| Food Label Lingo
Many people ignore food labels because decoding them seems to be more trouble that its worth. If this describes you, let us take the mystery out of reading food labels. Go to our sample label and learn what each entry represents and how it can help you maintain a balanced and healthy diet.
Now that you know whats on a food label, its good to understand how to interpret the information. The Daily Values on food labels are reference numbers established by the government based on current nutrition recommendations. The % Daily Value shows you how a food fits into a 2,000-calorie reference diet.
The % Daily Values can help you compare the nutrient content of foods. You can use the % Daily Values to see how much of a specific nutrient a food contains compared to other food products.
The % Daily Values can help you balance your daily diet within current nutrition recommendations. For example, suppose that you eat 2,000 calories a day. If the % Daily Values for dietary fiber in all the foods you eat in one day add up to 100 percent, your diet meets the recommendation for fiber.
The Daily Values on the nutrition label are only reference amounts. If you eat more or less than 2,000 calories per day, you'll need to adjust the % Daily Values for fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, fiber and protein. (The Daily Values for cholesterol, sodium, vitamins and minerals stay the same for all calorie levels.) Follow these steps to adjust the % Daily Values to meet your personal nutrient needs.
Step 1: Rate your activity level.
Choose the category that best describes how active you are.
Lightly Active — You participate only in light or low-intensity physical activities such as leisure walking, biking, golfing, square dancing, household chores and light gardening, etc.
Moderately Active — You participate in moderate to somewhat hard physical activities, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, aerobic dance, tennis or heavy household chores or gardening, etc., about three times per week for 30-60 minutes each time.
Very Active — You participate in vigorous physical activities such as running, hiking, stair climbing, cross-country skiing, basketball, lap swimming and high-intensity aerobic dance, etc., four or more times per week for 60 minutes or more each time.
Step 2: Estimate your daily calorie needs.
Your age, gender and activity level are three factors that influence your daily calorie needs. Find your calorie level on the chart below.
Women
|
Age
|
Lightly Active
|
Moderately Active
|
Very Active
|
|
19-24
|
1,800
|
2,200
|
2,600
|
|
24-50
|
1,800
|
2,200
|
2,600
|
|
51+
|
1,700
|
2,000
|
2,400
|
Men
|
Age
|
Lightly Active
|
Moderately Active
|
Very Active
|
|
19-24
|
2,300
|
3,000
|
3,700
|
|
24-50
|
2,300
|
3,000
|
3,800
|
|
51+
|
2,000
|
2,600
|
3,200
|
Step 3: Determine Your Own Nutrient Needs.
Find your calorie level on the chart below and identify your nutrient needs. If your daily calorie level is not listed, use the nutrient needs for the next lower calorie level. Now, read across the row and note your adjusted % Daily Value. For example, if you eat 1,600 calories per day, your adjusted % Daily Value is 80 percent. This means that the total % Daily Value for each nutrient (fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, fiber or protein) in all foods you eat in one day should add up to 80 percent.
| Nutrient Needs for Different Calorie Levels |
|
Calorie Level
|
Total Fat
|
Saturated Fat
|
Total Carbohydrates
|
Dietary Fiber
|
Protein
|
Your Adjusted % Daily Value
|
|
1,600
|
53
|
18
|
240
|
20**
|
46***
|
80
|
|
1,800
|
60
|
20
|
270
|
20**
|
46***
|
90
|
|
2,000*
|
65
|
20
|
300
|
25
|
50
|
100
|
|
2,200
|
73
|
24
|
330
|
25
|
55
|
110
|
|
2,500
|
80
|
25
|
375
|
30
|
65
|
125
|
|
2,800
|
93
|
31
|
420
|
32
|
70
|
140
|
|
3,200
|
107
|
36
|
480
|
37
|
80
|
160
|
Note: Numbers may be rounded. These nutrient/calorie levels do not apply to children or adolescents.
*These values are used to determine % Daily Values listed on food labels for a 2,000-calorie reference diet.
**20 grams is the minimum amount of fiber recommended for all calorie levels below 2,000.
***46 grams is the minimum amount of protein recommended for all calorie levels below 1,800.
Some foods will be allowed to include a health claim on the label if it meets strict government regulations. A health claim describes the relationship between a food or nutrient and the risk of developing a disease or health-related condition. Several of them are listed below:
- Eating enough calcium might help to prevent osteoporosis (thin, brittle bones).
- Eating a diet low in sodium may help to control high blood pressure.
- Eating a diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat may help to prevent heart disease.
- Eating fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fiber may help to prevent heart disease.
- Eating a diet low in fat might help to reduce your risk of some types of cancer.
- Eating fiber-containing grain products, fruits and vegetables may help to reduce the risk of some types of cancer.
- Eating fruits and vegetables that are good sources of vitamin A, vitamin C or dietary fiber may help to reduce the risk of some types of cancer.
Low calorie, high fiber, lite, fat free — ever wonder what these nutrition claims really mean? The chart below will help to clear up the confusion. Nutrition claims can be used on a label only if the food meets strict definitions set by the government. But be careful, these claims can sometimes be misleading.
|
Nutrition claim
|
What it means*
|
|
Calorie Free
|
Less than 5 calories
|
|
Low Calorie
|
40 calories or less
|
|
Light or Lite
|
1/3 fewer calories or 50 percent less fat (If more than half the calories come from fat, fat content must be reduced by 50 percent or more.)
|
|
Light in Sodium
|
50 percent less sodium than the regular product
|
|
Fat Free
|
Less than 1/2 a gram fat
|
|
Low Fat
|
3 grams or less fat
|
|
X% Fat Free
|
A product bearing this claim must be a low-fat or a fat-free product. In addition, the claim must accurately reflect the amount of fat present in 100 grams of the food. Thus, if a food contains 2.5 grams of fat per 50 grams, the claim must be "95 percent fat free."
|
|
Cholesterol Free
|
Less than 2 milligrams cholesterol and 2 grams or less saturated fat
|
|
Low Cholesterol
|
20 milligrams or less per serving and 2 grams or less saturated fat
|
|
Sodium Free
|
Less than 5 milligrams sodium
|
|
Low Sodium
|
140 milligrams or less of sodium
|
|
High Fiber
|
5 grams or more of fiber
|
|
Sugar Free
|
Less than 1/2 gram sugar such as table sugar, honey, corn sweeteners, etc. (Product may contain sugar alcohols such as mannitol, sorbitol and xylitol.)
|
|
Reduced, Lower, Less, Fewer
|
At least 25 percent less of a nutrient or calories than the regular product
|
|
Lean
|
Meat, poultry and fish with less than 10 grams total fat, 4.5 grams saturated fat and 95 milligrams cholesterol per 100 grams (about 3.5 oz)
|
|
Extra Lean
|
Meat, poultry and fish with less than 5 grams total fat, 2 grams saturated fat and 95 milligrams cholesterol per 100 grams (about 3.5 oz)
|
|
All natural
|
There is no legal definition for the term "natural."
|
*Per reference amount of the product as established by government regulations.
Now it's time to test your skill and apply what you've learned.
Reading labels may seem awkward and time-consuming at first. The more you practice, the more skilled you will become at using label information to compare products and balance daily menus. Review our label-reading suggestions for things you can do to put your skills into action.
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