As The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) mentions, people look at food labels for a variety of reasons. But whatever the reason, many consumers would like to know how to use this information more effectively and easy. The following label reading skills are intended to make it easier for you to use the nutrition facts labels to make quick, informed food decisions to help you choose a healthy diet.
Fig 1. Nutrition label [image], by Food and Drug Administration, (https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/how-understand-and-use-nutrition-facts-label)
1.- Serving information: serving sizes are standardized to make it easier to compare similar food, they are provided in familiar units, such as cups or pieces. The serving size reflects the amount that people typically eat or drink. It is not a recommendation of how much you should eat or drink.
It’s important to realize that all the nutrients shown on the label, including the number of calories, refer to the size of the serving. Pay attention to the serving size, especially how many servings there are in the food package.
2.- Calories: provide a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of the food.
To achieve or maintain a healthy body weight, balance the number of calories you eat and drink with the number of calories your body uses. 2000 is used as a general guide for nutrition advice. Your body may need higher or lower amount of calories and varies depending on your age, sex, phisycal activity level, weight, etc.
Remember that the number of servings you consume determines the number of calories per day is linked to overweight and obesity.
3.- Nutrients: You can use the label to support your personal diet needs, looh for food that contains more of the nutrients you want to get more of and less of the nutrients you may want to limit.
Nutrients to get less of: saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. Eating too much saturated fat and sodium, for example, is associated with an increased risk of developing some health conditions, like cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Consuming too much added sugars can make it hard to meet important nutrients needs while staying within calorie limits.
Nutrients to get more of: Dietary fiber, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, and potassium. Eating a diet high in dietary fiber can increase the frequency of bowel movements, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and reduce calorie intake.
Diets higher in vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium can reduce the risk of developing diseases.
4.- The percent daily value (%DV):
5% DV or less of nutrient per serving is considered low
20% DV or more of a nutrient per serving is considered high
More often, choose foods that are: Higher in % DV for Dietary fiber, vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, potassium and lower in %DV for saturated fat, Sodium, added Sugars
The DV for dietary is 28 g, which is 100% DV. This means it is recommended that you eat at least this amount of dietary fiber most days.
Protein: A % DV is required to be listed if a claim is made for protein, such as” high in protein “. The % DV for protein must also be listed on the label if the product is for infants and children under 4 years of age. However, if the product is intended for the general population and a claim is not made about protein on the label,the %DV for protein is not required.
Total Sugars: No Daily Reference Value has been established for total sugars because no recommendations have been made for the total amount to eat in a day. Keep in mind that the total sugars listed on the nutrition label include naturally occurring sugars (like those in fruit and milk) as well as added Sugars.
References:
FDA . How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label. Domingo 28 de febrero de 2021, Sitio web: https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/how-understand-and-use-nutrition-facts-label
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