Nutrition labels are designed to help consumers make healthy food choices, but all the numbers and measurements can be confusing. It’s also full of scary words like “sugar”, “fat” and “carbohydrate” – oh my! How much of each nutrient should I consume, and which numbers should I look at first? To answer these questions and more, TODAY.com hired two nutrition experts—Jessica Cording, Dietitian, Dietitian, and author of The Little Game-Changing Book, and Cynthia Sass, Dietitian, Plant-Based Basic Exercise Coach—to explain the facts. about nutrition. labels so you can read them with confidence.
To use the Nutrition Facts label to your advantage, you must understand what it says and why. Here is a breakdown of the elements on the label.
“Serving Size” and “Serving Size Per Container” are always listed at the top of the label. Serving size is how much most people usually eat or drink, not how much you should eat or drink. For example, a serving of a bag of rice is ¼ cup (dry rice), which is the amount that most people are likely to add to a meal. Serving sizes are in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by weight in grams. The number of servings per container reflects the total number of servings in the entire container. In the case of rice, there can be 10 servings per container.
Some packages may have “double columns” or two servings next to each other. The first column lists the amount per serving and the second column lists the amount per container. This is often used in small packages such as a bag of potato chips or low calorie foods such as a pint of low calorie ice cream.
Calories are a measure of energy. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) uses a 2,000 calorie/day diet as the standard for most Americans, although this can vary based on size, activity level, gender and other factors. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) uses a 2,000 calorie/day diet as the standard for most Americans, although this can vary based on size, activity level, gender and other factors. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet as the standard for most Americans, although this may vary based on size, activity level, gender, and other factors. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet as the standard for most Americans, although this may vary based on body size, activity level, gender, and other factors. Calories listed on food labels are indicative of the serving size, not the entire package.
Below calories are key nutrients that play a role in overall health, including fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, protein, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium. The FDA lists saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars as “nutrients to get less” and fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium as “nutrients to get more.” These nutrients are listed in grams, milligrams, or percentages of the Daily Value based on daily recommendations.
The percentages on the right are percentages of Daily Value (DV). The US Food & Drug Administration (USDA) sets a recommended daily amount of each nutrient. The US Food & Drug Administration (USDA) sets a recommended daily amount of each nutrient. The US Food and Drug Administration (USDA) sets a recommended daily allowance for each nutrient. The US Food and Drug Administration (USDA) sets a recommended daily allowance for each nutrient. %DV tells you how much one serving of this nutrient meets the recommended daily allowance. Foods with a DV of 5% or less are considered low, and foods with a DV of 20% or less are considered high.
While ingredients are not listed on food labels, ingredients are an important part of food packaging. These ingredients are listed under the nutrition panel and are required by the FDA. They are listed in descending order, with the first ingredient being the most common ingredient in the recipe.
Ironically, some nutrients are listed in grams and others in milligrams, and all of these numbers play a role in the total daily percentage. But rest assured, these measurements are not random. “The government sets recommended nutrient intakes that differ by age and gender and are known as Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and Adequate Intakes (AI),” Sass said. The RDA is based on an estimated average requirement (EAR), or the amount that half of a healthy person should consume to reduce their risk of disease. If there is insufficient scientific evidence to determine the RDA, the AI is determined based on the intake of healthy individuals.
These numbers (RDA and AI) are used to set the daily value percentage. Because the RDA and AI differ by age and gender, “the FDA selects only one value (%DV) for each nutrient based on the needs of the general population,” Sass said. “It’s a frame of reference to help people understand which foods are good sources of nutrients and which foods contain a lot of things to avoid,” Kording said.
It’s a good idea to look at the food labels on all your products, but if you’re short on time, nutritionists say there are certain things you can look out for. The question of what to look for on a nutrition label is subjective, according to Cording. “Whether something is ‘healthy’ depends to some extent on the individual and their unique needs and goals,” Cordin says. People trying to lower LDL cholesterol may prioritize fiber and look for foods that are low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fatty acids. People focused on maintaining bone health will want to pay attention to calcium and vitamin D levels.
Sass takes a different approach. “The first thing I look at is the list of ingredients. In my opinion, this is the best way to evaluate the health of any food and helps to correctly evaluate the numbers on the Nutrition Facts panel, says Sass. For example, certain foods made with nuts may be high in fat, but also high in calcium and fiber. Looking at the ingredients can help you determine the source of the fat content.
“After looking at the list of ingredients, I think it’s important to look at all the numbers as an aggregate rather than focusing on a single value like calories or grams of carbs, sugar or protein,” Sass adds. “Over-simplification of nutrition has led to some serious health problems, such as recognizing that highly processed foods are good for health because they are low in fat, and avoiding natural, nutrient-rich foods because they contain carbohydrates.” Sass said.
Both nutritionists agree that it’s best not to think in an all-or-nothing fashion when evaluating foods. If a food contains a few teaspoons of added sugar but also provides an impressive %DV of key nutrients like fiber, iron and magnesium, Sass says it deserves a place in your diet.
However, if you have health concerns or are unsure which nutrients are important to your lifestyle, consider meeting with a registered dietitian.
Natalie Rizzo is a New York-based nutritionist, founder of Greenletes, and author of Planted Performance.
Post time: Dec-22-2022