The Secrets Behind the Nutrition Facts Label

~ qualitynotquantity57

Screen Shot 2016-03-19 at 9.43.47 PM.png

Source of Photo: SU Professional and Technical Writing’s photostream; license for photo

Nutrition fact labels are not easy to understand or read. In this blog post, I’m going to take you through each section so that you’ll know what you’re reading the next time you go to the grocery store.

Serving Size

The serving size tells you how many servings a food item contains, and also how much is equal to one serving for all of the nutrients.

Calories

Calories fuel our bodies and the amount you need is different for everyone. Also, calories differ when comparing two food items, such as shown in this example.

Calories from Fat

This part of the calories section means how many of the calories in one serving come from fat, which is also important to look at.

Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, Cholesterol, & Sodium

You want to limit these nutrients. However, some fats are better than others, such as these:

  • monounsaturated fats
  • polyunsaturated fats

But then there are bad fats that you want to limit:

  • saturated fat
  • trans fat

With sodium, 2400 mg is the maximum amount per day, and 1500 mg for the elderly. Lastly, the Dietary Guidelines recommend to have 300 mg  of cholesterol/day.

Daily Value%

The Daily Value%, “…show[s] how much of a given nutrient there is in one serving in relation to how much you need for the entire day.” ( We Are Teachers site) Here’s how to read this section:

  • 5% or less = low
  • 20% or more = high

Sugar

This section accounts for added sugars, and it’s been recommended to only have 25 g per day (6 tsp). One easy way of finding sugar is looking for words ending in “-ose,”such as fructose in the ingredients or these:

  • syrups
  • juice concentrates
  • sweeteners

Protein

Here is the calculation formula to knowing how much protein you need per day:

0.8 – 1 g ÷ kg of body weight (pounds/2.2 = kg)

Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamins and minerals you want to have plenty of and are essential for the health of your skin, hair, teeth, muscles, eyes, bones, and so much more!

Footnote Guidelines

The footnote at the bottom of the label gives suggestions for 2000 or 2500-calorie diets. This guideline is not for everyone since each individual has different needs.

Ingredients

The first few ingredients listed determine what a product is mostly made of. Also, 5 or fewer ingredients in a product may give you a better option. (heart.org)

Credit to these sources used as a reference for this post:

 

Leave a comment