Food Labels 101: The Meanings Behind the Measurements
The key to good nutrition is eating foods that contain the proper balance of vitamins and minerals you need for a healthy diet. Food labels are designed to provide valuable nutritional information about the food you purchase. A quick course in "Food Labels 101," based on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, can help you put this information to good use.
Nutrition Facts
Start at the top of the food label box, referred to as "Nutrition Facts." The first items you'll notice are Serving Size and Servings Per Container. Serving Size is a standard measure of food. Servings Per Container represents the number of servings found in the food package.
"If you eat just one serving, you get the amount of nutrients listed (per serving) on the package," says Marilyn Gordon, MS, RD, LD/N, dietitian and nutritionist at the Memorial Regional Hospital Fitness & Rehabilitation Center. "If you eat two or three times the serving size, as people often do, you need to realize that the amount of nutrients will also be doubled or tripled."
For example, the typical serving size for bran cereal with raisins is approximately 39 grams, or about three-quarters of a cup. If you eat a full bowl of cereal, you're probably eating at least two servings.
Amount Per Serving shows the number of calories found in a single food serving. Our bodies rely on the calories in food for daily energy. The caloric energy in food can come from protein, carbohydrates or fat. Food labels show Calories from Fat so you can limit the amount of fat you eat for a healthier diet. The rule of thumb is that no more than 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat.
For example, the Amount Per Serving for our breakfast cereal is 130 calories. The number of Calories from Fat for the cereal is 10. Your two-serving bowl of cereal, then, increases to 260 calories and 20 Fat Calories.
Your Daily Needs
The Percent Daily Value section lets you know the amount of nutrients you will get by eating one serving of that particular food. On the left of the table are nutrients, which include Total Fat and Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium, Total Carbohydrate, Dietary Fiber, Sugars and Protein. Next to the nutrient is the amount of grams found in one serving of that food. According to the FDA, these nutrients are listed at the top because Americans generally consume them in large quantities. In fact, too much of these nutrients (apart from Dietary Fiber) may increase the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease or high blood pressure.
To the right of the nutrient is the Percent Daily Value. This is the amount that one serving contributes to the percentage of nutrients recommended for your daily food diet, known as a Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).
"This is based on a 2,000-calorie diet per the FDA, but a person's calorie needs can be lower or higher," says Gordon. "People who are inactive or elderly may only need a 1,500- to 1,600-calorie diet. Percent Daily Value has a greater impact on nutrients in a lower-calorie diet."
Beneath these nutrients is another list of nutrients, which includes Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron. These nutrients are important to a healthy diet and reduce the risk of certain diseases and medical conditions. The Percent Daily Value applies to these nutrients as well.
For example, our single-serving size of breakfast cereal provides 15 percent of our Daily Value of Riboflavin, Magnesium, Iron, Niacin and Folic Acid. Since these numbers are based on a 2,000 - calorie diet, the Percent Daily Value would be higher for a reduced-calorie diet.
Allowances and Requirements
The FDA notes that for all nutrients, a Percent Daily Value of 5 percent or less per serving is low and 20 percent or more is high. You can use this information to interpret what the food label means to you personally.
"The best way to meet your nutritional needs is to have the right balance of vitamins, nutrients and minerals over the course of several days," says Gordon. "As long as you're making overall nutrition a priority, don't worry as much about individual foods on individual days."
Label Language
The FDA also regulates the use of certain words or phrases on food packaging to avoid confusion for consumers. Here's what some of these words mean:
Fat Free
A food that is less than 0.5 grams of per serving with no added fat or oil.
Low Fat
A food that is 3 grams or less of fat per serving.
Low Calorie
A food that is 40 calories or less of fat per saving.
Cholesterol Free
A food that is less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol per serving and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
Sodium-Free
A food that is less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving.
Healthy
A food that is low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and that also contains at least 10 percent of the percent Daily Value for vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, protein and dietary fiber.
Now that you know the facts behind the food label figures, put your knowledge to good use by following a healthy diet. Nutrition consultation services at Memorial Healthcare System can help you shed pounds and find the healthy lifestyle you've been looking for. For additional information, contact the Memorial Regional Hospital Fitness & Rehabilitation Center at (954) 265-5800 or the Memorial Hospital West Fitness & Rehabilitation Center at (954) 844-7125.