Food labels can be a useful tool for making healthy eating choices. They provide information on the amount of calories, nutrients, and ingredients in a food or beverage product. However, reading and understanding food labels can be challenging if you are not familiar with the terms and symbols used on them. In this article, we will explain how to decode the food label for nutrition and what to look for when comparing different products.
The Nutrition Facts Label
The Nutrition Facts label is a standardized label that is required by law to be on most packaged foods and beverages. It shows the amount of calories and nutrients per serving of the product, as well as the percent daily value (%DV) of some nutrients based on a 2,000 calorie diet. The Nutrition Facts label can help you choose foods that are lower in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars, and higher in dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.
Sections on a food label
The Nutrition Facts label has two main sections: the top section and the bottom section. The top section contains product-specific information, such as the serving size, servings per container, calories, and nutrient amounts. The bottom section contains a footnote that explains the %DV and gives the number of calories used for general nutrition advice.
How to Read the Top Section of the Nutrition Facts Label?
The top section of the Nutrition Facts label has four parts: serving information, calories, nutrients, and the %DV.
Serving Information:
The first thing to look at on the Nutrition Facts label is the serving information. This includes the serving size and the servings per container. The serving size is the amount of food that is typically eaten at one time. It is not a recommendation of how much to eat. The serving size is given in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by the metric amount in grams (g). The servings per container is the number of servings in the whole package or container.
It is important to pay attention to the serving information because all the calorie and nutrient amounts shown on the label are based on one serving of the product. If you eat more or less than one serving, you will need to adjust the calorie and nutrient amounts accordingly. For example, if you eat two servings of a product that has 150 calories per serving, you will consume 300 calories in total.
Calories:
The next thing to look at on the Nutrition Facts label is the calories. Calories are a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of food. The number of calories you need each day depends on your age, sex, activity level, and health goals. Generally speaking, 40 calories per serving is considered low, 100 calories per serving is considered moderate, and 400 calories or more per serving is considered high.
Calories are important to consider because they can affect your weight and health. Eating too many calories can lead to weight gain and obesity, which can increase your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Eating too few calories can lead to weight loss and malnutrition, which can impair your immune system and bone health. Therefore, it is important to balance your calorie intake with your calorie expenditure.
Nutrients:
The next thing to look at on the Nutrition Facts label is the nutrients. The label lists several nutrients that are important for your health. Some nutrients are listed by their weight in grams (g) or milligrams (mg), while others are listed by their international units (IU) or micrograms (mcg). The label also shows how much of each nutrient you get from one serving of the product as a percentage of the daily value (%DV).
The %DV tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet based on 2,000 calories. The %DV can help you compare products and choose foods that are higher or lower in certain nutrients. Generally speaking, 5% DV or less is considered low and 20% DV or more is considered high.
Some nutrients that you should limit are saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars. These nutrients can increase your risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes if you consume too much of them. Therefore, you should aim for low %DV of these nutrients.
Some nutrients that you should eat more of are dietary fiber, vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, and potassium. These nutrients are essential for good health and can prevent or treat certain conditions such as constipation, osteoporosis, anemia, and high blood pressure. Therefore, you should aim for high %DV of these nutrients.
How to Read the Bottom Section of the Nutrition Facts Label?
The bottom section of the Nutrition Facts label contains a footnote that explains the %DV and gives the number of calories used for general nutrition advice. The footnote also shows the daily values for some nutrients based on a 2,000 calorie diet and a 2,500 calorie diet. These values may differ from the %DV shown on the label depending on your calorie needs.
The footnote is not required on smaller packages or if there is not enough space on the label. However, you can still use the %DV to compare products and choose foods that are higher or lower in certain nutrients.
The Ingredients List
Another part of the food label that can help you make healthy eating choices is the ingredients list. The ingredients list shows all the ingredients that are used to make the product in descending order by weight. This means that the ingredient that weighs the most is listed first, and the ingredient that weighs the least is listed last.
The ingredients list can help you identify foods that contain allergens, additives, or other substances that you may want to avoid or limit. For example, some people may be allergic to peanuts, gluten, or dairy products. Some people may want to avoid foods that contain artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners. Some people may want to limit foods that contain added sugars, salt, or fat.
Some tips for reading the ingredients list are:
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- Look for foods that have fewer and simpler ingredients. This usually means that they are less processed and more natural.
- Look for foods that have ingredients that you recognize and can pronounce. This usually means that they are less likely to contain artificial or harmful substances.
- Look for foods that have ingredients that are lower in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars. These nutrients can increase your risk of chronic diseases if you consume too much of them.
- Look for foods that have ingredients that are higher in dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium. These nutrients are essential for good health and can prevent or treat certain conditions such as constipation, osteoporosis, anemia, and high blood pressure.
Summary
Food labels can be a useful tool for making healthy eating choices. They provide information on the amount of calories, nutrients, and ingredients in a food or beverage product. To decode the food label for nutrition, you should pay attention to the serving information, calories, nutrients, %DV, and ingredients list. You should also compare different products and choose foods that are lower in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars, and higher in dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.
