Breaking Down Food Labels
If you are looking to eat a healthier well balanced diet,
learning how to read a food label will help you make better
choices! Reading these labels can be tricky, so refer to the
tips below to make your next trip to the grocery store a
healthier one!
1. Where to begin:
Start by looking at the top of the label for the single serving size and the total number of
servings per package. A lot of food companies will "trick" you in into thinking a food item is
lower in calories, sodium, sugar or fats due to minimizing the serving size on the food label.
2. The calories:
Even though all calories are not created equal, it is important to understand how many
calories you will be consuming per single serving size. Keep in mind, if you plan on eating
more than one serving size; take that into consideration when counting your calorie intake!
3. Take a look at the fat content:
Based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet, no more than 11-13 grams of saturated fat and as little
trans-fat as possible should be consumed. Unfortunately, if a food item has 0.5 trans- fats or
less per serving size, it can be labeled as 0 trans- fats! Refer to the ingredient tips below to
make sure you are staying away from these hidden bad fats!
4. Limit the amount of sodium you ingest:
It is recommended by the American Heart Association to limit sodium intake below 1,500
mg a day.
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5. The good stuff:
It is important to not only focus on what you should NOT be eating, but what healthy
nutrients you should be ingesting. Some of these healthy nutrients are fiber, protein,
calcium, iron and vitamins. These recommendations may differ for your age, gender and
health risk status, but for most adults, it is recommended to consume about 25- 30 grams of
fiber per day, about 0.36 grams per pound you weigh in protein, about1,000 mg of calcium
per day and about 17- 21 mg of iron per day.
6. % Daily Value:
Most consumers do not understand the % Daily Value (DV) portion of the food label. This
column explains the percentage of each nutrient in a single serving, in terms of the daily
recommended amount. If you want to consume less of a nutrient, like sodium, choose foods
with a lower percentage daily value- 5% or less. If you want to consume more of a specific
nutrient, such as fiber, then seek foods with a higher percentage daily value- 20% or more.
It is also important to understand that all the information listed on a food label is based on
2,000 calories a day. You may need to eat more or less than 2,000 calories a day
depending on your age, gender, activity level and if you are trying to lose, gain or maintain
your weight.
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Ingredients:
The last item to focus on when reading a nutrition label is the ingredient section. Below are
4 tips when it comes to reading this section:

Ingredients are listed in order of quantity- whatever there is the most of, will be listed
first.

There are many terms used for sugars, the most popular: high-fructose corn syrup or
corn syrup, agave nectar, fructose syrup, barley malt syrup or dehydrated cane juice.

Sodium also has several names: salt, sodium benzoate, disodium or monosodium
glutamate (MSG).

Trans- fats are labeled as "partially hydrogenated oil" and "hydrogenated oil".
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Remember a product can be listed as "0 trans- fat" as long as the single
serving size has less than 0.5 grams of trans- fat, so be sure to always look
for these ingredients.
Test your wellness knowledge from this article by taking the September Wellness Quiz.
The above wellness information was obtained from the American Heart Association.
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