The nutrition facts label on your favorite breakfast cereal
tells you it's full of vitamins and minerals. So it must be
healthy, right?
Just because a food is high in vitamins doesn't mean
it's healthy overall. Sure, it's great that your favorite
cereal gives you a shot of vitamins and minerals. But what if
it's also loaded with sugar?
Eating healthy means choosing lots of different types of food
throughout the day to get all the nutrients you need, such as
vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fiber, and - yes - even fat.
So how do you figure all this out? Thank goodness for food
labels!
Your Cheat Sheet to Good Eats
Labels give you information that can help you decide what to
choose as part of an overall healthy eating plan. For example, it
may be OK to eat a sugary cereal if you make up for it by not
eating much sugary stuff for the rest of the day. Checking the
labels on foods can alert you when a food is high in something like
sugar so you can be prepared to make tradeoffs.
Food labels provide more than just nutrition facts, though. They
also tell you what's in a packaged food (i.e., the
ingredients). Some food labels also state which country the food
came from, whether the food is organic, and certain health
claims.
So who decides what information goes on a food label? In the
United States, it's the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and
the Department of Agriculture (USDA). These agencies require that
all food labels show the same nutrition and health information.
This allows consumers to compare different foods and make the
choices that are right for them.
The FDA and USDA regulate any health claims that companies make
on their food labels. When a food says "light"
("lite") or "low fat" on the label, it must
meet strict government definitions in order to make that claim.
Foods that are labeled "USDA organic" are required to
have at least 95% organic ingredients.
Making Food Labels Work for You
The first step in making food labels work for you is to look at
the entire label. If you focus on only one part - like calories or
vitamins - you may not be getting the full story, like how much
sugar or fat is in the product. (Check out our mac and cheese
example below to see why the full story is important.)
Here are some tips to help you get the big picture on food
labels:
Serving Size
Always start with the serving size amount. That's because
all the information on the rest of the label - from calories to
vitamins - is based on that amount.
Take note of how much a serving is (e.g., 1 cup, 8 oz).
Sometimes a serving size will be way less than you're used to
eating - like only half a cup of cereal. So make sure you check
what it is!
The label will also list how many servings are in the package.
Even things that seem like they'd be a single serving, such as
a bottle of juice or packet of chips, may contain more than one
serving. If you eat or drink the whole thing, you're getting
more vitamins and minerals but you're also getting way more
calories, sugar, fat, and other stuff that you might not want.
Calories
A calorie is a way to measure how much energy a food provides to
your body. The number on the food label shows how many calories are
in one serving of that food. To get a rough idea of how many
calories you need to eat each day, check out the "My Pyramid
Plan" calculator on the U.S. government's MyPyramid
website.
The calories from fat number tells you how many calories in that
serving come from fat. For most people, no more than 30% of all the
calories they eat in a day should come from fat. So if you eat
2,000 calories a day, no more than 600 of these calories should
come from fat.
More Stats to Know
Percent Daily Value
These percentages show the amounts of nutrients an average
person will get from eating one serving of that food. For the
purposes of food labels, the government chose an
"average" person as someone who needs 2,000 calories a
day. So if the label on a particular food shows it provides 25% of
vitamin D, that 25% is for a person who eats 2,000 calories a
day.
But obviously some teens - like those who are growing rapidly or
very athletic - will need more calories than 2,000 a day. And many
will need less. If you need more than 2,000 calories, you may need
to eat more than one serving to get the same percentage of that
nutrient. If your calorie needs are less, you may not need to eat
as much to get that same percent.
The percent daily value amounts are based on these nutrition
guidelines:
- 60% of calories should come from carbohydrates
- 30% of calories should come from fat, with most fats coming
for sources of unsaturated fats
- 10% of calories should come from protein
The percent daily value information can be complicated. But one
thing it makes easy is showing at a glance if a food is high or low
in a particular nutrient. Here's how:
- If a food has a daily value of 5% or less of a nutrient, it
is considered to be low in that nutrient.
- A food is a good source of a nutrient if the percent daily
value is between 10% and 19%.
- If the food has 20% or more of the daily value, it is
considered an excellent source of that nutrient.
Fat
Total fat
shows how much fat is in a single serving of food. Although eating
too much fat can lead to obesity and health problems, our bodies do
need some fat every day. Fats are an important source of energy and
provide insulation and cushioning for the skin, bones, and internal
organs. Fat also distributes and helps the body store certain
vitamins.
Fat is usually measured in grams. A good rule of thumb for
keeping to the 30% calories from fat rule is to check the label and
choose foods that have less than 3 grams of fat for every 100
calories in a serving.
Some fats are better than others.
Unsaturated fats
, which are found in vegetable oils, nuts, and fish, are often
called "good fats." That's because they don't
raise cholesterol levels like
saturated fats
and
trans fats
do. Both saturated and trans fats are considered "bad"
because they can increase a person's risk for developing heart
disease. These types of fat are solid at room temperature (picture
them clogging your arteries).
Saturated fats usually come from animal products like cheese,
meats, and ice cream. Trans fats are naturally found in these foods
too, but they are also in vegetable oils that have been specially
treated (hydrogenated) so they are solid at room temperature - like
shortening. The amount of saturated and trans fats that are in a
food are shown below total fat on the nutrition facts label. Less
than 10% of calories should come from saturated fats and keep trans
fats as low as possible.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol isn't entirely bad for you - it's important
to production of vitamin D and some hormones, and to building
many other substances in the body. The liver manufactures most of
the cholesterol a person needs, but cholesterol is also found in
the foods we eat.
Blood cholesterol comes in two major types: HDL (the
"good" kind) and LDL (the "bad" kind). Too much
LDL cholesterol in a person's blood increases the risk of heart
disease. So it's a good idea for even teens to watch how much
cholesterol they eat, along with saturated and trans fats, which
tend to raise levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood.
More Stats to Know (continued)
Sodium
Sodium is a component of salt. Almost all foods contain sodium
because it adds flavor and helps preserve food. Processed,
packaged, and canned foods usually have more sodium than freshly
made foods.
Small amounts of sodium keep proper body fluid balance. Sodium
also helps the body transmit electrical signals through nerves. But
too much sodium can increase water retention and blood pressure in
people who are sensitive to it.
Total Carbohydrate
This amount covers several types of carbohydrates, including
fiber and sugar. The best sources of carbohydrates are fruits and
vegetables, along with whole-grain foods like cereals, breads, and
whole-wheat pasta. Most of your daily calorie intake should come
from carbohydrates.
Sugars are found in most foods. When a food contains lots of
sugar, the calories can add up quickly. Soda, snack foods and other
foods that are high in added sugar are considered "empty
calories" because they usually don't offer a lot of other
nutrients.
Checking sugar quantities on labels can be really eye opening.
Often there's way more than you'd expect. For example,
sometimes manufacturers cut back on fat but add sugar to keep a
food tasting good. With a little label study, you may notice that
some low-fat foods have nearly as many calories as their regular
versions.
Fiber
Fiber, another kind of carbohydrate, helps keep your digestive
system healthy. Fiber can also help reduce cholesterol levels. Best
of all, fiber has no calories and it can help you feel full. So
check the label and pick foods that have at least 3 grams of fiber
per serving.
Protein
Most of the body - including muscles, skin, and the immune
system - is made up of protein. If the body doesn't get enough
fat and carbohydrates, it can use protein for energy. So be sure
the foods you eat give you some protein.
Vitamins and Minerals
It goes without saying that you want to choose foods that are
high in a variety of vitamins and minerals. The FDA requires food
manufacturers to include information about vitamin A, vitamin C,
calcium and iron. Sometimes you'll see other important vitamins
and minerals listed on the label, especially if the product
contains significant amounts. Some vitamins - like vitamin C - are
water soluble, which means that the body can't store them so
they need to be consumed daily.
Food labels can't tell you what foods to eat - that's
your decision! But they can help you find foods that taste good and
treat your body right.
Reviewed by:
Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: September 2008
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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