How to read a nutrition facts label

Nutrition Facts Label Step 1: Portion Size

the current “official” serving size of a beverage is 8 ounces (about 250mL). But, many drinks come in much larger cans and bottles – and they might contain two or more servings. So, if you guzzle a 16-ounce bottle of sweetened tea, you’ll be drinking two servings – which means you’ll need to double all the information on the nutrition facts panel (like the calories and the sugar content, for instance) to figure out how much you’ve taken in.

Nutrition Facts Label Step 2: Nutrients, Cholesterol and Fiber

Keep in mind that the total carbohydrate that’s listed includes all forms of carbohydrate – starch, sugar and fiber – and below that number you’ll find separate listings for fiber and sugar. The listing for “sugar” lumps together both added sugars as well as naturally-occurring sugars (like the natural sugar in milk or fruit) – so it’s not always easy to tell where the sugar is coming from without looking at the actual ingredients list. But an upcoming change in the Nutrition Label – due to take effect over the next two years – will make this easier; the new label will include a separate line for “added sugars” to distinguish them from the naturally-occurring ones.

Nutrition Label Step 3: % Daily Value

The other thing you’ll see on the label is a column with “% Daily Value”. Daily Values are standard, recommended levels of intake for various nutrients that are established by the US Food and Drug Administration for use on food labels. The information in this column tells you what percentage of the recommended intake for each nutrient is found in a serving of food. Keep in mind that these values are based on a 2000 calorie diet – which means they may not apply to everyone. But, even if a 2000 calorie diet doesn’t apply to you, you can still use the % Daily Value to see if a particular food is high or low in a nutrient you are interested in.

To read this article in its entirety, please click on the following link:

http://www.discovergoodnutrition.com/2015/12/nutrition-facts-label/

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