Sunday, November 4, 2012

HOW TO READ NUTRITIONAL LABELS OF FOOD PRODUCTS | NUTALK

It’s a normal occurrence that most people just throw food products they purchase into their carts or takeaway bags without having a look at the nutritional information/label/facts of the said products. But, for health conscious people having a close look at what nutrients the food products provides is key to them either buying or putting it back on the shelf.


This is a very healthy practice as; having a look at the nutritional labels on food products will help you know at first hand, the amount of healthy and less healthy nutrients the said products contain. It also help you prevent exposure to foods you are allergic to.

 The importance of nutrition labels comes into play when you're making sure that you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients. The Daily Values or percent Daily Value you see listed on the nutrition panel assumes you eat a 2000-calorie daily diet.

Components on a nutritional label (as shown figure below);
1. Serving Size   2. Calories and Calories from Fat   3.The Nutrients  4. Daily Value Percentage  5. Footnote

Sections 1-5 provide information on the nutritional value of the food and vary for each food product.

Section 6 is a Footnote with Daily Values (DVs). The footnote provides information about the DVs for important nutrients, including fats, sodium and fiber. The DVs are listed for people who eat 2,000 or 2,500 calories each day (US, FDA, 2012).
The amounts for total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium are maximum amounts. That means you should try to stay below the amounts listed (US, FDA, 2012).
The DVs for total carbohydrate and dietary fiber daily represent the minimum amounts recommended for a 2000-calorie diet. This means you should consume at least this amount per day for each of these nutrients (US, FDA, 2012).
The footnote is only found on larger labels, and does not change from product to product (US, FDA, 2012).

1. Serving size
This section is the basis for determining number of calories, amount of each nutrient, and %DVs of a food. Use it to compare a serving size to how much you actually eat. Serving sizes are given in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by the metric amount, e.g., number of grams (US, FDA). The serving or serving size is an amount of food that a person four years of age or older would customarily eat at a meal (North Carolina State University).


2. Amount of Calories
If you want to manage your weight (lose, gain, or maintain), this section is especially helpful. The amount of calories is listed on the left side. The right side shows how many calories in one serving come from fat. In this example, there are 250 calories, 110 of which come from fat. The key is to balance how many calories you eat with how many calories your body uses. Tip: Remember that a product that's fat-free isn't necessarily calorie-free (US, FDA).
3. Limit these Nutrients
Eating too much total fat (including saturated fat and trans- fat), cholesterol, or sodium may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, such as heart disease, some cancers, or high blood pressure. The goal is to stay below 100%DV for each of these nutrients per day (US, FDA).

4. Get ENOUGH of these Nutrients
Most people don’t often don't get enough dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron in their diets. Eating enough of these nutrients may improve your health and help reduce the risk of some diseases and conditions (US, FDA).

This section tells you whether the nutrients (total fat, sodium, dietary fiber, etc.) in one serving of food contribute a little or a lot to your total daily diet.
 The %DVs is based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Each listed nutrient is based on 100% of the recommended amounts for that nutrient.
 For example, 18% for total fat means that one serving furnishes 18% of the total amount of fat that you could eat in a day and stay within public health recommendations. Use the Quick Guide to Percent DV (%DV): 5%DV or less is low and 20%DV or more is high.
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6. Footnote with Daily Values (%DVs)
The footnote provides information about the DVs for important nutrients, including fats, sodium and fiber. The DVs are listed for people who eat 2,000 or 2,500 calories each day. The amounts for total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium are maximum amounts. That means you should try to stay below the amounts listed.
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This article was reviewed on Monday, 31st April, 2013 By Nu. Sallah Stanley Kwesi (Nutritionist at Nutritional Talk)

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