Nutrition labels provide complete, accurate, useful information under regulation from the Food and Drug Administration. They are required for most prepared foods and are voluntary for produce and fish. These types of foods are referred to as “conventional” foods. Many people want to lose weight but do not know how to read these labels in order to maintain a healthy and well balanced diet.
How do I understand and use the food labels?
There are two parts to the nutrition label. The main or top section has product specific information, whereas the bottom part contains a footnote. The first place to look is the serving size and the number of servings in the package. Consumers are urged to pay close attention to how many servings there are in each container and compare it to how much they actually eat.
Calories offer a measure of the amount of energy a person would get from one serving of that particular food. It also tells the consumer how much of these calories come from fat. Calories can lead to obesity if an individual is not careful about monitoring their daily caloric intake. The only proven method to lose weight is to either reduce the amount of calories in a diet or increase the number of calories that are burned by means of exercise.
The next two segments on food labels specify the nutrients that comprise a specific type of food. The nutrients that are listed first, like fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium are ones that should be avoided. A person’s intake of these nutrients should be limited for a nutritionally balanced diet. The next nutrients are dietary fiber, vitamin A and C, calcium, and iron. An individual should get enough of these nutrients in order to improve health and help reduce the risk of some diseases and conditions. Calcium, for example, can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a condition in which bones become weak and break as one ages. The label can be used to help the consumer limit those nutrients that should be limited and increase the nutrients that should be consumed in greater amounts.
The percent daily value (%DV)
Nutrition labels are extremely helpful because they tell you whether the nutrients in a serving of food contribute a lot or a little to your total daily diet. The percent daily values are based on recommendations for a two thousand-calorie diet per day. The daily value shows the percent of the recommended daily amount of a nutrient is in one serving. Many people might not know exactly how many calories they intake per day, but they can still use the value as a helpful frame of reference.
Experts say that a person should avoid other nutrients like fat, saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol and their daily intake of these should add up to be less than one hundred percent. The daily consumption of other nutrients (calcium, iron, vitamins A and C, and dietary fiber) should average to be about one hundred percent throughout the day. The percent daily value listed on the nutrition labels can show which nutrients contribute a lot, or a little, to the recommended daily allowance. There is a quick and easy way to determine if the percent daily values are high or low. If the nutrient has five percent daily value or less, then it is considered to be low. If the nutrient has a value of twenty percent or more, it is said to be high. A person does not have to sacrifice eating a favorite food because it is high in fat, for example, because they can balance it out with foods that are low in fat at other times of the day.
One of the most important things with regard to maintaining a healthy diet is to be educated about what exactly you are eating. Nutrition labels are informative because they can appropriately inform the consumer of the contents of the food. To lose weight safely and keep it off requires long-term changes in eating and exercise habits. These labels are effective and keep a person well informed about the foods they are eating. They also are potentially effective when it comes to squirming, wiggling, and sucking into those old jeans you never thought you’d ever be able to wear again.
By Kristin Lockwood