How to Use the Food Label to Make Healthier Choices Amy D. Eades PhD, RD, LD

Why was the food label created? u Designed to help consumers make wise food choices by providing nutrition information. u Nutrient dense foods –-measure of the nutrients –provided by a food relative –to the energy (kcalories) it –contains

What is the most nutrient dense choice? u You are going to eat at McDonald’s. You buy a cheeseburger, small fries, but can’t decide if you want a soda or a chocolate milk. Which of these choices would be the most nutrient dense? u Ritz crackers versus Triscuits

What must be on the label? u Name u Content statement u Name, address and/or phone number u List of ingredients u Nutrition Facts

Which one does not belong? Total energy (kcal) Energy (kcal) from fat Total fat grams(g) Saturated fat Monounsaturated fat Trans fat (g) Cholesterol (mg) Sodium (mg) Total CHO (g) Dietary fiber Sugars Protein Vitamins A Vitamin C Calcium Iron

Food for Thought Can you think of medically related reasons why it would be important for someone understand the food label?

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Key Features 1. Uniform Serving Sizes Allow for better comparison between brands More reasonable serving sizes Retrieved from

Key Features 2. Calories 1.a measure of how much 2.energy you get from a 3.serving of this food General Guide to Calories 40 Calories is low 100 Calories is moderate 400 Calories or more is high

Key Features 3. % Daily Values –Helps consumers –determine how each food –product will fit into diet. Retrieved from

u What is the %DV for fat in the macaroni and cheese? u What is the %DV for 2 servings?

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What is the calculation used to get 10% DV for cholesterol?

30 mg of cholesterol/serving = mg cholesterol 0.10 X 100% = 10% DV for dietary cholesterol Retireved from Answer:

Apply What You Have Learned! You buy a large bag of M&M’s. There are 11 servings in one bag and 1 serving provides 17% of the Daily Value for fat. You end up eating 1/2 of the bag which is ~ 5 servings. What % DV of fat have you eaten? Do you have much “room” left for additional fat in your diet for that day?

Answer u 17% DV X 5 servings = 85% DV u You better eat low fat for the rest of the day u It is all about balance!

Retrieved from 4. The Nutrients: But How Much? Key Features cont.

Key Features, cont. 6. Mandatory nutrition labeling 7. Nutrient Content Claims Low fat = < 3 g fat/serving Low calorie = < 40 kcal / serving High = > 20% of the DV per serving (synonyms are rich in, excellent source) Good = provides b/t 10-19% of DV

Using the food label on the next slide, answer these questions: Are there any good sources of nutrients in the product? Are there any excellent sources of nutrients in the product? Is the product low in fat? How many servings of this product would someone on a 2000 kcalorie diet need to eat to obtain 100% of their calcium needs?

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Scenario #1 You are going out for a treat with your friend. You decide to go to Apple Bee’s and get their low fat brownie sundae. How many grams of fat would be in one serving? What’s the catch?

Scenario #2 You go into a grocery store and know that you need to start getting more Calcium into your diet. You pick up 2 different kinds of yogurt: one that says good source of calcium and the other that states rich source of calcium. To get more calcium, which yogurt would you choose?

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Key Features, cont. 8. Health claims –Relate a food’s nutritional –Profile to a reduced risk of a –specific disease. »i.e. Adequate calcium »intake throughout life helps »maintain bone health & »reduce risk of osteoporosis

What about restaurants? u Must be provided for menu items that have a nutrient/ health claim u Not required to be in Nutrition Facts format