Reading Food Labels is important in making good choices with regard to the kind and amount of nutrients, calories and fats that one consumes. But the nutritional information may be confusing and may make reading food labels a bit overwhelming. Here is an easy way of learning how to read food labels.

How to read food labels – Serving size

Reading food labels must start with the serving size. It is found with the nutritional fact label in the top section. This portion includes the serving size and the amount of servings per container. These pieces of information are important in measuring the amount of nutrients, calories or fat you may consume. The serving size has been standardized to help compare similar foods.  Note that there may be more than one serving per container and that you may consume more than one serving when you eat.

How to read food labels – Calories

The next information you’ll get in reading food labels are the calories and calories from fat. The calories provide the amount of energy you’ll get from a serving of the food. Hence, the number of servings consumed determines the calories taken. The calories from fat are the amount of such calories in one serving which comes from fat. The recommended dietary allowance is 2,000 calories per day, which is provided in the footnote of the food label.

Reading food labels – Nutrients which must be limited

What come next in reading food labels are the nutrients which must be limited like total fat, cholesterol and sodium. Total fat includes saturated fats and trans fats. Health experts recommend that fat intake should be limited “to 30 percent or less of daily calories, and to keep saturated fat to no more than one third of total fat, or 10 percent of calories.” How to read food labels is very important in this regard since too much intake of the nutrients listed in the “limit these nutrients” may lead to various diseases like heart disease and cancer.

Reading food labels – Get enough of these nutrients

After the nutrients that should be limited are the “get enough of these nutrients”. This information usually includes dietary fiber, vitamins, calcium and iron. Enough intake of these nutrients is needed because they help fight diseases and improve one’s health. When you know how to read food labels you can find foods that are high in these vitamins and minerals that the body needs.

How to read food labels – The footnote

After all these information you will see a footnote which contains the Percent Daily Values (%DVs). The footnote states that “%DVs are based on a 2,000 calorie diet” and is required to be placed in all food labels. Daily Values of each nutrient listed in the footnote are the recommended intake of such nutrients as provided by public health experts. Those nutrients which have “upper daily limits” or which you should eat less than the recommended intake are the first ones listed in the footnote.  The nutrients with “lower daily limit” or which you should eat at least the recommended amount are listed next, when reading food labels.

Reading food labels – Closing

In reading food labels, the %DV tells you which of the nutrients in a serving of food contributes to the daily recommended allowance. The %DV can also be used in comparing nutrient contents of various brands of food.

The food labels today are designed from the classic food pyramid and recommendations from authorities. When you want to lose weight, build muscle and transform your body fast the classic food pyramid needs to be altered and manipulated into a new food pyramid (Coming soon).

Reading food labels seems complicated at first glance but when you know how to read food labels it’s simple to get the information you need.

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