Making sense of nutrition facts labels
Have you ever looked at a nutrition facts label and weren’t sure what the information really meant to you as a consumer? You’re not alone, the nutrition label is often misunderstood. However, once you know what to look for it can prove to be a quick and useful guide when choosing and comparing foods.
Whats on the label?
When you look at the nutrition facts label you will see
Serving size and servings per container
Calories per serving size
Fat
Carbohydrates
Protein
Vitamins and minerals
Percentage of daily value for each nutrient
What Does it All Mean to You?
The first item you need to always look at is the serving size. This tells you the portion of food that all the following values are based on. On most foods the serving size is easy to gauge by eye however, sometimes companies make odd serving sizes to make the nutrition facts look better.
Once you know the serving size you can better gauge the amount of calories you’ll be getting from the food. This also helps you quickly compare similar foods to one another.
Looking at the Fats section you will see a few values. All labels will always have these three values (total fat, saturated fat and trans-saturated fat). Occasionally labels will also state the healthy fats (poly- and mono-unsaturated fat). Keep these quick tips in mind when looking at the fats section.
Keep saturated fats to less than 10% of total calories.
Choose foods that have zero trans-fat.
The difference between total fat and saturated fat will be a combination of healthy fats (Mono- and Poly-unsaturated fats). You want the majority of your daily fat intake coming from these healthy fats.
The carbohydrate section is probably the most often looked at and often misunderstood. You will have the total carbohydrates listed first. This total is then broken down into fiber, total sugars, added sugars and occasionally net carbs. Use these tips to make quick sense of these numbers.
Fiber keeps your gut healthy and will keep you feeling fuller longer.
Total sugars are the amount of simple sugars present in the food. These are the sugars that quickly spike your blood sugar levels and leave you feeling hungry sooner. It is recommended to keep your sugar intake below 30g/day.
Added sugars are the amount of sugar added during the processing of the food. This is sugar that is not naturally occurring in the food. You can skip this section during a quick glance and use the total sugars number when choosing and comparing foods.
The remaining sugars when you subtract the fiber and total sugars from the total carbohydrates are complex sugars. These are sugars that take longer to breakdown in the body and will not spike your blood sugar like simple sugars do.
The last crucial part to look at is the protein amount found in the food. It is recommended that adults consume 20-30g of protein per meal (3 meals/day). This is also very important as we age since we start to lose muscle year after year. Aiming for 20-30 g/meal can help minimize muscle loss. Of course, exercise has an important role in this as well.
The vitamins and minerals section will show you the amount of each found in one serving of the food. Currently the FDA only requires up to 14 vitamins (biotin, choline, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K) along with up to 14 minerals (calcium, chloride, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc) be listed on the nutrition facts label. This is important to remember since a food may provide other vitamins or minerals even though they are not listed. Use this section to quickly compare similar foods and quickly make the healthier option.
One of the most confusing and least helpful sections is the % daily value. These are based on someone that is eating 2,000 or 2,500 calories. Some labels may show both options on the label. I would recommend looking at the grams of fat, carbohydrates, and protein and ignoring the % daily value. Not everyone will be consuming 2,000 calories per day and by looking at these percentages you may be misleading yourself. Be aware of how many grams of fat, carbohydrates, and protein you need then you can quickly apply the grams in a food to your personal totals.
If you are not sure how many grams of fat, carbohydrate, and protein you need then schedule a free consultation on the website and receive a personalized breakdown of what you need for your body!
Written by Adam Skowyra MPPD, RDN, LD
