1. Anatomy of a Nutritional Label

2. Serving Size
The serving size is the first thing stated on a Nutritional Facts table. This is the recommended amount to be eaten to gain the nutrition indicated on the label.

3. Servings Per Container
This suggests how many servings are in the container. If you eat two servings at one sitting, you will need to multiply the nutrients by two to know how many calories your are consuming.

4. Calories
This shows how many calories are in one serving of food. REMEMBER: Snack = calories Meals = calories

5. Calories from Fat
This shows how much of the total calories are actually from fat. However, DO NOT go by their calculation. Do your own calculation! REMEMBER: There are 9 calories for every 1g of Fat. (Total Fat x 9 = Calories from Fat)

6. Calories from Fat
ALSO, REMEMBER: Cat 1 = 10% or Less Fat Cat IV = 50% or Less Fat 13.5 calories from fat / 120 calories = = 11% Fat

7. % Daily Value
Based on a 2,000 calorie diet, this is the percentage of your daily allowance that you are consuming in one serving. “Not necessarily important to the Thrive! Lifestyle Program”

8. Total Fat
This shows the total grams of fat in one serving. REMEMBER: Use this the calculate your calories from fat.

9. Total Carbohydrate
This shows the total grams of carbs in one serving. REMEMBER: Net carbs are what’s important. Total Carbs – Fiber – Sugar Alcohol = Net Carbs

10. ALSO, REMEMBER: Try to stay with 5g or less of sugar per serving
Total Carbohydrate
ALSO, REMEMBER: Try to stay with 5g or less of sugar per serving

11. Total Carbohydrate
This shows the total grams of protein in one serving. REMEMBER: You want more Protein than Net Carbs

12. Total Carbohydrate
FORMULAS: Approved Meals = Protein > Net Carbs Approved Snacks = Protein > (Net Carbs x .3)

13. Product Terms Used About CALORIES
Low Calorie means that the product contains 40 calories or less per serving size.
Reduced Calorie means that the product has less than 1/3 to half fewer calories than the normal regular product. For example, if you buy mayonnaise that says: reduced calorie, it means that 1 cup of the reduced calorie mayonnaise will contain 1/3 to half fewer calories than 1 cup of regular mayonnaise.
Calorie Free means that the product has less than 5 calories per serving size.

14. Product Terms Used About FAT
Low Fat means that the product must contain less than 3 grams of fat per serving size.
Fat Free means that the product contains less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving size.
Low Saturated Fat means the product contains 1 gram or less of fat per serving size.

15. Product Terms Used About CHOLESTEROL
Low Cholesterol means that the product contains 20 milligrams or less cholesterol per serving size.
Cholesterol Free means that the product has less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol per serving size. BUT, cholesterol free can also be seen on the labels of products in which cholesterol does not occur naturally! For example, I’m sure that you’ve seen cholesterol free on your vegetable oil bottle – this is a selling gimmick! Cholesterol is only found in foods that have ingredients from animal sources.

16. Product Terms Used About SUGAR
No Sugar Added means that no sugar or sweeteners of any kind have been added during the preparation or packaging. Though there is no added sugar, it does not automatically mean that the product is a low calorie or reduced calorie unless it is. Depending on the product, it may have its own natural sugar/sweetness
Sugar Free means that the product contains less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving size. However, the product may contain artificial sweeteners.

17. Product Terms Used About SODIUM
Low Sodium means the product has less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving size.
Very Low Sodium means the product has less than 35 milligrams of sodium per serving size.
Sodium Free means the product contains less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving size.

18. Product Terms Used About LIGHT/LITE
Light/Lite means that the product contains ⅓ fewer calories or half of the fat of the regular product. It may also mean that the sodium content of a low calorie, low fat food has been reduced by half. Lite can also be used to describe the texture or color of a product.

19. Product Terms Used About LEAN
Lean means less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 3oz serving of meat, poultry or seafood.
Extra Lean means less than 5 grams of fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 3 oz serving.

20. Product Terms Used About FIBER
High Fiber means that the product must contain at least 6 grams of fiber per serving size.
Source of Fiber means the product must contain at least 3 grams of fiber per serving.

21. “Eye Catching” Product Terms
Natural – this means that the food contains no added vitamins, minerals, artificial flavoring agents or food additives. This does not mean, however, that the food is naturally “healthier”.
Healthy – this is used to describe foods that are low in fat and saturated fat and contain no more that 360 milligrams of sodium, no more than 60 milligrams of cholesterol per serving, and provide at least 10% daily value for Vitamins A and C or iron, calcium or dietary fiber.

22. “Eye Catching” Product Terms
Fresh – this may be used to describe foods that are raw and have never been frozen or heated and contain no preservatives.
Enriched – this is the process whereby the nutrients lost during processing have been added back to an equal level or higher than originally present.

23. “Eye Catching” Product Terms
Fortified – nutrients are added to a product in which such nutrients are not naturally present. For example, the addition of Vitamin D to milk and the mineral iodine to salt.
Whole grain – the food contains the entire kernel, the outermost part called the bran (which contains most of the fiber and is a good source of the B vitamins). The germ, lies at the base of the kernel (rich source of Vitamin E) and the endosperm that is mainly starch (contains most of the protein and some vitamins and minerals). Such whole grain products are whole wheat flour, cornmeal, brown rice, and oat meal.

24. Product Term Loopholes
“Pure” has no regulated, agreed- upon meaning in food labeling. It tells you nothing about what's in the package that perhaps should not be there.
"Natural" is probably the least trustworthy of all the label terms. While the term "natural" sounds appealing, it really says little about the nutritional quality of the food, or even its safety. In reality, "natural" is empty of nutritional meaning. Consumers believe that "natural" means the food is pretty much as Mother Nature grew it, but this is seldom the case. And even then, "natural" is not the same as nutritious, or good for you. The fat marbling in a New York strip steak is "natural," but it's not good for your arteries.

25. Product Term Loopholes
"Made from" simply means the food started with this product. For example, the claim "made from 100 percent corn oil" may be technically correct, yet it is misleading. Consumers are led to believe they are eating 100 percent corn oil. They think of fields of corn under a clear blue Iowa sky. But a lot can happen to corn oil before it gets to the grocery store. The label really means the processor started with 100 percent corn oil, but along the way may have diluted or hydrogenated it, changing it into a fat that will clog your arteries, not one that flows free and golden. Another common label lie is "made from natural..." This simply means the manufacturer started with a natural source, but by the time the food was processed it may be anything but "natural.”

26. Product Term Loopholes
"Made with real fruit" is a good example of a misleading claim. The law does not require the label to say how much real fruit is in the product. This boast is particularly prevalent in snacks for children, which may contain a grape or two in a snack that is otherwise mostly sugar.

27. Product Term Loopholes
"Made with whole grains" is another little, "white" label lie. The consumer is led to believe that this is a whole-grain cereal or waffle, yet the package label is not legally required to say how much "whole grain" is in the product. Its main ingredient could be refined flour with just a small amount of whole wheat added. So, the food won't contain all the fiber and other nutrients associated with whole grains.

28. Product Term Loopholes
"Made with vegetables" is another misleading term, which sounds healthy, but says nothing about how much nutrition is really in the box.

29. Product Term Loopholes
Understand the real meaning of "fat free" on a label. For example, suppose a food is labeled 95 percent "fat-free." This means that five percent of the total weight of the food is fat, (which may not seem like much), yet a single gram of fat contains nine calories compared to four calories in a gram of protein or carbohydrates. Five grams of fat in 100 grams of ground or dark-meat turkey represents one-fourth of the calories in that serving.
“Fat Free” products also may add extra sugar to make the product taste better.

30. Product Term Loopholes
"Enriched" is a tip-off that something bad was done to the food, requiring another process to put some of the good stuff back in. Enriched flour or enriched white bread are not as healthy as their whole wheat counterparts.

31. Product Term Loopholes
"Smoked" legally describes the flavor of the food, not how it was smoked. The consumer imagines the food is smoked in a backyard barbecue or an old-fashioned smokehouse. Really, the food could be artificially or chemically smoked and/or just contain smoked flavoring and still legally be labeled "smoked."

32. Product Term Loopholes
Beware of fruit "drinks," which may contain little or no real fruit juice. Look at the ingredients to find out what's really in there. "Drink" on the name of the product tells you that it is not 100 percent juice. It may, in fact, be mostly sugar and water, with added vitamin C. This enables the manufacturer to say the product is "high in vitamin C," even if it's a long way from being real orange juice.

33. Product Term Loopholes
The terms "organically grown," "organic," pesticide-free," "all natural," and "no artificial ingredients" say very little about the nutritional value or safety of the product.
Trust ONLY labels that say "certified organically grown." These are the only words that mean the food was grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides, in soil free of these substances.