- Serving size
Serving size is how much you’re supposed to eat. All the facts on the label are based on the serving size. Servings for different brands of the same food are the same size. For example, all brands of macaroni and cheese list a serving as “1 cup.” This makes it easier to compare brands.
- Servings per container
Servings per container tells you how many servings are in this box. Note: If you eat this whole box of macaroni and cheese, you’ll be eating 4 servings!
- Amount per serving
This shows the calories in one serving, and how many of these calories come from fat. One serving of this macaroni and cheese has 330 calories. Almost one-third (100) of those calories come from fat.
- Fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, protein
This list tells you what nutrients and how much of each you get from this food. It gives you these facts by weight (g or mg) and by percent (%). g = grams mg = milligrams
- Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Trans Fat: Total fat should be 20 to 35% of your total daily calories, with saturated fat less than 10% of your daily calories. Keep your intake of trans fat as low as possible.
- Cholesterol: Try to limit your cholesterol to 300 mg per day.
- Sodium: Salt. No more than 2,300 mg per day — less is best. People age 51 and older and those who are African American or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease should limit sodium to 1,500 mg/day.
- Total Carbohydrate: It’s important to track this number if you have diabetes. A dietitian (dye-uh-TISH-in) can tell you more and even help you plan meals. Talk to your doctor.
- Dietary Fiber: In general, more fiber is better. Different types of fiber can help prevent diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Fiber can also help you lose weight. Limit the amount of refined grains you eat, and instead choose whole-grain foods, beans, peas, other vegetables, and fruit.
- Sugars: Limit added sugars that increase calories without increasing nutrition.
- Percent (%) daily value
This helps you decide if this food gives you too much or too little of something. Use these numbers to help decide if the food is healthy for you. They are based on eating 2,000 calories a day. Ask your doctor how many calories are right for you.
A daily value of 5% or less is low and 20% or more is high. In general, you want foods with low fat and high fiber. This macaroni and cheese is a bit high in fat (16%) and low in fiber (8%).
- Vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron
This part lists how much of these vitamins and minerals are in one serving of this food.
- General information
This last box is the same on all food labels. It shows how much of each nutrient you should have each day.
Read the label before you buy
Many people get too much fat and salt (sodium), and not enough fiber. The “Nutrition Facts” on food labels can help you shop for healthy foods. We’ll help you make sense of the numbers. How you use the labels is up to you.
What does it mean?
Good Fat
Get it from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils like canola and olive oil. It’s good for your heart.
Bad Fat
Fats from animal products like red meat, whole milk, and chicken skin are called saturated fats. They raise the “bad” cholesterol in your blood (LDL).
Trans fats are even worse than saturated fats. Trans fats are in any foods that have “partially hydrogenated” vegetable oils. These fats raise the “bad” cholesterol in your blood (LDL), and lower the “good” cholesterol (HDL).
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Heart Healthy
Foods with this mark meet these standards for one serving:
- Low-fat — less than or equal to 6.5 grams
- Low saturated fat — less than or equal to 1 gram and less than 0.5 grams trans fat
- Low cholesterol — less than or equal to 20 milligrams (20 mg)
- Low sodium (salt) — less than or equal to 480 milligrams (480 mg)
- Has at least 10 percent (10%) of an adult’s daily need for one of these: protein,
vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, dietary fiber
- For seafood, meat, chicken, and turkey — has less than 5 grams of total fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat, less than 0.5 grams trans fat, and less than 95
milligrams (95 mg) of cholesterol per serving
- For foods made with whole grains— has less than 6.5 grams total fat, less than 0.5 grams trans fat, and only 1 gram or less saturated fat
Note: Keep intake of saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol as low as possible.
Source: American Heart Association
What does organic mean?
Fruits and Vegetables
To be labeled “organic,” fruits and veggies need to meet these standards:
- They come from fields with:
√ No sewage (dirty water from toilets, etc.)
√ No chemical poisons (like insect killer)
√ No man-made fertilizers
- They can’t have any man-made changes in their genes. (Changed foods are called “GMO,” or “genetically modified.” This means that genes from other plants or animals have been added to them.)
- No one may use X-rays on these foods to kill germs.
Meat, Chicken, Turkey, Eggs, and Milk Products
“Organic” meats, eggs, and dairy foods may not come from animals that have been given antibiotics or hormones. The USDA National Organic Program also stipulates that organic meat comes from animals that were fed 100% organic feed and had access to the outdoors.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture