By Emily Lesky – Gleaners Nutrition Education Team
Knowing what to eat and which groceries to purchase can be a daunting task. One way to lessen the stress is by knowing how to read a nutrition facts label. Nutrition facts labels display a breakdown of the nutritional content of the food item. All packaged foods have a nutrition facts label, typically located on the back of the package. The nutrition facts label can also be a helpful tool when comparing the nutritional content of two different food items. Review the guide below to understand what each section of the label means and what to look out for.
- Serving size: The serving size is the amount of food that the nutrients on the label correspond to. For example, if the serving size is 1 cup, and the label states there are 100 calories per serving, there are 100 calories per cup of food. The serving size does not indicate how much of the food you should eat but can help serve as a guide to understand the nutritional content of the food. If you are eating more or less than one serving size, be sure to divide or multiply the numbers on the nutritional facts label accordingly. For example, if a serving size is 1 cup, but you are eating 2 cups, the numbers on the label would need to be multiplied by 2.
- Calories: Calories provide information on how much energy a serving of food provides. Nutrition facts labels are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, which is the number of calories an average person needs per day. Factors like age, gender, height, weight, and activity level can affect how many calories you need per day.
- Nutrients: Key nutrients are listed on the nutrition facts label. There are some nutrients you should try to eat less of and some you should try to eat more of for a healthy diet.
- Aim to eat less saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. Too much of these nutrients can lead to diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes.
- Aim to eat more dietary fiber, Vitamin D, and calcium. Fiber can help with digestion and aid in lowering cholesterol levels. Vitamin D and calcium are important nutrients for bone strength.
- Percent daily value (%DV): The percent daily value (%DV) is listed on the right side of the nutrition facts label. The %DV displays how much a serving of food contributes to that nutrient’s overall intake for a 2,000 diet. For example, if a food has a daily value of 35% for sodium, that serving of food accounts for 35% of your sodium intake for the day, based on a 2,000 calorie diet. The %DV can also help determine whether a food is high or low in certain nutrients. If a food has 5% or less daily value of a nutrient per serving, it is considered low in that nutrient; if it has 20% or more daily value of a nutrient per serving, it is considered high in that nutrient.
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