Summary: The Nutrition Facts Label is on almost every box, bag, and can in the grocery store, so it must be important! How then do we decipher what it is trying to tell us? What do all these words and numbers mean? This podcast will break down the label from top to bottom and give you the knowledge and confidence to make good choices on your next shopping trip.<br> [divider]<br> How to Read the Nutrition Facts Label – Podcast Transcript<br> Hi and welcome to Nutritionally Speaking. I’m your host, Michaela Ballmann. Today, I am holding in my hand, a box of cereal, and I’m looking at the Nutrition Facts Label, trying to figure out if it is a healthy choice. What should I look at first? What do all these words and numbers mean? If it would be more helpful, pause the podcast, and go get a box or can of any type of food so you can look at the label while I go over it.<br> <br> Nutrition Facts Label Serving Size<br> When looking at a Nutrition Facts Label, the first thing you should look at is the Serving Size and the Number of Servings Per Container. This is located directly under the words “Nutrition Facts”. This will tell you in standard measurements, the quantity of food for which the rest of the label describes. For example, if you’re eating a candy bar and look at the Nutrition Facts Label just to make yourself depressed and you see that there are 180 calories, you might think “that’s not so bad”, but you need to look at the serving size to see that a serving is only HALF the bar, so by eating the whole thing, you ate 2 servings, and actually ate 360 calories—yikes! The serving size and servings per container also help you compare this product with another. Say I’m looking at two different types of granola bars. I look at the serving size first and see that they have the same serving size of one bar. Then I can look at the rest of the label to compare the calories, fat, sodium, etc. to get a good look at which is the better choice. Also, the servings per container can be helpful when comparing prices. If one box has 4 bars per container but the other has 6, there might be an economic incentive to buy the one with 6.<br> Servings per container helps you calculate the total number of calories and nutrients in the entire package—just to give you a heads up in case you subconsciously eat the whole bag while you’re watching TV.<br> <br> Nutrition Facts Label Calories per Serving<br> Next, look at the calories per serving and the calories from fat. This is useful in determining whether this product is high in calories (calorie-dense) or not. Also, By dividing the calories from fat into the total calories, I can determine the % of fat this food contains. The dietary recommendations for fat intake range from 20-35% of your total calories, so if you divide the fat calories into the total calories and come up with a number in that range, you’re on the right track! If, the number is higher, say 50%, you know that you can eat a smaller amount of that food, or cut back on other high-fat foods during the day. You don’t have to eliminate high-fat foods from your diet to be healthy. After all, if you eat fruits and vegetables, you will be eating many very-low-fat foods. The key is balance and moderation.<br> Back to the label!<br> The nutrients that follow are split into two main groups—those to limit, and those to get enough of. The ones to limit include total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium. The ones to get enough of are fiber, vit A, vit C, Calcium, and Iron.<br> <br> Daily value from Nutrition Facts Label<br> If grams and milligrams are too confusing or there are too many numbers to remember, the %DV (or % daily value) is a life-saver. The Daily value is a recommendation of nutrient intake for the whole day for a 2000-calorie diet. Make note of this! It is for a 2000 calories diet, so if your needs are 1600 or 2400,
