9 Tips on Reading Food Labels

icandoit
icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
edited September 18 in Food and Nutrition
In 1994 the U.S. government began requiring manufacturers to put nutrition information on food labels. You can use this information to make better choices about what you eat. Look for the following:
Pay close attention to serving sizes.
Products labeled "light," or "lite," must have a third fewer calories or half the fat of the foods with which they are compared. "Light" can also mean that salt has been reduced by half.
Look for foods with lower levels of saturated fats.
The sodium amount tells you how much salt is in the food.
Look for products that have more fiber and less sugar.
Vitamins and minerals help your body function properly.
Calcium is important for bones and teeth.
Use the "percentage of daily value" section as a guide for daily planning of servings.
The number of calories a person needs each day depends on many factors, including amount of exercise.

Replies

  • icandoit
    icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
    In 1994 the U.S. government began requiring manufacturers to put nutrition information on food labels. You can use this information to make better choices about what you eat. Look for the following:
    Pay close attention to serving sizes.
    Products labeled "light," or "lite," must have a third fewer calories or half the fat of the foods with which they are compared. "Light" can also mean that salt has been reduced by half.
    Look for foods with lower levels of saturated fats.
    The sodium amount tells you how much salt is in the food.
    Look for products that have more fiber and less sugar.
    Vitamins and minerals help your body function properly.
    Calcium is important for bones and teeth.
    Use the "percentage of daily value" section as a guide for daily planning of servings.
    The number of calories a person needs each day depends on many factors, including amount of exercise.
  • parthayns
    parthayns Posts: 6
    Thanks for the tips. Those darn labels are so often humbug and confusing! Do you have an easy way to figure it out? I usually have to divide up a unit to figure out how many servings there are, multiple it by the number of calories, and times it by the number of servings I want to eat. There are so many other numbers written on the label that I don't know if I need to add the additional fat content or if it was already included in the original count of calories.
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