Reading Nutrition Labels

Breaking down what actually is on those food labels and how they can help you to meet your nutrition goals.

As we stroll through the aisle of the grocery store looking at the variety of products that are available to us, it is easy to become overwhelmed by which choices to make and which ingredients or products meet our needs. Before you put that item in your basket, do you make it a point to turn the label around and read over the food nutrition label and ingredient list? I would say that most of us don’t as we assume that our general understanding of what goes in food is above adequate. However, takinging an extra minute or so to read that information on the back can have highly positive effects on the choices you are making for your meals. So let's break down that information on the back and see how we can make some better decisions.

​Types of food labels: It is important to note that the FDA has made some recent changes to food labels and the information that companies are required to provide to the consumer. Because of this, you might come across older labels as well as the new ones, so here is a side by side comparison.

Some of the most notable changes are in the larger and bold lettering of the calories and the separation of nutritional information of the per serving and per container amount of food. This allows for us to make an easier comparison of how many actual calories we may be having. You will see this separate “calories per container section” typically on items such as chips, candies, nuts and other bite sized food options. This information will be important to note because you can see if the serving size is actually a realistic portion that you would consume. For example, if a serving size of beef jerky is 200 calories for 2 pieces, are you realistically only going to have 2 pieces of jerky in one sitting? Or is it better to go with an option that is 100 calories for 2 pieces. That way you can enjoy a larger serving without the extra calories.

Other changes that were made to information provided on the labels are that calories from fat are no longer required to be listed; however, total fat and saturated fat are still noted. The new labels also include both total sugars and added sugars. This allows us to see how much sugar may have been added to a product that may already contain natural sugars,  which adds unnecessary carbohydrates to your meal. Finally, the amounts of Vitamin A and C have been removed from the label and replaced with Vitamin D and Potassium as it was felt by the FDA that people were achieving adequate amounts of A and C in a normal diet.
So how can each section of information provided on the label help you to make healthier choices? Let's take a look at what is listed.

• The number of servings per container: is the amount of single portions provided in a container based on a specified serving size.
• Serving size: is a ratio or proportion of the food that is decided to be a single serving and is used as a reference for the nutritional information provided. This can sometimes be deceiving if not read properly. For example at a glance the nutrition label for a protein bar might say 200 calories per serving. But a serving may only be listed as ½ of the bar so the consumer could be unknowingly eating 2x the amount of calories than they thought.
• Total calories per serving: As mentioned prior the total calories per serving is based on the specified serving size so if a product has an older nutritional label or does not have a separate column designating per serving vs. per container label it is important to look at how many servings are in the whole container.
• Amount of total fat per serving (in grams), saturated fat (in grams), and trans fat (in grams): saturated fats tend to Raise LDL cholesterol levels and recommended intake should be less than 7% of daily calories per day. Trans fats are sometimes naturally occurring in meats and dairy but can also be added through oils, and increase risk of heart disease. Try to choose foods with the lowest possible amounts of these fats.
• Cholesterol (in milligrams): excess cholesterol can like fats can increase risk of heart disease.
• Sodium (in milligrams): Generally the amount of salt that has been added or naturally occurs in the product. So if you are on a dash diet or suffer from high blood pressure this may be important for you
• Total carbohydrates (in grams): For those who are on a keto diet or watching their carb intake this will be a very important number to look at. Daily recommended allowance of carbs is around 45-65%, so make sure to refer to the DV% to make sure you are not exceeding your daily carbs. Also don’t be fooled by thinking that Gluten free or substitute flour options generally have less carbs, this may not be the case.
• Dietary fiber (in grams): Dietary fiber can be a way to cut out the amount of carbs that you are consuming because as a general rule of thumb 1 gram of fiber will cancel out 1 gram of carbs which can be quite helpful for those trying to limit carb intake. Dietary fiber has many great health benefits so look for options with high dietary fiber.
• Total sugars and added sugars (in grams): Remember sugar +Carbs so that is why it will be listed under the Total carbohydrate sub group. Its always a good idea to pay attention to see if any sugars are being sneaked into foods you might not expect, such as tomato sauces, dressings, ect.
• Protein (in grams): For those that are striving for a high protein diet may look to exceed the Daily recommended intake of .8 g/lb of body. But it is important to remember that the body can only use and store so much protein before it becomes waste, so check the label and keep a mental log of amounts of protein that you may be consuming throughout the day. 
• Amounts and the Percent Daily Value for the following vitamins and minerals: vitamin D (in micrograms), calcium (in milligrams), iron (in milligrams), and potassium (in milligrams):  The Percentage for daily recommended intake is listed next the the micronutrient or mineral. The four listed above are the ones that the FDA requires all food labels have, other companies may add extra to keep their customers informed but that may not always be the case. Most people will reach adequate macronutrient levels with a consistent diet of whole grains, fruit, vegetables and proteins.

Contact us today about having one of our chefs help you find the right diet to suit your needs!