| Nutrients Fat, Sugar, Sodium and Carbohydrate
The sections on a food label shows
the name of a nutrient and the
amount of that nutrient provided
by one serving of food. You may
need to know this information,
especially if you have high blood
pressure, diabetes or are eating
a diet that restricts certain
nutrients such as sodium or carbohydrates.
Food labels also include information
about how much sugar and protein
is in the food. If you are following
a low-sugar diet or you're monitoring
your protein intake, it's easy
to spot how much of those nutrients
are contained in one serving.
Vitamins, Minerals and Other Information
The light purple part of the label
lists nutrients, vitamins and
minerals in the food and their
percent daily values. Try to average
100% DV every day for vitamins
A and C, calcium, iron and fiber.
Do the opposite with fat, saturated
fat, sodium and cholesterol. Try
to eat less than 100% DV of these.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When
Reading a Food Label Until you
become accustomed to reading food
labels, it's easy to become confused.
Avoid these common mistakes when
reading labels: -A label may say
that the food is reduced fat or
reduced sodium. That means that
the amount of fat or sodium has
been reduced by 25% from the original
product. It doesn't mean, however,
that the food is low in fat or
sodium. For example, if a can
of soup originally had 1,000 milligrams
of sodium, the reduced sodium
product would still be a high-sodium
food. -Don't confuse the % DV
for fat with the percentage of
calories from fat. If the % DV
is 15% that doesn't mean that
15% of the calories comes from
fat. Rather, it means that you're
using up 15% of all the fat you
need for a day with one serving
(based on a meal plan of 2,000
calories per day). -Don't make
the mistake of assuming that the
amount of sugar on a label means
that the sugar has been added.
For example, milk naturally has
sugar, which is called lactose.
But that doesn't mean you should
stop drinking milk because milk
is full of other important nutrients
including calcium. Reading Label
Lingo In addition to requiring
that packaged foods contain a
Nutrition Facts label, the FDA
also regulates the use of phrases
and terms used on the product
packaging. Here's a list of common
phrases you may see on your food
packaging and what they actually
mean. No fat or fat free - Contains
less than 1/2 gram of fat per
serving Lower or reduced fat:
Contains at least 25 percent less
per serving than the reference
food. (An example might be reduced
fat cream cheese, which would
have at least 25 percent less
fat than original cream cheese.)
Low fat - Contains less than 3
grams of fat per serving. Lite
- Contains 1/3 the calories or
1/2 the fat per serving of the
original version or a similar
product. No calories or calorie
free - Contains less than 5 calories
per serving. Low calories - Contains
1/3 the calories of the original
version or a similar product.
Sugar free - Contains less than
1/2 gram of sugar per serving.
Reduced sugar - at least 25% less
sugar per serving than the reference
food. No preservatives - Contains
no preservatives (chemical or
natural). No preservatives added
- Contains no added chemicals
to preserve the product. Some
of these products may contain
natural preservatives. Low sodium
- Contains less than 140 mgs of
sodium per serving. No salt or
salt free - Contains less than
5 mgs of sodium per serving. High
fiber - 5 g or more per serving
(Foods making high-fiber claims
must meet the definition for low
fat, or the level of total fat
must appear next to the high-fiber
claim). Good source of fiber -
2.5 g to 4.9 g. per serving. More
or added fiber - Contains at least
2.5 g more per serving than the
reference food. With a little
practice, you will be able to
put your new found knowledge about
food labeling to work. Reassess
your diet and decide what needs
to be changed. Start by eliminating
the foods that don't measure-up
to your nutritional wants and
needs, and replacing them with
more nutritional substitutes.
And while you're at it, visit
the FDA website and learn about
the new labeling requirements,
including those for "trans" fat.
Like saturated fats, trans fats
can raise levels of low-density
lipoproteins (LDL) and increase
your risk of heart disease. The
"Nutrition Facts" panel on food
packaging must provide this information
beginning January 1, 2006, but
most manufacturers will start
providing it sooner. The information
contained in this article is for
educational purposes only and
is not intended to medically diagnose,
treat or cure any disease. Consult
a health care practitioner before
beginning any health care program.
Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle
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