How to Read Food Labels

I am sure most of you are familiar with the Nutrition Facts label on food products. This is a great tool for adding foods to your meal plan. The label makes it easier to choose foods that offer lower calories, lower fat, and lower sodium along with good sources fiber, calcium, iron, vitamin A and C.

In the food facts label to the right, the nutrition facts are based on a 2,000 calorie-per-day meal plan. For example, a total fat is listed as 12 grams, which equals 18 percent of the needed fat when eating 2,000 calories daily. Simply put, a 2,000 calorie diet provides an approximated guideline for almost every adult, and child over 4 years old, to follow for meal plans.

However, your level of caloric intake will be undoubtedly different than others. The key point to take away is the percent of daily values are how much of the recommend daily amount (RDA) for each nutrient present in that single food source.

Attached is a sample Nutrition Facts label for macaroni and cheese, which I will explain in detail throughout this blog. A guide to understanding labels starts with the serving size. Now, picture in your mind how big or small this amount actually is. Next, decide how much you normally might consume at a given time. If this happens to be twice the listed serving size, it would contain 500, not 250 calories.  In addition, all of the other nutrients would double along with calories, so be aware.

Next, examine total fat. You need to limit your fat intake, especially saturated and trans fats. These two brothers - sat and trans - will break your heart. You might have noticed that saturated fat is 3 grams and trans fat is 1.5 grams. That is a grand total of 4.5, not 12 grams. The remaining 7.5 grams of fat are monosaturated and polysaturated fats. Although these percentages are not stated, they are the most desirable fats that contribute to heart health.

A general rule is a total of 40-50 grams of fat for women and men should aim for 55-65 grams a day. Remember, monosaturated and polysaturated fats are better choices and this is where the omega 3s and 6s come from that contributes to heart health. 

Now let’s move onto cholesterol. If you have heart issues, aim for 200 mg per day or less. Otherwise, healthy people can have up to 300 mg per day. The reason for these low numbers is our bodies produce all the cholesterol we need. Saturated fats contribute greatly to higher blood cholesterol levels, whereas monosaturated and polysaturated fats lower the blood cholesterol numbers. 

Sodium is harmful in large amounts, so aim for 2,300 mg daily unless otherwise advised by your physician. Some people may be on a 1,500 mg sodium diet to control a certain disease process, which can be difficult, because we all know salt enhances the taste of food. 

The sample lists total carbohydrates as 31 grams, but only 5 grams are from sugar. So you say to yourself, what are the rest? They are known as complex carbohydrates and fiber. Complex carbohydrates are preferred, so limit your sugar intakes as they do not offer any vitamins or minerals just plain old calories. As for fiber, aim for 20-35 grams daily. In addition, if this product contained 10 grams of fiber you can subtract 10 grams from the total 31 grams of carbohydrates, which means you only have to account for 21 grams of carbohydrates. Cool don’t you think?

Protein listed at 5 grams is self-explanatory and currently no daily percentage value exists. Most Americans usually consume much more protein than what the body needs. You will be surprised when reading more labels, just how many foods contain protein. 

Vitamins and minerals are important - aim for more of them in your food choices. These particular nutrients are put on labels because most American do not get enough of them. This is an effort to make us more aware that our diets or meal plans lack important nutrients.

Percent of daily values column, as mentioned earlier, are based on 2,000 calories per day for that one serving stated. If any nutrient is listed at 20 percent or more, this is considered high for that particular nutrient. This could be good or bad depending on the nutrient. For example, 20 percent with sodium is not so good. On the other hand, 20 percent of calcium is great. The sample label listed 5 percent or less of any nutrient is low, so use the same rule as above, sodium 5 percent is great and calcium with 5 percent is not enough.

Remember to aim for products that have low calories, low saturated and trans fat along with high fiber. In addition, look for a product that offers higher amounts of vitamins and minerals. Enjoy label reading.