Reading food labels to make healthier choices
Food labels on packages are regulated by The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and they follow a consistent format, so once you know what to look for it will become easier each time you look at a food label to quickly get to the information you desire.
Have you ever wondered about food labels and if that information is useful for making healthier food choices? Today, I will review reading Nutrition Facts labels, which will help you make informed decisions, compare foods for healthier ones, select foods with more or less of the nutrients that you desire.
"When comparing calories and nutrients in different food items, make sure to check the serving size to make an equal comparison"
1. Serving Information
The serving information tells you how many servings per container and the serving size. The serving size is not a recommendation on how much to eat or drink, it reflects the amount that people typically consume. The Nutrition Facts label is based on one serving of food. From our example above, there are 4 servings per container, and the serving size is 1 cup.
If you don't have a measuring device, like a cup, you can estimate the portion size using the graph below.
2. Calories
Calories refer to the total number of calories, or “energy,” supplied from all sources (fat, carbohydrate, protein, and alcohol) in one serving of the food. As a general rule: 100 calories per serving is moderate and 400 calories per serving is high.
Using the example from the chart at the top, there are 280 calories for one serving. If you were to eat the entire container then that would be 4 times the amount. We know from the serving information that there are 4 serving in that entire container but it’s important to remember, the Nutrition Facts label only gives you the calorie information for one serving.
2,000 calories per day are used for general nutrition advice. However, we know that calorie needs are based on several different factors, such as age, gender, weight, height, and activity level. And don't forget that more calories and you gain weight. Less calories and you lose weight.
You can visit https://www.choosemyplate.gov/resources/MyPlatePlan to get your estimated calorie needs.
3. Nutrients
Use this section to help you select products that are lower in nutrients you desire less of and higher in nutrients you want more of.
Get less: “saturated fats, trans fat, sodium, and added sugars. Diets higher in these nutrients can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure and/or cardiovascular disease. Get less than 100% DV of these each day. (Note: trans-fat has no %DV, so use the number of grams as a guide)
Get more: dietary fiber, Vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium. Most Americans do not get the recommended amount of these nutrients, and diets higher in these nutrients can decrease the risk of developing diseases, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and anemia. Get 100% of your DV (daily value) of these nutrients on most days.
4. Daily Value (%DV)
The % Daily Value represents how much of a nutrient in one serving of food contributes to a total daily diet. Use the %DV to determine if a serving of food is high or low in an individual nutrient. As a general rule: 5%DV or less is considered low, and 20%DV or more of a nutrient per serving is high.
This makes it easier to get less of the undesirable nutrients, such as saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, and added sugars, and more of the desirable nutrients, such as dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.
From the example in the graph at the top of this page, there is 850mg of sodium with a %DV of 37%. We know that this one serving of food is high in sodium and perhaps would not be a good choice for someone dealing with high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the "silent killer" so you want to avoid excess sodium. If you get headaches then track your sodium intake using an app like MyFitnessPal.
Summary
The Nutrition Facts label gives valuable information that can impact your health. If high blood pressure is a health issue that you are dealing with, then you would want to consume less sodium. Evidence shows that reducing sodium in our diet can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
I hope that this information was helpful and provided you with the means to make healthier and informed decisions when it comes to eating for better health.
You can read more information from the FDA at https://www.fda.gov/NewNutritionFactsLabel.
Let us know if this article was helpful in your pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.
I always learn something new with food labels.