1. How to read a nutrition label

2. Reading a nutrition label
Knowing how to read a nutrition label can act as a guide to eating a healthy diet and can help you to avoid dangerous allergic reactions.
Food labels can be found on most packaged foods, such as chips, frozen dinners, beverages, and many others.
Raw produce, meats, and a few foods like coffee, spices, and alcohol do not have labels. Their information can often be found online, along with many restaurant foods.

3. Current Food Label Requirements
Nutrition Labels
Current Food Label Requirements
Food labels are the law to make them easy for you to understand and to make food comparison easier.
The current requirements include:
Nutrition information that is shown a universal form.
Any health claim must be supported by scientific evidence and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “Reduces Heart Disease!”
Serving sizes try to represent a typical serving.
Percent of Daily Values reflect how one serving of the food fits into a 2000 calorie per day diet.
The ingredient list names the ingredients in order by the most weight to the least amount of weight.
An address or phone number of the manufacturer/distributor must be on the label.
©2006 Learning ZoneXpress
©2006 Learning ZoneXpress

4. Exceptions to the Rules
Nutrition Labels
Exceptions to the Rules
Some foods or food products are not required to have a “Nutrition Facts” label.
Some of the current exceptions include:
Plain coffee and tea.
Spices, flavorings, and foods with no significant source of any nutrient.
Foods that are packaged in “sample” sizes not reflecting a “usual” serving.
Ready-to-eat foods prepared on site. (Lunch Room)
Fruits, vegetables, and fish.
©2006 Learning ZoneXpress
©2006 Learning ZoneXpress

5. Servings
The serving size tells us how much should be eaten at one time. The other values on the food label are based on this serving size
The servings per container tells how many servings are in the package. Not every package only has one serving. It is important to pay attention to the serving size.

6. Calories
Calories are units of energy. They come from carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Most people need around calories in a day. The food label bases its information on a 2000 calorie diet.
Calories from fat are listed on the label. This is because it is important to limit your intake of fats to 1/3 or less of your Calories.

7. Nutrients
The rest of the food label tells us how much of each nutrient is in a serving in grams or milligrams.
The percent daily value is on the right side of the label. It shows the percentage of that nutrient you would reach by eating ONE serving size of the product. This is based on a 2000 calorie diet.
As a rule, 20% or more of the daily value is considered high, while 5% or less is considered low.

8. Fat
Fats are an important part of our diet, but they should only make up 1/3 of our Calories.
Trans fats are not on this label, but they are man made fats that can raise cholesterol and are found in many fried foods. They should be eaten as little as possible.
Saturated fats are found in many animal products, and can raise cholesterol if over eaten. They should be limited.
Unsaturated fats are good for us and can be found in fish and plant products. Try to make most of your fats unsaturated.

9. Cholesterol and sodium
Cholesterol is an important part of our diet, but many people eat too much. This increases their risk for heart disease. It is recommended that you eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol a day.
Sodium is also an important part of our diet that people may eat too much of. Getting too much sodium increases blood pressure. You should try to eat less than 2300 mg.

10. Protein Along with carbohydrates and fat, protein gives us energy.
Try to eat leaner meats like chicken or lean cuts of steak. Nuts and beans are also great sources of protein.

11. Vitamins and ingredients
There are many vitamins and minerals, but Vitamin A, calcium, Vitamin C, and iron are often the only ones found on the label. Each vitamin plays an important role in keeping us healthy and preventing disease.
The ingredients list is an important part of a food label. Here we can see if there are any ingredients you are trying to avoid or anything that you may be allergic to.

12. Terms Used On Food Labels
Nutrition Labels
Terms Used On Food Labels
Diet - A food that is either a low calorie or reduced calorie food.
Low Calorie - Contains no more than 40 calories per serving.
Fat Free - .5g or less of fat per serving.
Low Fat - 3g or less of fat per serving.
Calorie-Free - Contains less than 5 calories per serving.
Sugar-Free - Contains less than half a gram of sugar per serving.
©2006 Learning ZoneXpress
©2006 Learning ZoneXpress

13. Terms Used On Food Labels
Nutrition Labels
Terms Used On Food Labels
Excellent Source - Provides at least 20% of the Daily Value per serving.
Good Source - Provides 10-19% of the Daily Value per serving.
Healthy - Allowed only on food items which are low in fat, saturated fats, cholesterol, and sodium.
Light -
A serving provides 1/3 fewer calories or half the fat of a “regular” product.
A serving of a low calorie, low fat food provides half the sodium normally present.
The product is light in color or texture and the label describes this.
©2006 Learning ZoneXpress
©2006 Learning ZoneXpress

14. Terms Used On Food Labels
Nutrition Labels
Terms Used On Food Labels
Reduced - Contains 25% less of a nutrient or calories than a “regular” product.
Low Sodium - 140mg or less of sodium per serving.
Very Low Sodium - 35mg or less sodium per serving.
Lean - Not more than: 10g fat, 4.5g saturated fat, and 95mg cholesterol or less per serving.
Extra Lean - Not more than: 5g of fat, 2g saturated fat, or 95mg cholesterol per serving.
0g Trans Fat - Less than .5g of trans fat per serving.
©2006 Learning ZoneXpress
©2006 Learning ZoneXpress