Identify nutrient dense
foods based on the nutrition label
Understand how many
nutrients you are consuming based on serving sizes
Identify common terms
printed on the food label
First name
Last name
Birthday of name entered above
Activity 1:
1.Do you currently read food labels?
Yes
No
2. If you answered yes, what nutrients do you look for on the food label?
(Name at least two)
1.
2.
Why
Read the Food Label?
It's easy to get confused while shopping at your local grocery store.
Each product label your eye catches inevitably hits you with countless
advertising slogans and nutrition terms. Just remember the bottom line
is that all these companies are basically trying to sell you something - they
all want a piece of your food budget. The package might show off “sugar
free” or “fat free” but it’s the nutrition information label that’s going to
tell you whether the product has just as many grams of fat or just as many
calories as regular products. Most packages now have a label called “Nutrition
Facts”. This label tells you what you’re really eating. By
comparing the labels on products, you can plan a balanced diet and cut down on
fat, salt, and sugar for better health.
It’s also in the nutrition information label where
the manufacturer confesses its definition of
a serving size. A single serving of a Snickers candy bar is about half
of a 2-oz bar. A serving of ice cream is usually a half-cup. A
serving of some of the cookie brands is one cookie while the serving of many
pot pies is half a pot pie. The serving size of many individual or small
sized frozen pizzas is 1/3 of the “small” pizza.
There
are some ice cream bars labeled "reduced fat" that contain over 13 grams of
fat per serving. The
moral of this story is – read your labels. The more you know about the
product, the better off you will be.
All packaged foods must have nutrition labels.
Fresh fruits, vegetables and meats may not have labels, but nutrition
information should be available where you purchase these items.
Some tips on how to read food labels will help you
use this information to choose foods to fit your needs.
Low-fat Deli Ham
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 3 slices (30g)
Serving Per Container: about 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories 50 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value**
Total Fat 2g 4%
Saturated
Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 25mg 8%
Sodium 125mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 1g
Protein 7g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 0% Iron 0%
*Percent Daily Values
are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or
lower depending on your calorie needs.
Calories: 2,000 2,500
Total Fat
Less than 65g 80
Sat Fat Less than 20g 25g
Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg
Sodium Less than 2400mg 2400mg
Potassium Less than 3500mg 3500mg
Total Carbohydrates 300g 350g
Dietary Fiber 25g 30g
Calories per gram:
Fat 9 Carbohydrate 4 Protein 9
What is a Gram?
A gram is a small unit of weight
that weighs about the same as a small paper clip. A milligram is much smaller.
There are 1000 milligrams in one gram.
There are about 30 grams in one
ounce. One ounce weighs the same as a stack of 4 quarters.
What are Calories?
The calories in every food come from
only four sources.
Protein
Carbohydrate
Fat
Alcohol
Vitamins and minerals do not contain any calories.
Protein
is found in all animal foods like meat, poultry,
fish, eggs, milk, and cheese. Beans are also a good source of protein. Grains
and vegetables have smaller amounts of protein. Each gram of protein has 4
calories.
Carbohydrate includes sugars,
starch, and fiber. The foods highest in carbohydrate are fruits, grains, and
milk. Vegetables have smaller amounts of carbohydrates. Each gram of
carbohydrate has 4 calories.
Fat
is found in animal foods like meat, poultry, fish,
and dairy products. It is also found in nuts and oils from soybeans, corn,
olives, etc. Each gram of fat has 9 calories.
Alcohol
is found in items such as beer, wine, and liquor.
Each gram of alcohol has roughly 7 calories.
Activity
2:
1.
How are the nutrients usually measured in foods?
ounces
grams
pounds
2.
Check the following nutrients that contain
calories:
Fat
Carbohydrates
Water
Minerals
Protein
FDA Standards:
For food labels, the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) determines the serving size of many foods. This may
sometimes be different from the food guide pyramid. The FDA uses a “usual
serving” called the reference amount. This makes
it easier to compare different brands of a food, because the
serving sizes will be the same. This also assures that a food can’t be called
low-fat only because a very small serving is used.
The FDA has defined standards
for a large number of foods. This standard defines what a food would typically
contain. In order to make a claim about reduced levels of fat, etc., the new
food must be compared to the reference foods.
2% REDUCED-FAT MILK Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (240 ml)
Servings Per Container 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories 120 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value
Total Fat 5g
8%
Saturated Fat 3 g 15%
Cholesterol 50 mg 17%
Sodium 125mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 12 g 4%
Dietary Fiber0g 0%
Sugars 11g
Protein 8g
One cup of 2% milk measures
240 milliliters and weighs about 240 grams. Five of those grams are fat,
which is 2% of the total weight. (Whole milk has 8 grams of fat.)
Think of a pat of butter on
the table in a restaurant. Each one is about 5 grams of fat. So 2% milk is
like having skim milk with one pat of butter in it.
45 (37%) of the total 120
calories come from fat.
Most of the weight of milk is
water. Fat doesn’t make up very much of the weight, but it makes up a much
higher percentage of the calories.
Remember to look at the serving
size when calculating nutrient intake.
1. What
is the serving size of this product?
1 cup
½ cup
2. How
many calories are in one serving?
90
45
3. If I
ate 1 cup, how many calories would I receive?
90
180
Daily Values:
The reference amount used for
nutrients on food labels is called the Daily Value (DV). The label will list
percent of the DV that the nutrient provides. Daily values on the new nutrition
labels means how a food fits into the overall diet. The daily values are based
on a daily diet of 2,000 calories (You need to adjust the values to fit your own
calories intake).
2%
REDUCED-FAT MILK Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (240 ml)
Servings Per Container 8
Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 4%
Calcium 30% Iron 0%
The
vitamins are minerals listed
above are required to be on the food label. Others will be listed if they
have been added to the food.
Terms used on labels:
You may have noticed that labels
give nutrition information on the front of the food label. Here are some
examples of the terms you may see:
High, Rich in, Excellent source of- means the food
contains 20% or more of the DV for that nutrient.
Good source, Contains,
Provides- means the food contains
10-19% of the DV
More,
Enriched, Fortified, Added- means 10%
or more of the DV of one or more nutrients has been added to the food.
Some labels say things like
“lite” or “low.” To make these claims, a product must meet the certain
requirement. You can use these claims to help you make healthy choices, but be
sure to read the “Nutrition Facts” as well.
Here are some more definitions
of advertisings terms you may be interested in:
"Free"
means that a product contains no or only small amounts of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, and/or calories.
“% fat free”
is used only on low-fat or fat-free products. The term is a reflection of
the amount of the food’s weight that is fat free. For example, if a
serving of food weights 100 grams and two of the grams come from fat, it can be called “98
percent fat free.”
“Low” means different thing
in different circumstances;
üLow calorie: 40 calories or less
per serving
üLow fat: 3 grams or fewer per
serving
üLow saturated fat: no more than 1
gram per serving
üLow cholesterol: fewer than 20
milligrams per serving.
üLow sodium: fewer than 140
milligrams per serving.
“Reduced”
lets you know that a product has been nutritionally altered and contains 25%
less of the nutrient or of calories than the regular product.
“Light”
means the product contains 50% grams less fat than the regular product or
the calories have been reduced by at least 1/3 of what they were in the regular
product. “Light”or “Lite” can also be used to refer to the texture
and color of a food; however, the label must spell this out (for example, light
brown sugar).
Activity 3:
1.Which organization
determines the serving size of many foods?
2. What does DV stand for?
3. If a food label states that
the food is an excellent source of calcium, the
food will have at least how much calcium based on the daily value?
10%
20%
30%
4. The term “Lite”
always means the food contains less fat and calories?
True
False
Tips for using Food Labels:
Food labels can help you
shop and eat for better health. But all the numbers on the labels can be
confusing at first. Follow these tips to help you get started using food labels
to compare foods.
üBegin by comparing the labels on
different brands of one food you normally buy, such as dried cereal or canned
soup.
üFocus on one thing at a time. If
you want to eat less fat, compare total fat and saturated fat. If you want to
eat less salt, compare sodium. Then select the brand with the least fat or
sodium.
üCompare how much you really eat to
the serving size shown on the label. If you eat more, multiply the numbers on
the label by the number of servings you will eat.
How can I tell if the food
is nutritious or not?
Still having difficulty
reading the food labels? Try Easing your way to a nutritious diet…
Label Ease
An easy way to read food labels is right at your
fingertips. All you need is your hand and any food label.
Look at the nutrient list on the label. These vitamins
and mineral – calcium, fiber, protein, iron and vitamin A and C – are essential
to a healthy body. However, some are often missing in the American diet.
Following these steps will help determine whether a food is nutritious or not.
Step 1:
Make a list to see if you would get these important
nutrients from the food you’re testing. Raise on finger for each nutrient that
has 10% or more listed for its percent DV:
Calcium
Fiber
Protein
Iron
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Step 2:
Look at the top portions of the label. This section
lists calories, fat grams and other nutrients. Focus on either fat grams or
calories. If you choose total fat, put one finger down if the percent daily
value of total fat is more than 10%. If you choose calories, put one finger
down if there are more than 200 calories per serving (10% of the 2,000-Calorie
diet).
What do you Score?
If you have at least on finger still standing, the food
you are testing is nutritious or a “nutrient-plus” food. If you have no fingers
up, the food is less nutritious, or an “energy-dense” food.
Let’s practice:
Plain Yogurt Nonfat
Serving Size 1 cup (227g)
Amount Per
Serving 5
Calories 127
% Daily Value
Total Fat
0 g 0%
Cholesterol
4mg 1%
Sodium
174 mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 17 g 6%
Protein
13 g 26%
Vitamin
C 3%
Calcium 45%
Thiamin 7%
Riboflavin 31%
Not a significant
source of calories from fat, saturated fat, vitamin A, iron and niacin.
Values are not available for fiber and sugars.
*Percent Daily Values
are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Activity 4:
1. Does the nonfat plain yogurt have 10% or more of the
following:
Calcium
Fiber
Protein
Iron
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
2. Have many fingers do you have up?
3.Does the nonfat plain yogurt have more than 10% fat?
4. Does the nonfat plain yogurt have more than 200 calories
per serving?
5. Is this a nutritious food?
You can get more practice at
reading food labels at home or at your local grocery store.
Review:
Calories from Fat:
Calories from fat should be 30% or less of your daily
calories. Look for foods that have the fewest calories from fat.
Total Fat and Saturated Fat:
Total fat and saturated fat are shown in grams (g).
The fewer grams, the better. Grams of saturated fat should be less than 1/3
of your total grams of fat.
Cholesterol:
The less cholesterol, the better. To much cholesterol
can leas to heart disease. Your goal should be to eat less than 300 mg of
cholesterol a day.
Protein:
You need about 45-60 grams of protein a day. You get
protein form poultry, fish, meat, eggs, milk, cheese, nuts, beans, grains,
and some vegetables.
Vitamins and Minerals:
You need 100% of each of these in you daily diet.
Choose foods with the higher values. Most foods won’t give you all you need
of any one vitamin or mineral, however.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 2 cups
Serving Per Container: 1
Serving Size:
The suggested serving size is for an average portion.
All the values listed on the label are based on this amount. If you eat 2
servings, you eat twice the value on the label.
% Daily Value:
This column tells you what percentage of the total
recommended daily intake of nutrients a food give you if you eat 2,000
calories a day.
Sodium (Salt):
The less sodium, the better. Your sodium intake should
be 2,400mg or less a day.
Total Carbohydrate:
Look for high numbers for total carbohydrate and
dietary fiber, low numbers for sugars. Carbohydrates give you long lasting
energy. A diet high in fiber can help lower cholesterol levels and reduce
the risk of some cancers.
Ingredients:
Ingredients are listed by weight, from most to least.
If butter, oil, lard, cream, cheese, or meat are at the top of the list, the
product is likely to be high in fat and maybe cholesterol. Also look for
sugar and salt on this list.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 140 Calories from
Fat 10
%
Daily Value*
Total Fat
1g 2%
Saturated
0.5g 3%
Cholesterol
15mg 5%
Sodium
270mg 11%
Total Cholesterol
22g 7%
Dietary Fiber
7g 28%
Sugars
Protein 11 g
Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 6%
Calcium 4% Iron 155
*Percent Daily Values
are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower
depending on your calorie needs.
Calories: 2,000 2,500
Total Fat
Less than 65g 80g
Sat Fat Less than 20g 25g
Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg
Sodium Less than 2400mg 2400mg
Potassium Less than 3500mg 3500mg
Total Carbohydrates 300g 350g
Dietary Fiber 25g 30g
Calories per gram;
Fat 9 Carbohydrate 4
Protein 9
Ingredients: WATER,
GREEN BEANS,COOKED CHICKEN, COOKED WHITE RICE, CARROTS, RED PEPPERS, COOKED
WILD RICE, BROWN SUGAR, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, MUSTART (VINEGAR, MUSTARD
SEED, SALF, SPCIES)CITRIC ACID, HONEY
You have completed the lesson on “Food Label Basics”.If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail one of our
nutritionists.We’ll be glad
to answer any of your questions.
