READ THE LABELS
use these links or scroll down the page
use these links or scroll down the page
Everyone should learn to properly read the labels of all the foods they eat and to recognize and seek healthy alternatives to the high fat and unhealthy foods on the market today.
In this section, you will learn how to read an understand the "Ingredient" and "Nutrition Facts" labels on packaged foods. These labels are determined by the "Federal Food and Drug Administration" (FDA). You will also learn the difference between products labeled:
Manufacturers of food products are required to list all the ingredients of most products available to us. The exception to this would be general items such as milk, bottled water, etc. The ingredients section of a package should be easy to find and will list all the ingredients in the order of volume. That means, the first ingredient listed will be the largest amount of any of the other ingredients. The second item will be the second most and the last item will be the least amount of all the ingredients in that particular product.
Try to avoid products that contain the following items when listed in the first few of the ingredients list. The further down on the list these ingredients appear, the more healthy and less fattening the product will be.
Notice the "No Fat" or "Fat Free" products on the following chart may contain some fat especially if you eat more than 1 serving. Some manufactures deliberately make the amount of a serving size small on new products to allow their products to qualify for a "Fat Free" label and attract health conscience people. Read the serving size very carefully. It may be smaller than you realize. The following special labels are usually found on the front of a packaged product which is different in some way from the original version or a similar product
DEFINITIONS OF SPECIAL LABELS
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NO FAT OR FAT FREE
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= | Contains less than a 1/2 gram of fat per serving. |
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LOWER OR REDUCED FAT
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= | Contains less the fat or calories of the original version or a similar product. |
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LOW FAT
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= | Contains less than 3 grams of fat per serving. |
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LITE
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= | Contains 1/3 the calories or 1/2 the fat per serving of the original version or a similar product. |
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LOW CALORIES
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= | Contains 1/3 the calories of the original version or a similar product. |
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NO CALORIE OR CALORIE FREE
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= | Contains less than 5 calories per serving. |
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SUGAR FREE
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= | Contains less than 1/2 gram of sugar per serving. |
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NO PRESERVATIVES
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= | Contains no preservatives (chemical or natural). |
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NO PRESERVATIVES ADDED
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= | Contains no added chemicals to preserve the product. Some of these products may contain natural preservatives. |
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LOW SODIUM
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= | Contains less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving. |
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NO SALT OR SALT FREE
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= | Contains less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving. |
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BAKED NOT FRIED
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= | Used mostly for potato chips, crackers or corn chips, this label means the product is usually sprayed with a lite oil then baked in an over instead of fried in the oil. |
The following label is from an 8.5oz. box of baked snack crackers. The crackers are small and easily eaten from the box. The serving size is 25 crackers. That means, 25 of the crackers in this box will contain a total of 7 grams of fat and 140 calories. If they were fried like most crackers or potato chips, they would contain much more. The following information will help you understand the "Nutrition Facts" labels of the foods you eat.
SECTION #1
Serving size: The serving size of a packaged product is measured in pieces, percentage of the package or cups and the metric equivalent, usually grams. If the product is small or easily measured like cookies or pastry, you can see the size of the portion before you eat it. If the product is measured in cups, a percentage of the package or just grams, it is not as easy to determine how big a portion will be. For liquid products, teaspoons, tablespoons, fl oz (fluid ounces) and the metric equivalent, usually ml (milliliters) are used. You should become familiar with the size of each serving you are consuming.
When reading or comparing labels, pay very close attention to the size of the servings. Although the serving sizes of products are usually the same as similar products from different manufacturers, some serving sizes of new or unique products are very small to make the product more attractive to someone seeking less fat or calories. A serving of ice cream for example, is the same size as a serving of frozen yogurt from another company.
Servings per Container: The servings per container information will tell you how many servings are in the container or package. Small bags of cookies or similar items usually contain 1 serving while a larger 16oz. package of the same product might contain about 20 servings.
To get a better picture of the size of a portion, try multiplying the serving size by the number of servings per container. For example, if a bag of potato chips contains 10 servings, and you eat 1/2 the bag, you must multiply all the nutrients (fat, sodium, etc.) and calories by 5 to get an accurate count of how much you have eaten.
SECTION 2
Amount per Serving: This section contains the amount of calories for each serving of the product and the amount of those calories that come from fat. If you are counting the number of calories you are eating in a day, you must add the amount on the left side of the label to the total amount of calories you ate that day. If you ate more than 1 serving, you must multiply this number (calories) by the number of servings you ate, then add it to your total calories you ate that day. Use the "Weekly Nutrition & Exercise " chart in the "Keeping Record" section to record your food intake and help you better understand how to count calories.
"Calories from fat", means how much of the calories in each serving come from fat. You should keep your percentage of fat from calories below 30%. 25% - 30% is fine for most people, but, 20% would be a better amount if you are concerned about being overweight. To figure this out, you must multiply the "Calories from Fat" number by 5 (20%) or 4 (25%). If the number you get is more than the number of calories on the left side of the "Nutrition Facts" label, this product contains more fat than you need. If the number you get is less than the calories, that product contains a healthy amount of fat per serving.
Because fat should be measured by total daily intake, it is okay to eat a small amount of food that contains more fat from calories. You must however, eat mostly lower fat foods during the rest of the day. Your total percentage of calories from fat will be less when combined together.
If all this % and figures are confusing, you are not alone. Many adults have a very hard time figuring out how much fat they should be eating in a day.
A small, but, good rule to follow is:
The closer the number of "Calories from Fat" is to the actual "Calories", the more fat that food contains.
SECTION 3
% Daily Value: This section is the most important for anyone who is concerned about their weight. The following paragraphs will help reduce some of the confusion you might have about the terms "percentages" and "daily values" which appear in this section of the "Nutrition Facts".
The left column lists the nutrient by type (fat, sodium, carbohydrates, etc.) and how much of each nutrient is in 1 serving of the product. You should know what your daily limits of these nutrients are before you decide to keep a record of what you eat.
The right side lists the same information, but in the form of your overall daily diet. This column tells you what percentage of the daily recommended diet each serving includes. Use the example above to better understand the Nutrition Facts label.
The amounts in this section are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Some children and young athletes are very active and need more than 2000 calories to grow or maintain their energy and fitness level, yet, some overweight or less active children should eat less than 2000 calories per day. See the "Introduction" section to determine what your calorie and fat intake should be.
The total fat for this product (box of snack crackers) is 7g (7 grams) per serving. The "% Daily Value" is 11%. This means if you eat 1 serving of this product (25 crackers), you will have consumed 11% of the total amount of fat you are allowed to eat for that day. You can still eat about 89% (58 grams) more from everything else you eat, without going over the Recommended Daily Value for that day. If you are on a 2,500 calorie diet, you would be allowed to eat 15 grams more than the 2000 calorie diet (see section #4 on the example above). Remember, if you decide to eat 50 crackers (2 servings), you will have to double the "% daily Value" amount.
Caution: The "Nutrition Facts" label is based on a 30% total fat diet. If you are trying to loose weight, you should base your diet on 20% or less total fat. Do this by counting the grams of fat on the left side column and don't exceed 43 grams for the day. Use the right column only as a guideline to compare products for fat content.
Now look at the sodium line in section #3. It says 1 serving contains 310mg (310 milligrams) of sodium (salt). Healthy people should not be too concerned about salt, but, if you are limiting your salt intake for some reason, you would only be allowed to eat 87% (about 2,080 grams) more salt for the day if you ate 25 of these crackers. Follow the same guidelines for the rest of the nutrients in section #3
SECTION #4
The top of this section states a percentage of certain vitamins and minerals in one serving of the product. This figure is based on the "Reference Daily Intake" or the "Recommended daily allowance". Both these terms mean the same thing and are guidelines set by the FDA (Federal Drug Administration). You should take a vitamin supplement if you do not receive 100% of the necessary vitamins and minerals your body requires (see "Vitamins and Minerals" of this section for more information).
The bottom of this section tells you the recommended amount of each nutrient you are supposed to eat. Notice the nutrients in the 2,000 calorie column are less than the 2,500 calorie amounts on the right. Don't forget, the fat amounts are based on a 30% calories from fat diet, you should change this figure to 20% (43 grams) or less if you are concerned about loosing weight.
The following diagram is of the same "Nutrition Facts" label as above. This one gives you some tips on choosing more nutritious foods by comparing this label on products you buy. After you get used to comparing labels, it will become routine and easier for you.
Check the expiration date on everything you buy and eat. The expiration date tells you when the product cannot be legally sold in a retail store. Be especially concerned with dates on dairy products, meats and any other products that need to be refrigerated.
EXAMPLES OF GOOD AND BAD NUTRITION FACTS LABELS
The following two examples are from two very different, yet, similar products. One is a box of cereal and the other is a bag of chili and cheese flavored corn chips. Different because they are nutritional opposites and similar because they are both considered starches, grains, carbohydrates and they both contain dietary fiber which is good for you. Examine each of them and notice the difference. Which one would you choose to eat everyday? Notice the difference in vitamins, minerals and fat content.
GOOD NOT SO GOOD
