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Reading Food Labels Instructions
Foods that are in packages or containers have a Nutrition Facts panel on the side or back. This is commonly called the food label. The food label helps you to make informed food choices by providing information about serving size and the amount of calories and various nutrients in the food.
You can check the food label to find out if the food contains high or low amounts of items that you want to limit in your diet. You can also use the food label to see if the food is a good source of the nutrients that you want to include in your diet.
How do I read the food label?
- Start by looking at the serving size and servings per package.
- Check the calories.
- Check the amount of fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Try to limit these nutrients.
- Check the amount of dietary fiber, protein, and other vitamins and minerals listed. Depending on recommendations from your health care provider or dietitian, certain values may be more important to your overall health and diet than others.
- Look at the ingredient list. Depending on your dietary needs, you may need to avoid foods with certain ingredients. Talk to your health care provider or dietitian about what ingredients you should watch for.
What does the information on the food label mean?
Serving size
- This indicates the amount of the food that makes up one serving. All of the nutrition information listed on the food label is based on one serving.
- Serving size may be based on:
- The number of food pieces.
- The volume of food (cups, fluid ounces, tablespoons).
- The weight of food (grams, ounces).
- The label will also indicate how many servings are in one package. If you eat more than one serving, you must multiply the amounts (such as calories, grams of saturated fat, or milligrams of sodium) by the number of servings.
Calories
- Calories are a measure of the amount of energy that your body gets from the food.
- Calories from fat is a measure of the amount of energy in the food that comes from fats.
- Most foods list only the calories in one serving of food. Some foods may list the number of calories per package if one package contains slightly more than one serving.
- Counting total daily calories is one way that is used to help manage weight.
- Talk to your health care provider or dietitian about how many calories you should eat each day.
Percent daily value
- Percent daily value (% Daily Value) tells you what percent of
the daily value for each nutrient one serving provides. The daily value is the
recommended total amount of the item that you should get each day. For example,
if 15% is listed next to dietary fiber, it means that one serving of the food
will give you 15% of the recommended amount of fiber that you should get in a
day. The daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet. You may get
more or less than 2,000 calories in your diet each day, but the % Daily Value
gives you an idea of whether the food contains a high or low amount of the
listed item.
- 5 percent daily value (%DV) or less means there is a low amount of a nutrient in one serving.
- 20 percent daily value (%DV) or higher means there is a high amount of a nutrient in one serving.
Total fat
- Total fat shows you the number of grams (g) of fat in one serving. Two of the fats that make up a portion of the total fat are included on the label:
- Saturated fat. The food label shows both the amount of fat in grams (g) and the percent daily value per serving. This type of fat increases the amount of blood cholesterol. If you eat 2,000 calories each day, you should eat less than 13 g of saturated fat each day.
- Trans fat. The food label shows the number of grams (g) per serving. This type of fat is the most unhealthy fat for heart health. It is recommended that people limit their intake of trans fat to as little as possible. Look for foods that have “0g Trans Fat” on the label.
Cholesterol
- Cholesterol tells you the number of milligrams (mg) and the percent daily value of cholesterol in one serving. Cholesterol is a fat-like substance. It can be harmful if you eat too much of it. If you eat 2,000 calories each day, you should eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.
Sodium
- Sodium tells you the number of milligrams (mg) and the percent daily value of salt in one serving. If eaten in large amounts, sodium can raise your blood pressure. Most people should limit their sodium intake to 2,300 mg a day.
Total carbohydrate
- Total carbohydrate shows you the number of grams (g) of
carbohydrates in one serving. Two types of carbohydrates make up the total
carbohydrates included on the label:
- Dietary fiber. The food label shows both the amount of dietary fiber in grams (g) and the percent daily value per serving. Most people should eat at least 25 g of dietary fiber each day.
- Sugars. The food label shows the number of grams (g) of sugars per serving. This value includes both naturally occurring sugars from fruit and milk and added sugars, such as honey or table sugar.
Protein
- Protein tells you how many grams (g) of protein are in one serving. The recommended amount of daily protein differs for men and women, and it may depend on your overall health. Talk to your health care provider or dietitian about how much protein you should eat each day.
Vitamins and minerals
- The food label shows the percent daily value (%DV) for vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Other vitamins and minerals may be listed depending on the food.
Ingredients
- Food labels list each ingredient in the food. The ingredients are listed in the order of their amount by weight from most to least.
- Food labels may also include a warning about ingredients that can cause allergic reactions in some people. These may be indicated by the words “Contains” or “May contain.” Examples of ingredients that may be listed are wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, and nuts. If a person knows that he or she is allergic to one of these ingredients, he or she will know to avoid that food.
Seek Additional Information
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: www.fda.gov
Summary
- The food label is the common term for the Nutrition Facts panel on the side or back of food packages or containers.
- The food label helps you to make informed food choices by providing information about serving size and the amount of calories and various nutrients in the food.
- To read the food label, begin by checking the serving size and number of servings in the container. Then check the calories and the amount of each listed item.