How to Read Food Labels: Supermarket Nutrition Demystified

Do you remember the days when you can just go into your supermarket and load your cart with food and other products, and head for the check-out? Supermarket shopping use to be a no-fuss-no-muss ordeal, but today, there is more awareness and emphasis placed on the foods we consume and how it does influence our overall health and wellness. With so many people pursuing healthy lifestyles, which include healthy eating habits, there is more reading going on in the supermarket - reading of labels that is.

However, one glance at a nutrition label could send someone, especially a novice, into a panic frenzy. What does it all mean? There are all these numbers, hard to read words, percentages, and facts that you almost feel dumbfounded when trying to understand what it all means. This can often encourage someone, who was thinking about reading labels to make sure they are eating more healthful and quality foods, to forget the reading and just buy whatever they need.

But, reading food nutrition labels does not have to be intimidating. Once you take the guess work out of what it all means, reading a food label can be a quick and easy task that will require little extra time during your supermarket sweep.

So, what does it all mean? Your typical food label can be found on the back or side of the product, and will be a white panel with black text. The label will be separated into sections that cover: nutritional facts about the product, facts specific to the serving amount, information about the actual nutrients in the products, daily percent values, and a footnote area at the bottom of the label.

Let's take a closer look at each section:

The "Nutrition Facts" section will tell the consumer about information regarding the product serving. There will be specific information on what constitutes an actual serving size for the product; for example, a box of crackers may have a nutritional serving size of 10 crackers, and those 10 crackers will be equal to 40 grams. The serving size is generally based on how much the average person will eat of this product in one sitting. Serving sizes are also measured in standard household measurements like cups, ounces, and grams. This section will also note, for the consumer, how many actual servings can be found in this specific item. So, if one serving of crackers consists of 10 crackers, there may be 9 of those 10 cracker servings in that one box. Knowing what a food products nutritional serving amount consists of will help you further understand the nutritional values that are in that specified amount.

Under the "Nutrition Facts" section, you will find information related to the amount of calories contained in each serving of the product. "Calories" refer to the actual amount of energy that is packed into one serving. You will note that there will be two caloric amounts listed. One amount is the total calories found per serving amount, and the other calorie amount will refer to the amount of that total caloric value that is derived from fats. It will state, for example, Calories 150, Calories from fat 40. So, that breaks down to this: 10 crackers is equal to one serving amount, and if you eat those ten crackers in one sitting you will take in 150 calories, and out of those 150 calories consumed, 40 calories will come from the fat content.

Now, the next section is where it can become a little complicated, but not to fret, it is only complicated if you allow it to be. The next sections deals with "Nutrients", and there you will find the following headings: Total Fats, Cholesterol, Sodium, Total Carbohydrates, Proteins, and right below that section a list of vitamins and minerals (Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron).

Total Fats refers to the four different fats that are generally found in food products, and these fats are Saturated Fats, Trans Fats, Polyunsaturated Fats, and Monounsaturated Fats. What you should know about fats is that Saturated Fats raise cholesterol (LDL), Polyunsaturated fats and Monounsaturated Fats are better for you, and Trans Fats are neither required nor beneficial in any way to our health, because it raises your bad cholesterol (LDL) and lowers your good cholesterol (HDL). So, when you read your food label it will give you a Total Fat content per serving, for example it may state Total Fat 9, and then beneath that it will break down where that 9 comes from within the types of fat listed. What it really means is that if you consume those 10 crackers in one sitting, you will have eaten 10 crackers that contain a total fat of 9. Those 9 fats are further broken down into, for example, 0 from Saturated Fats, 0 from Trans Fats, 4 from Polyunsaturated Fats, and 5 from Monounsaturated Fats.

Cholesterol is a waxy fat-like material that we have in our blood. If we consume foods that are high in cholesterol, we add to the cholesterol that is already present in our bloodstream, and this can lead to potential health problems. However, our bodies do need a certain amount of cholesterol to function properly. So, it is okay to take in a little cholesterol in your food consumption, but watch out for the type of fat contained in the product, as the combination of bad fats and high cholesterol content can lead to weight gain and health problems. On the food label, the amount of cholesterol in that 10 cracker serving will be listed in milligrams and the lower the number the better.

Sodium, or in this case Sodium Chloride (Salt), is a flavor enhancer and food preservative. On average, an adult should consume 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, which is equivalent to about a teaspoon worth. The food label will tell the consumer how much sodium is contained in a total serving of the item, and in this case we are referring to the 10 crackers, which may have a sodium content equal to 240 milligrams.

Next you will find information regarding "Total Carbohydrates". You will see a total value given next to Total Carbohydrates, such as 25 grams. This total carbohydrate amount is calculated from the amount of dietary fiber and sugar contained in the specified serving amount. For example, the 10 crackers you eat in one sitting may have a Total Carbohydrate amount of 25 grams, and 5 grams come from Dietary Fiber and 3 grams from Sugar, while the remaining grams are from Carbohydrates.

Protein is the next nutritional value listed on a food label. The value given to the product, in this case the 10 crackers in a typical serving might be 3 grams. Protein can be good or bad for you dietary wise, depending on the type of diet you are on, or limitations you may have.

The last nutritional values refer to the vitamins and minerals contained in the product, and then broken down into a specific value per serving amount. So, again looking at our 10 cracker serving, there may be Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 0%, Calcium 4%, and Iron 1%, which will be consumed in those 10 crackers you eat in one sitting.

Also in the Nutrients section, you will find the "Daily Percent Values" listed next to each nutrient listed. The daily percent values will indicate a comparison percentage value that is based on what is actually recommended to be consumed daily. We have daily required dietary needs that we get from the foods we eat, and these percentages refer to how much of that dietary need we have met by consuming this product; and in this case, in consuming 10 crackers.

The final section of a food label is a dietary "Footnote". It is there to remind you that the daily percent values on the label are also based on a diet that has a person consuming 2,000 or 2,500 calories a day. It also reminds the consumer that diets do vary and calorie intake does vary from person to person.

Overall, the food label is a guide consumers can use to compare the products they are buying. In a nutrition oriented world, it is important to be aware of what goes into the products we are willing to put into our bodies. If we know our limits, we can make better choices which will help us balance our dietary needs, and get the most from our food intake.