Many consumers don’t truly look at what they’re eating. They pick up a box of cereal because it says
“natural” or “heart-healthy”, but they don’t really understand the nutrition
labels. This article will teach you tips
and tricks to understand food labels.
The top section of a nutrition label typically gives you
serving size, calories, and nutrient information. The bottom part contains daily values (DVs)
for 2,000 and 2,500 calorie diets. This
footnote provides recommended dietary information for important nutrients, such
as fats, sodium, and fiber.
When reading a food label, start by looking at the serving
size. How many cups or ounces are in a
serving? How many servings are there per
container? This helps you to understand
portion sizes. If you buy a big bag of
chips or make pasta with sauce, try to make sure that you’re watching your
portion sizes. Recognize that if you eat
half of a large bag of chips, it typically contains multiple portions. The size of the serving influences the number
of calories and all the nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the
label. Pay attention to serving sizes,
for it can double the calories and nutrient numbers, including %Daily Values.
Next, look at calories and calories from fat. Calories show how much energy you will get
from a serving of the grocery. Many
people consume more calories than they need, without consuming proper amounts
of nutrients. It is important to remember
that the number of servings you consume determines the number of calories you
eat, or your portion size. A general
idea is that 400 calories is quite high, 100 is moderate, and 40 is low. Eating too many calories per day is linked to
obesity. General references on nutrition
labels are based on 2,000 calorie diets.
Make sure to try to limit Total, Saturated, and Trans fat as
well as Cholesterol and Sodium. Eating
too much can increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, cancers, and high
blood pressure. Health experts will recommend that you keep your intake of
saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol as low as possible. On the other
hand, the bottom of the food labels show Vitamins, Calcium, Iron, and Dietary
Fiber, which most Americans do not consume enough of. It is important for us to consume healthy
amounts of these because it can reduce risks of diseases and other
conditions. For instance, eating enough
calcium can prevent osteoporosis. Eating
a diet high in dietary fiber can help promote healthy bowel function.
The % Daily Values are based on the Daily Value recommendations
for key nutrients but only for a 2,000 calorie daily diet--not 2,500 calories.
You, like most people, may not know how many calories you consume in a day. But
you can still use the %DV as a frame of reference whether or not you consume more
or less than 2,000 calories. The %DV
helps you determine if a serving of food is high or low in a nutrient. For quick reference, 5%DV is low, while 20%
or more is quite high. The %DV also
makes it easy for you to compare one product to a similar product as long as
the serving sizes are similar.
