Crack the code

You’ve been seeing them your whole life, but have you ever taken the time to stop and read the labels on your food? And if you have, do you fully understand what you should be looking for and what all the different information means? It’s not an easy task. There’s so much to process – low fat vs. extra lean, Daily Values, serving size, nutrients, vitamins, and more. Read on for some help cracking this code!

Learning the Language

The secret behind reading food labels is understanding the label lingo. Once you’ve got that down, you’ll find it much easier to make healthier purchases. You’ll find the most important and reliable information on the Nutrition Facts Panel. Here’s what you need to know about some of the terms you’ll find:

  • Serving Size: This information is vital to understanding everything else on the label. All of the numbers you’ll see listed are for one serving only. So if you’re drinking two glasses of milk, you’ll have to double the calcium, protein and other vitamins and minerals.
  • Calories: There’s a lot of talk about carbs and fat, but calories are what count for weight control. That’s why you want to look for the number of calories per serving. For a 2,000 calorie diet:
    • 40 calories per serving is considered low
    • 100 calories per serving is considered moderate
    • 400 calories or more per serving is considered high
  • Sodium: Healthy adults should aim for no more than 2,300 mg per day (less than 1 teaspoon of salt). Those with health problems or family histories of high blood pressure should shoot for only 1,500 mg.
  • % Daily Value (% DV): The % DV is a guide to tell you how a single serving of food fits into your total daily diet for the nutrients listed (based on a 2,000 calorie diet). As a general rule:
    • Less than 5 percent is considered low
    • 10  - 19%  is considered a “good” source
    • 20 percent or more is considered an “excellent” source

Seeing Through the Hype

The aisles of your grocery store are packed with different cans, bags and packages all fighting for your attention. Words like “fat-free” might win you over, or maybe you get pulled in by “low-sodium” products. But did you know fat-free isn’t really fat-free? And “low-fat” might not be as low as you hoped. Let’s take a look at the requirements foods must meet in order to use certain wordings on their packages:

  • Free
    • “Calorie-free”: fewer than 5 calories per serving
    • “Fat-free”: less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving
  • Low
    • “Low-saturated fat”: 1 gram or less per serving; no more than 15% of calories from saturated fat
    • “Low-fat”: 3 grams or less per serving
    • “Low-cholesterol”: 20 milligrams or less and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
    • “Low-sodium”: 140 milligrams or less per serving
    • “Low calorie”: 40 calories or less per serving
  • Lean and Extra-Lean
    • “Lean”: Less than 10 grams of fat and 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving
    • “Extra lean”: Less than 5 grams of fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving

Armed With the Knowledge

Now that you have a guide to reading these labels, the nutrition mysteries should be a little easier to solve.  You’re on your way to making healthier decisions at the store!