Food Nutrition Labels – How To Understand Them

The nutrition labels found on every commercially packaged food item in the grocery store are far from legible for many people. To help you understand how to use the label, lets look at each section in detail.

The serving size represents the amount of food recommended for one person to eat in one sitting. The rest of the information on the label is based upon that serving size. When comparing two similar foods, the serving size will usually be the same for easy comparison.

The % daily value indicates the amount of the nutrient contained in the food. The average person should consume 100% of their daily value in each category each day to stay healthy. This information is based on a diet of 2000 calories each day, which is the recommended amount for an average adult.

The basic vital nutrients you need each day are listed with the percentage of their daily value in the middle of the nutritional label. Using this information you can ensure that you are getting enough fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, protein, fiber and other necessary nutrients.

The vitamins and minerals section is very important and is often overlooked in our rush to keep our sodium intake low and our protein and fiber intake high. Make sure that you get 100 percent of each vitamin and mineral listed to keep yourself healthy. This can be difficult to do because packaged foods generally have lower amounts than fresh vegetables and fruits.

Once you understand how to interpret a food nutrition label, you will be able to calculate how much vitamins, minerals and nutrients you are consuming on a daily basis and can adjust your intake accordingly to achieve optimum health. Not getting enough of a certain vitamin or mineral can, in time, cause a variety of ailments that arise due to deficiencies.

Kansas or Kentucky families or individuals earning a low income might be eligible to receive Kansas food stamps, or Kentucky food stamps.

Be Sociable, Share!

•