We all need to eat because food is the fuel that keeps the body running, but how would you know what nutrients are in your morning bowl of cereal or how many calories were in that serving of ice cream you had last night?
Well, finding that information is as easy as picking up the package the food came in and reading the nutrition facts label, commonly referred to as the ‘food label’. The nutritional facts/ label provides information about the nutrient content of a food item and they can be a great tool in achieving a healthy lifestyle.
Nutrition labels are usually based on a daily 2000 calorie diet. Depending on your age, gender and activity level, you may need to consume more or less than 2000 calories per day, so always keep this in mind when viewing each label.
Let’s get into the parts of nutrition fact label and break it down
Anatomy of a Nutrition Facts Label
- Serving Size
This is where you find out how much is considered a single serving of the product. It contains the number of servings you would consume if you ate the entire package or the number of servings per grams. If you are looking for heart healthy snacks, this measurement can help you to pre-prep snack bags to take to work or keep on hand in your car or purse for quick healthy food options.
2. Total Calories
This number ties right in to the serving size. The calories listed here are what one single serving holds. If you plan on eating more than a single serving, you have to multiply the total calories by the actual number of servings you consume.
3. Fats — Saturated and Trans
If the label indicates that the food is high in saturated fat (no more than 20 grams total for the day), then it is not an ideal food for a heart healthy diet. Saturated fats can raise your low density lipoprotein, or “bad cholesterol”, which can increase your risk for heart disease and stroke. Trans fats should be avoided altogether, as they have been connected with an increased risk not only of heart disease and stroke, but also Type II diabetes.
4. Cholesterol
Foods high in cholesterol can increase your risk for heart disease. So, look for foods low in cholesterol, such as those found in a plant-based diet.
5. Sodium
You should always try to keep your sodium intake to about 2300 mg per day especially for a healthy heart. A sodium level of 140 mg or less on the nutrition facts label is considered low sodium. This is an essential number to look for when reading the label.
6. Total Carbohydrates — Fiber and Sugar
Foods high in fiber can be beneficial to a healthy diet, as fiber helps manage blood sugar levels and can lower cholesterol.
However, if the product contains a large amount of sugar, even if it’s rich in fiber, it’s best to put the product back on the shelf. Simple sugars can give you that quick burst of energy, but they are not heart smart as they can raise triglyceride levels, which play a role in heart disease and diabetes. Added sugars in grams is now required on the nutrition facts label. It is recommended that you consume no more than ten percent of your total daily calories from added sugar.
7. Protein
Protein is part of an overall healthy diet, but beware of adding unnecessary fats from fatty meats and processed foods.
8. Vitamins and Other Nutrients
Nutrients like calcium, iron and vitamins play an important role in a healthy diet! This section provides great information to ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need.
Percent Daily Value (% DV)
You might notice that these nutrients have a percentage listed beside them. If you look below the calorie listing, you will see the heading % Daily Value or % DV. This is the percentage of the nutrient in the serving based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
For example, if your container of milk contains 20% of the Daily Value for calcium, it provides 20% of the calcium you need to eat that day if you’re following a 2,000-calorie diet.
The % Daily Value helps you quickly determine if a serving of food is high or low in a nutrient. A quick guide for evaluating the health value of a food is to follow The 5/20 Rule. Here is how the rule works. If a food has 5% Daily Value of a nutrient or less, it is low in that nutrient. If it has 20% Daily Value or more, it is high in that nutrient. This rule also works for nutrients that you might want to limit in your diet, such as saturated fats or sodium. For these nutrients, try to find foods that contain less than 5% of the Daily Value.
It is then important to take your time to care for yourself and read the nutrition facts label to help manage your health and eat right. So, when you are at the store or supermarket and you want to grab any food item, it would be a great idea to check the serving size and calories as well as the nutrients you would be getting from eating it.
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