Understanding Nutrition Labels
By Riley Richardson, Cooking Matters AmeriCorps
When entering a grocery store, shoppers can feel overwhelmed by the variety of different options. All these products seem average, but when looking closer, shoppers can fully understand the products’ full value when reading the nutrition labels!
What is a Nutrition Label?
All food items sold in the United States include a nutrition label, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates. Nutrition labels are a valuable tool for making healthier food choices. Although they may seem overwhelming, each label has seven major nutrients that can guide you in your food choices.
Serving Size
Serving Size is the standard amount of food that is typically consumed in one sitting. Some products contain one serving when individually packaged, but bulk food products contain numerous servings. Each serving size is written on the nutrition label, which can help shoppers contemplate how many servings they’re eating when portioning out their products.
Calories
Every individual has different calorie intake recommendations depending on their age, gender, height, current weight, and daily physical activity. You can always calculate your recommended calorie intake using MyPlate Plan.
Percent Daily Value (DV)
Each nutrient on the nutrition label has a percent daily value (also known as %DV). The %DV is a guide shoppers can use for the recommended amount of nutrients that they should either consume more or less of in a day, which can help with maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Certain nutrients on the nutrition label are recommended in higher amounts, such as:
- Dietary Fiber
- Vitamins
- Calcium
- Iron
However, food products may contain certain nutrients that we want to consume less of, such as:
- Saturated Fat
- Sodium
- Added Sugars
A helpful tip in figuring out if a product is higher or lower in its DV amount is using the “5/20” rule:
- 5% or less in a certain nutrient = Low
- 20% or more in a certain nutrient = High
Total Fat
Fats provide the body with energy to keep us going throughout the day and come in two main forms. While our bodies need fat to survive, consuming too much saturated fat over time may negatively impact our health.
- Unsaturated Fats (also known as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) are commonly found in fish, nuts, seeds, and avocados. Unsaturated fats help promote our HDL cholesterol, which is a good cholesterol that benefits cardiovascular functions.
- Saturated fats are commonly found in animal products, such as meat and whole milk, and are commonly found in prepackaged foods. Saturated fats promote our LDL, which is a bad cholesterol that can cause damage to our cardiovascular functions.
Sodium
Sodium is essential for your body to function properly, but too much sodium intake can lead to higher levels of blood pressure. Higher levels of sodium are found in processed and prepacked foods. Some food products may be labeled “less sodium” on the front, but reading the nutrition label is a great habit to practice because “less sodium” foods may still have 20% Sodium DV. To prevent overconsumption of sodium, purchase products that have “no salt added” on the label, or products with no added seasonings and sauces that may be high in sodium.
Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber is an essential nutrient that allows the body to digest and dispose of food waste through bowel movements. The recommended intake is 20% or higher %DV on products with dietary fiber.
Dietary fiber is commonly found in whole grain products. If a product has “whole” as the first ingredient, that product is a whole grain. Dietary fiber can also be found in whole fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, peas, lentils, and seeds.
Total and Added Sugars
All fruit and dairy products have natural sugars, that come from the fruit or animal naturally. However, some products may include added sugars as well, which are found when foods are processed or packed in unnatural sweeteners such as syrup.
The total sugar category will always include added sugar on the nutrition label. The recommended intake is 20% or less DV on products with added sugar.
To prevent overconsumption of added sugar, shop for products that are in their whole form, products labeled as 100% fruit juice, and canned fruits packed in 100% juice as well.
Resources
U.S. Food and Drug Administration