lifter. His brother started from scratch.

I won’t spoil the results, but as a research nerd by day, I was seriously impressed by how well-designed the study was. And as a fitness nerd at heart, I couldn’t help but admire the dedication.

🍖 My Favourite High-Protein Recipe of the Week

It is #MealPrepSunday today, and this recipe is incredibly smart, and easy to make.

Similar to my Greek yogurt dip recipe I shared last week, this snack-size steak and cheese burrito from Stealth Health Life has comparable calories (230) and protein (25g) vs. most protein bars, but with way better ingredients and staying power.

Definitely worth a look if you’re trying to level up your snack game.

Check it out.

@stealth_health_life

SNACK SIZE STEAK & CHEESE BURRITOS For the same nutrition as a protein bar, you can now have a delicious steak & cheese burrito instead. N... See more

📣 Share with a Friend!

I hope you’re getting real value from this newsletter!

If you are, it would mean a lot if you shared it with a friend, family member, or anyone you think could benefit from the frameworks and tips I share here.

Thanks so much for being part of this — I appreciate you! 🙏

My mission: 10,000 like-minded legends in the Jacked Nerds crew by end of year.
Help me get there 💪

🧠 Final Thought

You don’t need to track every calorie forever.

But if you can read a nutrition label, you’ve got x-ray vision for your food.
You’ll start to see patterns, spot hidden sugar bombs, and build meals that serve you.

And the best part? Once you learn this skill, it never goes away.

You become someone who gets it.

And in a world full of BS marketing and diet confusion, that’s a real superpower.

Catch y’all in the next one! ✌️ 
Dave Chen
(aka your Jacked Nerd guide)