Reading Food
Labels
What you should know about the information
on the label
Food labels give you a peek into the
nutrients individual foods contain. By reading you can identify foods that
will be great additions to your diet as well as those that might be a
problem. Mastering the skill of label reading is important. Labels are found
on every food item in the grocery store, except fresh produce and meat.
Let’s walk through a typical food label. As
you read down, look at important sections to know how to crack the code.
Serving
Size: Look at the serving size. The serving size remains the
basis for reporting each food’s nutrient content. However, unlike in the past,
when the serving size was up to the discretion of the food manufacturer,
serving sizes now are more uniform and reflect the amounts people actually
eat. They also must be expressed in both common household and metric
measures.
Don’t be fooled by
the package because it looks small doesn’t mean it’s a single serving. Small
bags of chips can often have 1- ½ to 2 servings. If this is the case,
multiply the amount in one serving by the actual number of servings you eat.
Calories:
are listed both as total calories per serving and amount of calories from fat
per serving. This information is helpful for people who count calories and
monitor their daily intake of Calories from fat.
Fat,
cholesterol, Saturated Fat, Sodium, Carbohydrates and Protein Daily Value %:
These figures show the recommended minimum amount of some nutrients, such as
fiber and carbohydrates, and the maximum recommended amount of other
nutrients, such as fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. The %
Daily Value is referring to an “imaginary person’s dietary needs. It
is definitely not based on pregnancy needs either. This figure also helps
consumers determine if a food is high or low in a nutrient. These percentages
are based on an average dietary intake.
Cholesterol:
this figure indicates the amount of cholesterol contained in the food, helpful
for people on a cholesterol-lowering diet and for those suffering from
atherosclerosis.
Sodium:
this figure indicates the amount of sodium present in the food, useful for
people who need to watch their sodium intake, especially those with high blood
pressure.
Vitamins
and Minerals: In this section, you can get an idea how much
Vitamin A, C, Calcium, and Iron a food has. While these % numbers are not
exactly correct for everyone, they do tell us if it has a lot or a little of
that nutrient. To be called a “good source” of any nutrient, the food should
have at least 10% of that nutrient in one serving. For example, if a serving
of milk has 2% Vitamin C and 30% Calcium, you know that milk is a “good
source” of Calcium. On the other hand, you should look elsewhere for some
Vitamin C.
Calories
per gram of fat, carbohydrate and protein: these figures indicate
how many calories are in one gram of fat, carbohydrate and protein. They can
be used to calculate how many calories of each nutrient are contained in the
food (by multiplying the grams of the nutrient times the amount of calories
per gram of nutrient). For example: 45g of carbohydrate times 4 calories per
gram equals 180 calories from carbohydrate.
Health Claims on Labels
Frequently, consumers find claims about a
food’s nutritional benefits on the packaging. Health claims describe
nutritional benefits that a specific food product offers. The government has
strict definitions for many health claim terms, including the following:
·
Free: a product contains none or only a negligible amount
of one or more of these components: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium,
sugar or calories.
·
Reduced: a product has 25 percent less of a nutrient or
calories than the regular product.
·
Less: a food contains 25 percent less of a nutrient or
calories than the reference food, whether or not the food has been modified.
·
Light: a nutritionally modified product contains
one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the referenced product. Term can
also refer to the sodium content of a low-fat or low-calorie food, if it has
been reduced by up to 50 percent.
·
Low: used on foods that can be eaten frequently without
exceeding the dietary guidelines for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium
or calories.
·
High: describes a food containing 20 percent or more of
the daily value per serving of a specific nutrient.
·
More: food contains 10 percent more of a particular
nutrient as compared to the referenced food.
·
Healthy: at least 10 percent more of the daily value for
one or more of vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, protein or fiber per serving.
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