What comes to mind when you think about making good food choices? How about Nutrition Facts labels? In order to make good food choices, one needs to have an understanding of Nutrition Facts labels. This week, the aim is to help consumers gain a more in depth understanding of the new Nutrition Facts label.
First things first: what information can you find on a Nutrition Facts label? According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), some of the basic information (as shown in the pictures provided) includes: the serving information, the calories, the nutrients, and the percent daily value. Some differences between the old and new label, as stated by the FDA, include: the print of the servings and calories being larger and bolder, the addition of the added sugars section, and a new footnote. As we go through a side-by-side comparison of reduced fat milk (2% low fat) and nonfat milk (sourced by USDA) with this new Nutrition Facts label, we will provide a brief explanation of each of the four components, as well as how that information can be used to help make good food choices and help with weight loss.
In the example Nutrition Facts labels provided, you see:
- Nonfat milk has fewer calories, total fat, cholesterol, and sodium than the reduced fat milk. In addition, the nonfat milk has no saturated fat. This is important to consider as consuming less saturated fat helps with heart health.
- Nonfat milk has more calcium, potassium, and Vitamin A than the reduced fat milk.
With how the different components are labeled, it makes it easy to compare the macronutrients, micronutrients, serving sizes, etc. that are in the food item. This can be a benefit to those who are trying to be mindful of what they’re eating.
Serving sizes are “…based on reference amounts commonly consumed by Americans.” (Mahan & Raymond, 2017) As the FDA states, “it is not a recommendation of how much you should eat or drink.” Just because a serving size is 8 ounces doesn’t mean that you must consume 8 ounces. The rest of the label (i.e. calories, macronutrients, micronutrients, %DV, etc.) is dependent on the serving size, so it is important to make sure that you pay attention to it. This is especially so as there’s often more than one serving size in a container, but people may not pay attention to the serving size and believe the information on the label refers to the container in its entirety. This can lead to the consumption of an excess amount of calories, protein, fat, carbs, sugars, and more.
Calories tell you how much energy you can obtain from eating a serving size of said food item. How many serving sizes you eat directly correlates to how many calories you consume. As each person’s calorie needs differ, you want to make sure that you know your needs. For those who may be trying to lose weight, reading the Nutrition Facts label can prove beneficial as it helps you keep track of what you’re eating. But keep in mind that calories aren’t everything! You want to make sure that you are eating balanced and healthy meals. How you get your calories is just as important as how many calories you consume.
Added sugars are the sugars added during the processing stage, meaning they do not occur in the food naturally. To help prevent excessive or unwanted weight gain, it is important to keep a lookout for things like added sugars, sodium, saturated fat, etc. This is one of the benefits of Nutrition Facts labels–you are able to pick and choose the foods that have more of the things you want and less of the things you don’t according to your health goals and/or dietary needs.
Percent Daily Value (%DV): The FDA states that “the %DV is the percentage of the Daily Value for each nutrient in a serving of the food. The Daily Values are reference amounts (expressed in grams, milligrams, or micrograms) of nutrients to consume or not to exceed each day. The %DV shows how much a nutrient in a serving of a food contributes to a total daily diet.” Take a look at the carbohydrates of the nonfat milk Nutrition Facts label example. According to the %DV, a serving size of that specific milk would provide 4% of the daily calcium requirement/limit based on a 2000 calorie/day diet. It is important to know how to read and interpret this %DV as it can differ with brand and different conditions may require less or more consumption of certain nutrients (i.e. someone with heart disease or high blood pressure may be prescribed a low sodium diet).
All in all, reading and understanding Nutrition Facts labels before buying, consuming, and/or preparing foods can help you to make better food choices. And with better choices, you can positively affect your health and move forward to reaching whatever goals you have planned.
Mahan, L. K., & Raymond, J. L. (2017). Krause’s Food & the Nutrition Care Process (14th ed.). Elsevier.
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Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
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