How To Read A Nutritional Label

Reading nutritional labels can be a daunting task if you don't know exactly what to look for. Because the information is so significant, it's important to at least have a watered-down idea of how each one works.

To begin with, the nutritional label gives a breakdown of the nutrient content of food. It's based on a 2000 calorie diet (the average amount of calories recommended for Americans on a daily basis).

Serving Size

This self-explanatory section tells the consumer the size of the servings inside the package.

Serving per Container or Package

This often overlooked section tells the consumer how many servings are in the package. If there are 3 servings and one eats an entire package, they need to multiple everything else on the nutritional panel by 3 to get their true nutritional breakdown.

Calories and Calories from Fat

This is generally the most viewed part of a nutritional label. It tells the consumer how many calories are in the product as well as the percentage of calories that are from fat.

% Daily Value

This tells people the percentage of daily value of a nutrient compared to a 2,000 calorie diet. For example if something has 10% protein, the consumer is getting 10% of the protein that they need for the day if they eat a 2,000 calorie diet.

Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium

These values are ones that Americans generally eat enough (or too much) of. They should be limited and health experts recommend that saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol is kept to an intake level of as low as possible.

Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron

Most Americans don't get enough of these nutrients. The more one eats of these, the more their health can be improved.

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