How to use nutrition intelligence to understand food labels?

is meant to provide users with information about the product's contents. It contains the name of the products, contents, date marking, nutritional information and many more.

Studies show reading nutrition labels was associated with a higher intake of fibre, calcium, and vitamin C, and a lower intake of calories and carbohydrates. Understanding nutrition labels and using them to make appropriate food choices is a crucial part of improving diet and metabolic health.

• How much of a given type of food is considered a serving
• How many calories are in each serving of food
• Which ingredients are used to make a given serving of food
• How much fat is in a serving, including saturated and trans fats
• How much sodium is in a serving
• How many grams of carbohydrates are in each serving, including grams of sugar and fibre
• How many grams of protein is in each serving
• How well a given food item meets other important nutritional needs

The information in the main or top section of the nutrition label can vary with each food product. It contains product-specific information like serving size, calories, and nutrient information. The bottom part contains a footnote with Daily Values (DVs) for 2,000 and 2,500-calorie diets. This footnote provides recommended dietary information for important nutrients, including fats, sodium and fibre. The footnote is found only on larger packages and does not change from product to product.

• The official term used on food labels is to talk about how much one eats
• Nutrition facts given on the food label are based on one serving
• Be sure to look at the number of servings in the container
• Even small containers may have more than one serving
• If eaten the whole container, then one must multiply the nutrition values by the number of servings in the container

• Tell how much energy is in the food
• The calories listed are for one serving of the food

• It is the amount of fat found in one serving of food
• Total fat includes the amount of “bad fats” (saturated and trans) and “good fats” (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated)
• Fat is higher in calories than protein or carbohydrates
• Cutting back on fat intake will help reduce the number of calories eaten

• Considered as a “bad” fat
• Eating too much can raise cholesterol levels (and LDL or bad cholesterol) and the risk of heart disease and stroke
• Limit saturated fat intake to less than 5 to 6% of total calories
• For a person who needs 2,000 calories a day, this is 120 calories or less, or about 13 grams of saturated fat

• Also considered a “bad fat”
• it raises LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart disease
• Choose foods with “0” grams of trans fat
• Read the ingredient list to avoid foods that contain “partially hydrogenated” oils.
• Everyone can benefit from limiting trans fat

• It is found in foods that come from animals, such as meats, poultry, seafood, eggs and full-fat dairy products
• It is recommended to eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible within a healthy diet pattern

• It is present in food products as both naturally occurring and added sodium
• Table salt is sodium chloride
• Most people should take in less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day
• That’s equal to a little more than ½ teaspoon of salt

• These are digested and converted into glucose, or sugar, to provide the body’s cells with energy
• Choose carbohydrate-based foods with high amounts of nutrients
• These include vegetables, fruits and whole-grains and cereals

• These make up the parts of plants and the body can’t digest
• As part of a healthy diet, soluble fibre can help decrease the risk of heart disease and some types of cancer
• Whole grains and fruits and vegetables include dietary fibre
• Most refined (processed) grains contain little fibre

• These include both sugars that occur naturally in foods, such as fruit and milk and sugars that are added to foods and beverages, such as those in desserts, candies and soft drinks

• It is a newer category on the label
• The FDA’s Dietary Guidelines recommend that less than 10% of total daily calories come from added sugar
• There are lots of different names for “added sugars,” such as sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltose, dextrose, high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice and honey
• Look at the ingredient list and buy foods and beverages that don’t have a lot of added sugars

• It is one of the components in food that helps build muscles
• Animal protein contains saturated fat
• Choose fish and skinless poultry
• Limit intake of red and processed meats
• Use low-fat or fat-free dairy products
• Try other sources of protein, such as beans, nuts, seeds, tofu and other soy-based products

• These are important parts of the diet
• Eating a variety of foods will help reach the daily goal of 100% of essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium

% Daily Value

• These tell about what percentage of each nutrient is in a single serving based on the recommended daily amount
• To consume less of a nutrient, choose foods with 5% DV or less
• To consume more, choose foods with 20% DV or more

Nutritional labelling is very crucial in influencing consumers to purchase a product. Nutrition labelling is paramount because it helps make healthier food choices to avoid diet-related diseases and maintain ideal body weight. Also encourages to have better dietary intake and reduces the consumption of unhealthy food. Focusing on nutritional labelling while purchasing the product, definitely assists to get all those benefits and thus contributes to a better lifestyle. The more one practice and read nutrition labels, the easier it will become to quickly skim through and find the information they need. The right way is to keep reading, keep interpreting, and keep making smart decisions to make the most out of every bite.