How To Understand Food Labels - How To Read Food Labels

Health claims on food packages can be confusing, and it's sometimes hard to reconcile the information of the front of the package with what's on the nutrition facts panel on the back of the package.

Have you ever gotten confused by the information on the food labels on the food you buy to eat? Especially when you are trying to cut calories, fat, and carbohydrates.

Do you read the labels on the food you buy? If you don't, it is time to educate yourself and start reading the labels of foods you buy for yourself and your family. What are those food labels really saying? A food label is like a recipe - It tells you what's in the food you eat. Don't you want to know what you're putting into your body? In order to plan a healthy diet, you must know how to read a food label.

This article will help you make quick, informed choices that that can help contribute to healthy eating through more informed label reading.

When trying to figure out what the food you are thinking of buying actually contains, ignore the front of the package hype! It is just that - marketing hype. Manufacturers can't actually lie on labeling, but they can stretch the true when trying to get your attention to buy their product.

Every packaged food must include a list of ingredients. The ingredient in largest quantity is listed first, while the one in smallest quantity is listed last.

Recommended serving size/Calories per serving. The first items, at the top of the label, you'll notice are Serving Size and Servings Per Container. Serving Size is a standard measure of food. Servings Per Container represents the number of servings found in the food package. Serving size can be expressed in kitchen terms - cups, spoons, slices, ounces, and also in grams. Serving size tells how much food makes up a single serving. All data on the label is based on the serving size stated.

Amount Per Serving - Shows the number of calories found in a single food serving. Multiply this number by the serving size and it should equal, or come close to, the total volume of the package.

Sample Food Label on left: Always remember that the calories listed are based on one (1) individual serving from the container. 4 servings x 280 calories = 1,230 total calories in the container/box/bottle on the sample food label.

Calories from fat - Food labels show Calories from Fat so you can limit the amount of fat you eat for a healthier diet. The rule of thumb is that no more than 30% of your daily calories should come from fat. Higher fat foods should be eaten in smaller portions.

% Daily Value - This section tells you what percentage of the total recommended daily amount of each nutrient (fats, carbs, proteins, major vitamins, and minerals) is in each serving, based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet.

Total Fat - This equals the number of grams of fat per serving of the food. A heart-healthy diet limits foods containing saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium.

Saturated Fat - A fat that is solid at room temperature and comes chiefly from animal food products and some plants. Some examples of saturated fat include foods such as beef, lamb, pork, lard, butter, cream, whole milk and high fat cheese. Plant sources include coconut oil, cocoa butter, palm oil and palm kernel oil. Saturated fat causes high LDL cholesterol levels -- a risk for cardiovascular disease.

Trans Fat - Also known as also known as trans fatty acid. Trans fat is a specific type of fat formed when liquid fats are made into solid fats by the addition of hydrogen atoms, in a process strangely enough known as hydrogenation. Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and foods that contain them. Trans fat is found in vegetable shortenings and in some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods and other foods. Small amounts of trans fats are found naturally in certain animal based foods. Trans fat is what is considered unhealthy fat.

Cholesterol- This line tells you how many milligrams of cholesterol and what percent this is of the recommended daily value.

Sodium/salt - The latest recommendation for sodium is less than 2,400 mg of sodium per day, or about a teaspoon of table salt.

Total carbohydrates - Tells you how many grams of carbohydrates are in each serving and the percentage of the Daily Value this represents. This number includes starches, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, added sugar sweeteners, and non-digestible additives.

Fiber - Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate and aids in elimination. At least 15 grams of fiber per day is recommended.

Protein - Many foods contain some protein but meat, fish, poultry and dairy foods are highest. Protein needs average between 50-100 grams per day.

Percent Daily Values - This section gives some estimated nutrients per 2000 and 2500 calories.