How to Read a Nutrition Facts Label
Being able to read a nutrition facts label is a crucial step to selecting the right fuel source!
Step 1: Look at the serving size
- Look at the serving size and the number of servings per package
- A package may contain more than 1 serving
- Compare your typical portion size to the one listed on the nutrition facts label
- For instance, if the serving is 1 cup and you typically have 2 cups, that indicates you are consuming twice the calories and nutrients
Step 2: Look at the total calories
- Calories refer to the total number of calories provided from all sources (including fat, carbohydrates, and protein) in one serving of the food item
- Did you know? 100 calories per serving is considered moderate & 400 calories per serving is considered high!
Step 3: Look at the nutrition terms
The nutrition terms tell you about the nutrients in each serving. Food companies may label a food "high" or "low" in a nutrient based on the nutritional content in each serving.
- Calorie Free: < 5 calories per serving
- Low Calorie: ≤ 40 calories per serving
- Fat Free/Sugar Free: < 1/2 gram of fat or sugar per serving
- Low Sugar: ≤ 5% of DV from added sugar per serving
- High Sugar: ≥ 20% of DV from added sugar per serving
- Did you know? Some foods contain natural sugars while "added sugars" indicates that sugar was added during manufacturing.
- High Fiber: ≥ 20% of DV from fiber per serving
- Low Fat: ≤ 3 grams of fat per serving
- Low Saturated Fat: ≤ 1 gram per serving, with ≤ 5% of calories from saturated fat
- Low Cholesterol: ≤ 20 mg per serving
- Low Sodium: ≤ 140 mg per serving
- Very Low Sodium: ≤ 35 mg per serving
Step 4: Check out the % Daily Values (DV)
- The percent daily value tells you the percentage of each nutrient in a serving based on the daily recommended amount for a standard 2,000 calories per day
- The percent DV can help make sure you to determine if you are getting a little or a lot of a nutrient
- Reminder: A person's daily calories needed may be higher or lower than the reference standard based on individual characteristics (height, weight, age, sex, & physical activity)
Nutrition Facts Label Activity!
What do you think?
Read the question at the top of the label &
click on the colored section that you think is the best response.