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.
Click to READ
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.
FOR CONSULTATION
Call Our Nutritionist- +233277279565
This article was reviewed on Monday, 31st April,
2013 By Nu. Sallah
Stanley Kwesi (Nutritionist at Nutritional Talk)
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