Making Sense of the
“Label Language”
How Can You Really Know if a
Food is a Healthy Choice?
You’ve seen the claims: “Fat-free”, “Reduced
Fat”, “Sugar-free”, “Reduced Sodium”, “Light.”
The claims can be confusing and sometimes
misleading. How are you supposed to know what’s
really a healthy food choice?
The next slide will help you “decode” the claims,
but learning to read food labels will help you to get
the whole scoop about what you’re eating!
What do the claims on the front of the package mean?
THE CLAIM:
WHAT IT MEANS:
ABOUT FATS:
Fat Free
Less than 0.5 gram per serving
Low Saturated Fat
1 gram or less per serving
Low Fat
3 grams or less per serving
Reduced Fat
At least 25% less fat than regular version
ABOUT CALORIES:
Calorie Free
Less than 5 calories per serving
Low Calorie
40 calories or less per serving
Reduced or less calories
At least 25% fewer cals than regular version
Light or lite
Half the fat or 1/3 the calories of the regular version
ABOUT SODIUM:
Sodium free or salt free
Less than 5 mg per serving
Very low sodium
35 mg or less per serving
Low sodium
140 mg or less per serving
Low sodium meal
140 mg or less per 3.5 oz
Reduced or less sodium
At least 25% less sodium than regular version
Light in sodium
Half the sodium of the regular version
Unsalted or no salt added
No salt added to product during processing
Where Should I Start on the
Label?
1. Start here
2. Check calories
3. Limit these
nutrients
4. Get enough of
these
These
recommendations
are for those eating a
2,000 or 2,500
calorie per day diet
% Daily Values are
based on the
assumption that
you eat 2,000
calories per day
Quick Guide to %
Daily Value
•5% or less is
considered low
•20% or more is
considered high
High in cholesterol
Low in fiber
Serving Size
How much are you eating?
The MOST important
thing you’ll find on the
label!
The serving size tells you
how much of the food
item all the other values
are based on.
Most folks will look at a
small bag of chips and
assume that the entire
bag is one serving, but it
is very common for small
packages to contain
several servings to make
the food item appear
healthier.
The number of
servings per container
can be particularly
helpful when the
serving size is listed in
ounces, grams, or
something more
difficult to visualize.
More on the Quick Guide to
% Daily Value
Looking under the % Daily Value can make
label reading a lot easier! How?
• If something is 5% or less, it is considered to
be low in that.
• If something is 20% or higher, it is
considered to be high in that.
How does that help me? To eat a healthier diet,
look for foods that are closer to the low side
(5% or less) in things like Saturated fat,
Cholesterol, Sodium; and higher
(20% or more) in Fiber.
Calories
This helps you to
identify how
many calories are
in the food item
General Guide to Calories
•40 calories is low
•100 calories is moderate
•400 calories or more is
high
This information is
important to help
you maintain, lose,
or gain weight
Remember:
The number of calories
listed here is based on the
serving size listed at the
top. Something may
appear to be low in
calories, but simply be for
a very small serving size.
Calories From Fat
Gram per gram, fat
and alcohol contain
more calories than
carbohydrates or
protein
Fat: 9 calories per gram
Alcohol: 7 calories per
gram
Protein: 4 calories per
gram
Carbohydrates: 4 calories
per gram
Calories can come
from fat,
carbohydrates,
protein, or alcohol.
Calories listed here
are from fat.
The remaining fat is
either mono or
polyunsaturated fats,
which are liquid at room
temperature. They will
also be liquid in your
arteries (unlike saturated
fats, which are solids &
will be solids in your
arteries).
Saturated fat is a bad
fat that raises your LDL
(“lousy”) cholesterol,
which deposits on your
artery walls, causing
blockages. Saturated fat
comes from animal
products such as
cheese, beef, milk.
Should not exceed 7%
of your total calories
for the day.
Fat
Keep fat to <30% of your
calories each day.
Trans fats are another bad
fat. These were designed to
help preserve foods and
keep them tasty. These fats
increase your LDL (“lousy”)
cholesterol AND decrease
your HDL (“healthy”)
cholesterol. These are
labeled as “hydrogenated”
or “partially hydrogenated
oils” on ingredient lists.
Found in vegetable
shortenings, some
margarines, crackers,
cookies, other snack foods.
Their may be a claim on the
front of the package that
there are “No Trans Fats”
but that can be per serving.
Look at the ingredient label
to be sure.
Keep them to a minimum!
Less than 1% of your total
daily calories.
Cholesterol
Aim to eat less
than 300 mg of
cholesterol each
day
Some commonly eaten
cholesterol-containing
foods include:
•Eggs (~200mg per yolk)
•Shellfish (50-100mg per
½ cup)
•“Organ” meats such as
liver (375mg per 3 oz.)
•Whole milk (30 mg per
cup)
Sodium
Watch out for
processed foods!
Sodium is used to
help preserve them
and allow for a
longer shelf life.
Choose frozen foods,
soups, cereals, baked and
other processed foods that
are labeled “reduced
sodium”
Limit high-sodium
condiments & foods, such as
soy sauce, steak sauce,
worchestershire sauce,
flavored seasoning salts,
pickles, olives
Replace salt with herbs &
spices or some of the saltfree seasoning mixes. Use
lemon juice, citrus zest, or
hot chilies to add flavor
Some people – African
Americans, middleaged and older adults &
people with high blood
pressure need less than
1,500 mg per day
Aim to eat <2,300 mg of
sodium per day
Try rinsing certain foods,
such as canned tuna and
salmon, feta cheese & capers
to remove some of the
sodium
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates
are responsible
for providing
your body with
energy
Good Sources of
Carbohydrates:
•Bread (choose whole-wheat or
whole-grains)
•Rice (choose brown rice)
•Pasta (choose whole-wheat pastas)
•Potatoes
•Fruits
•Vegetables
•Beans
Fiber
Aim to eat at least
25 g of fiber per
day
(If you are not used to
eating a diet high in fiber,
slowly increase your fiber
intake to avoid
gastrointestinal effects.)
Foods such as whole grain
breads, brown or wholegrain rice, whole-grain
cereals, oatmeal, beans,
fruits (especially with
skins), and vegetables are
good sources of fiber.
Why is Fiber so
Good for you?
• Slows the release of
insulin, protecting
against diabetes
•Helps to maintain
regularity, protecting
against colon cancer
•Provides a feeling of
fullness, helping to
maintain a healthy
weight
Identifying
Whole
Grain
Products
Many products claim to be
“Whole Grain”, “Whole Wheat”,
or “Multi Grain” that are not.
Look at the ingredient list for the
whole story!
When the first
ingredient listed
contains the words
“whole wheat…”,
“whole grain…”, or
“whole oat…” the
food item is a
whole grain
More on Whole Grains…
Be on the lookout for tricky
ingredients like “enriched wheat
flour.” It contains the word
“wheat”, but is not a wholewheat product. Be sure to look
for products saying “whole
wheat flour”, “whole grain flour”,
not “enriched.”
This number also
includes naturally
occurring sugars (like
those found in fruits &
milk) as well as those
added to a food or
drink.
There is no
recommended amount
of sugar to be eaten per
day. Keep added sugars
to a minimum.
Sugar
To determine if the
sugar is added, look
at the Ingredients
section of the label. If
you see “corn syrup”,
“high fructose corn
syrup”, “fruit juice
concentrate”,
“maltose”, “dextrose”,
“sucrose”, “honey”, or
“maple syrup” listed,
these are added
sugars.
Protein
Your protein needs will
vary depending on your
gender, physical
activity level, and
weight.
A lot of foods that are
high in protein are also
high in Saturated fat.
Look for lean sources of
protein. Some good
ideas include skinless
chicken breast, lean
ground beef, or lean
ground turkey breast,
beans, etc.
To Determine Your
Protein Needs
(For the general population):
1. Take your weight
(lbs) & divide by 2.2
2. Take that number
and multiply by 0.8.
(If you are an athlete,
multiply the # you got
in Step 1 by “1”
instead of “0.8”).
3. That will give you a
recommended # of
grams of protein you
should eat per day
Ingredient Lists
The first
ingredient
listed is the
main
ingredient in
the item. As you
go farther
down the list,
there is less and
less of the
ingredient in
the item.
Identifies this
food as
containing
trans fats