How To Read Food Labels

 The Nutrition Facts Label, which is usually located on the side or back of a package, provides the calories, nutrition, ingredients list, and health information for a particular food product.  Food labeling, set forth by the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is required for most prepared foods, such as breads, cereals, canned and frozen foods, snacks, desserts, drinks, etc.  Nutrition labeling for raw produce (fruits and vegetables) and fish, is voluntary.  Using the Nutrition Food Labels can help you make healthier food choices that are in line with your health and dietary goals.

Serving Size

All of the information in the Nutrition Facts Label is based on a single serving, even though most packages contain multiple servings.  It is important to pay attention to both the serving size and the calories per serving.  Serving sizes are based on the amount of food people usually eat.  They are usually the same for similar types of products.  For example, a serving size of bread is usually based on one slice of bread, and the serving size of milk is measured as one cup.  This makes it easier to compare the nutritional value of similar foods.  Keep in mind that if you eat double the serving size, you should also double the calories and nutrients.  Serving sizes are defined  using measurements such as pieces, slices, cups/grams, tablespoons, and ounces.

Calories

Calories quantify the amount of energy that is contained in a serving of food.  The Nutrition Facts Label lists both the calories per serving and the calories from fat per serving.  Both carbohydrates and protein contain 4 calories per gram, while fat contains 9 calories per gram.  Keep in mind that fat-free doesn't necessarily mean calorie-free.

Guide to Calorie Label Claims ^[1]

• Calorie-free: fewer than 5 calories per serving
• Low-calorie: 40 or fewer calories per serving.  If the serving size is 30 g or less or 2 tablespoons or less, per 50 g of the food
• Reduced or fewer calories: at least 25 percent fewer calories per serving than the reference food

 

Guide to Calorie and Fat Label Claims ^[1]

Light (two meanings):

• one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the reference food. (If the food derives 50 percent or more of its calories from fat, the reduction must be 50 percent of the fat.)
• a "low-calorie," "low-fat" food whose sodium content has been reduced by 50 percent of the reference food

Nutrients

The Nutrients Section of the Nutrition Facts Label lists information about nutrients that are important to your health.  These include fats (total, saturated, and trans), cholesterol, sodium, potassium, carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins.  Nutrients and vitamins are quantified based on the Percent of Daily Values (%Daily Values), which are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.  Please note that depending on your calorie needs, your percent daily values may be higher or lower than what is listed for a 2,000 calorie diet. The Percent of Daily Value tells us how a food fits into a healthy diet, and the amount of a particular nutrient that it contains.  The general guideline for the %Daily Value is that 5% or less of a nutrient is considered low and 20% and above is considered high.

Make Heart Healthy Food Choices - Watch Your Intake of Dietary Fats, Cholesterol, and Sodium

By using the Nutrition Facts Label, you can make heart healthy food choices.  Your fat, cholesterol, and sodium intake should not exceed the recommended 100% of  Daily Value.  Eating too much of these foods can increase your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.  Most dieticians recommend that you limit fat consumption to 30 percent or less  of your total daily calories.

It is best to try to select foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.  Trans fat, also known as hydrogenated oils, are fats to which the manufacturers have added hydrogen to solidify and prolong their shelf life.  This is the worst type of fat for the body.  You'll notice that trans fat does not list a Percent Daily Value. You should try to avoid trans fat, as it increases your risk of cardiovascular disease. Just because a product lists 'Trans Fat 0 grams" doesn't necessarily mean that the product contains NO trans fat.  Make sure that you read through the detailed Ingredients Statement and look for keywords such as "partially hydrogenated cottonseed and/or soybean oil". The good news is that the 2006 requirement by the Food and Drug Administration to disclose the amount of trans fat per serving has motivated many manufacturers to replace hydrogenated fats with other fats that have no trans fatty acids.

To help lower blood cholesterol, replace saturated and trans fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are good for the body.  For low fat food choices, select foods that provide 5 percent or less per serving of the %Daily Value for fat.

Guide to Fat Label Claims^[1]

• Fat-free: less than 0.5 grams (g) fat per serving
• Low-fat: 3 g or less per serving and, if the serving size is 30 g or less or 2 tablespoons or less, per 50 g of the food
• Reduced or less fat: at least 25 percent less per serving than reference food

The following claims can be used to describe the fat content of meat, poultry, seafood, and game meats.⁽¹⁾

• Lean: less than 10 g fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams cholesterol per serving and per 100 g
• Extra lean: less than 5 g fat, less than 2 g saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving and per 100 g

It is also recommended that you limit your intake of sodium in order to help reduce the risk of high blood pressure.  A food is considered to be low in sodium if it has less than 140 mg of sodium, which is less than 6 percent of the Daily Value.  A food is considered to be very low in sodium if it contains 35 mg or less per serving of sodium.  Light in sodium labels means that the food has 50 percent or less sodium than the reference food. 

Carbohydrates (carbs)

Carbohydrates, which are present in most foods, are the main source of energy for the body. Some carbs are better than others.  The Nutrition Facts Label lists Total Carbohydrates that a product serving contains by both grams and %Daily Value.  The Total Carbohydrates identifies everything in the product that reduces to sugar in your body.  The Total Carbohydrates is also broken down by Dietary Fiber and Sugars, which are both types of carbs. 

It is best to limit foods with added sugars.  Sugars add calories, but not nutritional value.  Sugars listed on the Nutrition Facts Label include both naturally occurring sugars, such as those found in fruit and milk, as well as, sugars that are manually added to a product.  Check the ingredients list for specifics on added sugars.  If you are concerned about your intake of sugar, make sure that added sugars are not listed as one of the first few ingredients.  Names for added sugars include: corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, dextrose, glucose, sucrose, honey, and maple syrup.

When counting carbs, most nutritionists say that you can deduct the dietary fiber listed under total carbohydrates.  However, keep in mind that the dietary fiber still counts toward your total calories.

Guide to Fiber Label Claims ^[1] 

 Foods making claims about increased fiber content also must meet the definition for "low-fat" or the amount of total fat per serving must appear next to the claim.

• High-fiber: 5 g or more per serving
• Good source of fiber: 2.5 g to 4.9 g per serving
• More or added fiber: at least 2.5 g more per serving than the reference food

Guide to Sugar Label Claims ^[1]

• Sugar-free: less than 0.5 g per serving
• No added sugar, without added sugar, no sugar added:

 no sugar or ingredients containing sugars (for example, fruit juices, applesauce, or dried fruit) added during processing or packing

• no ingredients made with added sugars, such as jams, jellies, or concentrated fruit juice

("Sugar-free" and "No added sugar" signal a reduction in calories from sugars only, not from fat, protein and other carbohydrates. If the total calories are not reduced, a statement will appear next to the "sugar-free" claim explaining that the food is "not low calorie" or "not for weight control."  If the total calories are reduced, the claim must be accompanied by a "low-calorie" or "reduced-calorie" claim.)

• Reduced sugar: at least 25 percent less sugar than the reference food

The Nutrition Facts Label also list the %Daily Value for other types of healthy nutrients and vitamins, such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Potassium, Vitamins C, Calcium, Iron, etc.  These lists help us to determine how nutritious a food is overall, and how the food compares nutritonally to other foods.

Ingredients Statement

An ingredient declaration is required on all foods that have more than one ingredient.  The Ingredients Statement lists all ingredients of a product in the order of quantity present.  Thus, the first five ingredients are the most important, because they are the ingredients that are in most abundance.  The Ingredients Statement must also include allergen disclosures.

Sources:

[1]  Making It Easier to Shed Pounds, Paula Kurtzweil, FDA Consumer July-August 1994