Here's Your Connection to Label Reading
Here is a step-by-step approach to label reading. The label is in the left-hand column and the explanation for each of the label items is in the right-hand column.
COOKIES
| Nutrition Facts Serving Size 2 cookies (26g) Servings per Container About 9 |
All the serving sizes are based on the listed serving size. When you have 4 cookies, you double all the calories, fats, and other nutrients. |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| Calories 110 Calories From Fat 20 | A healthful food typically contains less than 1/3 of its calories from fat. |
| % Daily Value * | This tells you how much a specific nutrient fits into a 2,000 calorie diet. You may be eating less or more than 2,000 calories. |
| Total Fat 2.5 g 4% | A low-fat product contains 3 grams of fat or less per serving, or 5% or less DV. Fat can be classified as saturated, polyunsaturated or monounsaturated. |
| Saturated Fat 0. g 3% | Aim for the majority of your foods to contain 10% or less of their calories from saturated fat. Other words for saturated fat are animal fat, lard, butter, egg yolk, bacon drippings, cream, half & half, cocoa butter, sour cream, cream cheese, hydrogenated oils, palm kernel, palm or coconut oil. Limit saturated fat in your diet as they may raise cholesterol levels. |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0g 0% | Other words for polyunsaturated fats are corn oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, sesame oil, sesame and sunflower seeds, almond, walnut or pecan oil. Polyunsaturated fats seem to have no effect on blood cholesterol levels. |
| Monounsaturated Fat 1g | Other words for monounsaturated fats include
olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil. Monounsaturated fats may actually lower
blood cholesterol levels.
Note: If you add up the saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats, the total is 1.5 grams, yet the total fat listed on the label is 2.5 grams. The 1 grams discrepancy is from trans fats. Trans fats have the same effect as saturated fats on your blood cholesterol levels. |
| Cholesterol 0mg 0% | Limit your total dietary cholesterol to less than 300 mg. per day. Cholesterol food sources include egg yolk, meats, lard, whole milk, butter, cream, cheese and cream cheese. Your body also makes cholesterol. |
| Sodium 95 mg 4% | Some people are sensitive to sodium. Too much sodium can cause your body to not absorb calcium. Limit your daily sodium intake to 2400 mg. or less. One teaspoon of salt contains about 2300 mg. of sodium. Other words for sodium include monosodium glutamate (MSG), protein hydrosylate, and protein additives. A product with a 5% DV or less of sodium is considered low-sodium. |
| Total Carbohydrate 21 g 7% | Carbohydrate should account for about 55% of your total calories. |
| Dietary Fiber 1g 2% | Include 11 1/2 grams of fiber per 1000 calories
per day: 1600 calories 18 g 2200 calories 25 g 2800 calories 32 g |
| Sugars 10g | One teaspoon of sugar equals 4 g. Other words for sugar are honey, molasses, corn syrup, maple syrup, corn sugar (dextrose), corn sweeteners, sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, raw sugar, brown sugar, fruit juice concentrate |
| Protein 1g | |
| Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2% Iron 4% |
Look for foods that contain 10% of more of these nutrients. Foods that are high in a nutrient contain 20% or more. Look for 20% or more calcium and shoot for 135% per day. |
| * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. | The Percent Daily Values for vitamins and minerals match the U.S. Recommended Daily Requirements (RDA's). In general, the USRDA's are the highest value for each nutrient that a healthy person would need. |
| Calories 2,000
2,500
Total Fat Less than 65g 80g |
|
| Calories per gram: Fat 9 Carbohydrate 4 Protein 4 |
The calories per gram of fat, carbohydrate, and protein are listed. Fat contains the most calories per gram. |
| Ingredients: Enriched wheat flour, sugar, vegetable shortening (partially hydrogenated soybean oil), dextrose, corn flour, artificial flavor | These are the ingredients in the product. They are listed in descending order (by weight). |
SO MANY TERMS - SO LITTLE TIME!
Are you confused about the difference between low-fat, fat-free, and reduced-fat. Use this guide to help you decipher label terms:
What about free, without, no or zero. What do these words mean on a label?
This term applies to any product that contains small or insignificant amounts of one or more of the following: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium or salt, sugars, or calories.
Calorie-free - the product contains less than 5 calories per serving
Fat-free - the product contains less than .5 grams of fat per serving
Sodium-free - the product contains less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving
Sugar-free - the product contains less than .5 grams of sugar per serving (1 teaspoon of sugar equals 4 grams carbohydrate)
No added sugar - no sugar or ingredients that functionally substitute for sugar are added during processing or packing; the product may have the same number of calories as other products with sugar; the sweetener may be sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, honey, corn syrup or fructose and the product may also be high in fat.
What about reduced, less, or fewer?
This term applies to a food that has been nutritionally changed or reformulated to contain at least 25 percent fewer calories than the regular food.
For example, reduced-fat pound cake contains 25% fewer calories than the regular pound cake, so it still is high in calories.
What about low, little, few, or low source of?
Low-fat - the product contains 3 grams of fat or less per serving
Low saturated fat - the product contains 1 gram or less of saturated fat per serving and not more than 15% of calories from saturated fat
Low sodium - the product contains 140 milligrams or less of sodium per serving
Very low sodium - the product contains 35 milligrams or less of sodium per serving
Low cholesterol - the product contains 20 milligrams or less per serving
Low calorie - the product contains 40 calories or less per serving
Unsalted - no salt was added during processing
What About High, Rich In, or Excellent Source?
If you see this on a label, you can be assured that the product contains 20% or more of the Daily Value for a nutrient such as Vitamin A, C, iron, or calcium per serving.
Good Source, Contains, or Provides Means….
This term applies to foods that contain 10 to 19%, of the Daily Value per serving for a specific nutrient, such as Vitamin A, C, iron, or calcium.
Lite or Light - What About These?
This term is used when describing a product that contains at least 1/3 fewer calories or 50% less fat then the reference food. This term can be used if the sodium content of a low-calorie, low-fat product has been reduced by 50 percent. The definition that applies must be specified on the label, for example Lite in fat. Light can also be used to describe texture or color if the label explains this reference. For example, light brown sugar is still allowed.
What About More?
More is used to describe a food that contains 10% more than the Daily Value of protein, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, or potassium than the reference food.
Lean and Extra Lean
This term applies only to the fat content of meats, poultry, seafood, or game meats.
Lean - the product contains less than 10 grams of fat, less than 4 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving (100 grams or 3 1/2 ounces)
Extra Lean - the product contains less than 5 grams of fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving (100 grams or 3 1/2 ounces)
Fresh
Fresh is used to describe a raw or unprocessed food that has never been frozen, heated or preserved. Fresh frozen, frozen fresh, and freshly frozen are terms allowed on foods that have been quickly frozen while fresh. Certain foods such as milk and bread are exempt if the food is generally accepted by the consumer as fresh.
So now it's time to take a quiz, to see if you really know what the terms on the labels mean:
I purchase a cake that says no sugar added. The product will be a low calorie product? Yes or No
No, not necessarily. The product may be made with fructose that is fruit sugar and has the same amount of calories per serving as sugar. The cake can also contain a large amount of fat.
If I am trying to limit the fat in my diet, which mayonnaise should I choose?
a. Reduced-fat mayonnaise
b. Low-fat mayonnaise
c. Lite mayonnaise
Regular mayonnaise contains about 11 grams of fat per tablespoon. Lite mayonnaise contains 50% less calories than the regular mayonnaise or 6 grams of fat per tablespoon. Reduced-fat mayonnaise contains 25% less fat than the regular mayonnaise, or 8 grams of fat per tablespoon. The low-fat mayonnaise contains 3 grams of fat or less per serving. So this would be your choice - the low-fat mayonnaise.
I want to increase the calcium in my diet. If I am searching for a cereal with added calcium and I want the higher calcium amount, which one would I choose?
a. a cereal's label that states rich in calcium
b. a cereal's label that states a good source of calcium
a. Rich means the cereal would provide 20% or more calcium per serving and A Good Source would provide 10-19%, so Rich would provide more calcium per serving.
Light brown sugar contains fewer calories than regular brown sugar per serving. True or false?
False. This term refers to the color of the brown sugar. Light olive oil also refers to the color and flavor, not the calories or fat. Label read on products such as these that can have two meanings for Lite. Some products that are labeled Lite are actually lower in fat or calories.
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