All About Food Labels

Ever wonder what you’re really eating in that buttery snack cracker, sugary canned fruit, or slice of processed cheese? It’s easy to find out. Just read the Nutrition Facts on the product’s food label.

What Are the ‘Nutrition Facts’ on the Food Label?

The Nutrition Facts section is located on the outside of the package and is easy to read. This section of the food label gives you information about specific nutrients in the product, including:

• Calories
• Fats
• Protein
• Fiber
• Specific vitamins and minerals

 

Serving Size: An Important Part of Food Labels

At the top of the Nutrition Facts section, you’ll see the serving size (such as 1/2 cup, five crackers, or 10 chips) and servings per container (such as two, four, six). The food label then lists the number of calories, and the amount of calories from fat, per serving.  

These numbers are important, especially if you aim to eat a diet lower in calories and fat. For example, having five Ritz crackers at 80 calories per serving is not bad for a snack. But who eats just five crackers? If you had 15 crackers, you’d consume 240 calories — which is probably too many, especially for teens who are watching their weight.

You’ll notice different units of measurement on food labels. Many of the nutrients are measured in grams or “g,” while others are measured in milligrams or “mg.” Some information is given in percentages (%).

Fats and Other Nutrients

Along with calories per serving and calories from fat, the Nutrition Facts gives you the amount of other nutrients and total fat. It then breaks the total fat number down into saturated fat and trans fat — the unhealthy fats that can increase the risk of heart disease.

The total fat number is also broken down into polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat, which are healthy fats more beneficial to your health. Keep in mind that it’s always good to limit the total amount of fats you eat, especially “bad” fats.

Let’s look at what these terms mean:

• Cholesterol is found mainly in meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. The cholesterol found in food can increase the cholesterol in your blood, but saturated fats have a greater impact than dietary cholesterol.
• Saturated fat comes primarily from foods of animal origin such as dairy products, meat, butter, cheeses, poultry, and luncheon meats. It is also found in tropical oils such as coconut oil and palm oil. Choose nonfat or low-fat dairy, lean meats, and skinless poultry to reduce saturated fat intake. Too much saturated fat can raise the cholesterol level in the blood and increase the risk of heart disease.
• Trans fats are formed during the process of “hydrogenation,” a manufacturing technique that turns liquid oils into partially solid products. These fats are in vegetable shortening, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, salad dressings, and other processed foods. Eating too many trans fats raises the cholesterol level in the blood.
• Polyunsaturated fat comes from many plant foods, nuts, seeds, some plant oils (sunflower, corn, soybean), some seafood (herring, salmon, mackerel, halibut), and soybeans. Polyunsaturated fat is a healthy fat and includes heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
• Monounsaturated fat comes from some plant foods, including olives and olive oil, canola oil, peanuts, and avocados. New research suggests that these fats help reduce your risk of heart disease.

After fats, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sugars, and protein are listed on the food label. These items are followed by specific nutrients in the food, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Last, the food label lists the ingredients in the product.

What Are ‘Daily Values’ on a Food Label?

To the right of the “Nutrition Facts” are the Daily Value percentages. The Percent (%) Daily Value indicates how much of a certain nutrient one serving of the food contains, compared to the recommended amount of that nutrient you should have for the entire day.

The percentages next to each nutrient — such as fat, sodium, fiber, protein — can help you determine whether a food is “high” or “low” in that nutrient. And 5% or less is considered to be “low,” while 20% or higher is “high.” For example, the Dietary Fiber is 0%, or “low,” in Ritz crackers.

Sample Nutrition Facts

Here is a sample Nutrition Facts label (for Ritz Crackers):

Ingredients: Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid), soybean oil, sugar, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, salt, leavening (baking soda, calcium phosphate), high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin (emulsifier), natural flavor, cornstarch.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 5 Crackers (16g)

Servings Per Container: About 28

Amount per Serving

Calories: 80 Calories From Fat: 40

% Daily Value*

Total Fat:4.5g 7%

Saturated Fat: 1g 5%

Trans Fat: 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g

Monounsaturated Fat: 1g

Cholesterol: 0mg 0%

Sodium: 135 mg 6%

Total Carbohydrate:10g 3%

Dietary Fiber: 0g 0%

Sugars: 1g

Protein: 1g 

Vitamin A: 0%* Vitamin C 0%

Calcium: 2%* Iron 2%

 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower, depending on your calorie needs.

Avoiding Marketing Hype

As you get used to reading food labels, you’ll realize that some manufacturers try to fool consumers.

Some packages say “all natural.” But if the products are high in sugar or saturated fat, “all natural” means nothing! If a food label says “low-fat,” read the Nutrition Facts to see if it’s really a healthy choice. Many times, a low-fat food is still high in sugar or calories.

Boosting Key Nutrients

It’s important to choose foods that are nutrient-dense. That means food with:

• Substantial levels of vitamins and minerals.
• Few calories.
• Limited saturated and trans fats.
• Low levels of cholesterol, sodium, and sugar.

Limit these nutrients: total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Eating too many of these may increase your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and some types of cancer. No more than 1/3 of your total daily calories should be from fat. And most of it should be mono- or polyunsaturated.

Get plenty of these nutrients: fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Eating plenty of these nutrients can boost your immune function and overall health. Fiber is important to promote healthy bowel function, while calcium builds strong bones and prevents fractures. Vitamin A and C are important for staying well, preventing infection, and reducing the risk of diseases.

By reading the Nutrition Facts, you can be sure you’re getting the nutrients you need each day. For instance, if a food has 30% of the Daily Value of calcium, you know you will need to eat a few more food sources of calcium (like milk, cheese, and yogurt) to reach 100% daily value of calcium for the day. If a food provides 20% of the Daily Value of protein, you’ll need to make other protein selections during the day to ensure 100% of the Daily Value of protein.

Words of Warning About Food Labels

Food labels must state if the product contains ingredients that contain protein from the eight main allergenic foods. These include:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish
• Crustacean shellfish
• Tree nuts
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soybeans

The label might say “Contains milk” or “Contains peanuts.” This is lifesaving information for people allergic to these foods.

The bottom line: read the Nutrition Facts on your food labels. Let food labels work for you as you establish healthful eating habits.

WebMD Medical Reference

View Article Sources

SOURCES: American Diabetes Association website: “Nutrient Content Claims & Percent (%) Daily Value.United States FDA/CVSAN website: “How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label.”

Tags: Eating Right, Food Labels, healthy foods, label ingredients, Nutrional Facts, Nutrition

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 25th, 2010 at 11:25 am and is filed under Expert Tips, Nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.