2. How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Panel

3. Frank’s Grocery Dilemma It is a cool morning in Fall. Frank woke up early to feed the birds. As he looked into his pantry he realized that he was out of cereal. His doctor recently told him that he needed to increase the fiber in his diet. He decided to make a quick trip to the store. He was not as rushed this morning and for the first time in a long while noticed the different types of cereals on the grocery shelf— shredded wheat, bran, oats, and even a name such as Muesli. For once he is stumped and was not sure which brand to choose. He wondered which product had the most fiber.

4. How Would You Decide? How would you make the decision on which cereal to buy? For many individuals the food label provides information that helps them make healthy food choices.

5. Introduction Food labels… Are tools that consumers can use to make more healthful decisions Serve as the link between the motivation to make dietary changes and the ability to do so Explain what is inside each food item just like a table of contents explains what is inside a book

6. Overview – The Nutrition Facts Panel The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) was passed in 1990 This act required food manufacturers to declare levels of certain nutrients on food labels The objective of the NLEA, is to provide consistent, understandable, and usable labels that can help consumers choose healthier foods

7. Let’s Take a Look

8. Objectives - Consumer should: Explain the different parts of the food label and ways in which consumers could use it to make informed food choices Use the Nutrition Facts Panel to make healthy food choices Relate serving size to portion control Use the Percent Daily Value as a reference tool to evaluate the nutrient contribution foods make to the diet Compare nutrient claims on labels

9. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

10. Parts of the Nutrition Facts Panel 1. Serving Size 2. Calories 3. Nutrients: Limit these 4. Nutrients: Get enough of these 5. Footnote 6. Percent Daily Values

11. 1 – Serving Size – Start Here The serving size is the first place to begin when looking at the nutrition facts on a food label. It tells you the amount of food that is counted as a serving and the number of servings in the product. Serving sizes are measured in cups, pieces, grams, etc.

12. Serving Size What is the serving size? How many serving sizes are there in a package? If you eat two servings, you have to double all the values (calories, fat, protein, cholesterol etc.) on the food label. The number of servings you are eating influences the nutrients and calories you are consuming.

13. Serving Size Helping This is what is considered a normal serving of a food The amount of food you choose to put on your plate Over the years portion sizes in our country have gotten bigger and bigger!

14. 2 – Calories Calories are a measure of how much energy a food provides a person Many Americans eat more calories than they need Eating too many calories each day is linked to overweight and obesity Remember, the number of servings you consume determines the amount of calories you eat

15. Nutrients and Calories they Provide Foods rich in carbohydrates, protein, and fat provide the body with energy. NutrientCaloriesFood sources Protein4 CaloriesChicken, fish, egg, meat Carbohydrates4 CaloriesRice, bread, cereal Fats9 CaloriesMargarine, oil, butter Alcohol7 CaloriesBeer, wine, whiskey

16. Calories from Nutrients NutrientCalories Remember 15 grams of carbohydrates 60 Calories 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 Calories 8 grams of protein32 Calories 1 gram of protein = 4 Calories 10 grams of fat90 Calories 1 gram of fat = 9 Calories 5 grams of carbohydrates 20 Calories 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 Calories

17. General Guide to Calories 400 calories or more is HIGH 100 calories is MODERATE 40 calories is LOW

18. Nutrients on the Food Label Total fat Saturated fat Cholesterol Sodium Total carbohydrate Nutrients are life-sustaining substances that we get from food These nutrients can be found on the food label: Fiber Sugar Protein Vitamins A and C Iron Calcium

19. 3 – Nutrients: Limit These Eating too much fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, or sodium may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases: heart disease some cancers high blood pressure Americans generally eat adequate or too much of these nutrients

20. Trans Fat Food labels now include “trans fat”. This is found in fats that are liquid and made solid through a process called “hydrogenation”. Foods with trans fats include: Vegetable shortening Stick margarine Commercially baked foods, such as pastries, doughnuts, cookies Deep fried food and snacks Studies have shown that trans fat can raise LDL (bad cholesterol) which is associated with heart disease.

21. Sodium One way to eat healthier is to cut back on the amount of salt in the diet. It is recommended that a person consume about 1 teaspoon of salt a day. This includes salt used in cooking and salt added at the table. It is important to read food labels to know the amount of sodium in foods. Foods with less than 140 mg of sodium is a low sodium food.

22. Ways to Cut Back on Sodium As much as possible, use fresh foods instead of canned or processed foods. When you use canned or processed foods use those that are low in sodium. Rinse canned foods to remove some of the sodium. Use herbs, spices, and salt free seasoning blends when cooking. Do not add salt to food at the table.

23. 4 – Nutrients: Get Enough of These Get enough of these Eating enough of these nutrients can improve your health and help reduce the risk of some diseases and conditions Most Americans do not get enough of these nutrients

24. 5 - Footnote The footnote is found on the bottom part of the food label. It shows: Percent Daily Values. This is based on a 2,000 calorie diet The amount of calories you need daily depends on your: oAge oHeight oWeight oPhysical activity If you are very active you may need more calories than someone who is not active.

25. 6 - Percent Daily Value The Percent Daily Value should give you an idea of the nutrient content of a food It tells you if a food contains a lot or a little of specific nutrients A high Percent Daily Value – food contains a lot of a nutrient A low Percent Daily Value – food contains a little of a specific nutrient

26. The Highs and Lows of Percent Daily Values In order for you to make wise choices you should know that “low’ is 5 percent or less. You want your percent daily value to be low (5 percent or less) for the following nutrients: Saturated fat Cholesterol Trans fat and Sodium In order for you to make wise choices you should know that “high’ is 20 percent or less. You want your percent daily value to be high (20 percent or less) for the following nutrients: Vitamin A Vitamin C Calcium Iron

27. Percent Daily Values One Serving Two Servings

28. Label Lingo Nutrient claims – actual definitions or levels that must be met in order to use the claim Fat-Free – contains less than 0.5 gram fat per serving Low-Fat – contains 3 grams or less per serving Reduced – contains 25 percent less (calories, fat, sodium) than the original version Light or Lite – contains one-third fewer calories or one-half the fat of the traditional version of the food Low-Cholesterol – has no more than 20 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving

29. The Ingredients List Identifies all ingredients in the food product Ingredients are listed on food labels in the order of their amount in the food from greatest to least

30. Let Us Examine the Ingredient List 1. What ingredient appears first on the list of ingredients? 2. How long is your list of ingredients? 3. A long list of ingredients could mean that the product has a lot of preservatives.

31. Ingredient List Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid), Sugar, Partially hydrogenated soybean oil, Peanut butter (roasted peanuts, corn syrup solids, hydrogenated rapeseed, cottonseed and soybean oils, salt), Rolled oats, High fructose corn syrup, Salt, Leavening (baking soda, calcium phosphate), Cornstarch, Soy lecithin (emulsifier), Vanillin - An artificial flavor, Malted barley flour.

32. Any Questions?

33. References: Medline: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodlabeling.htmlhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodlabeling.html US Food and Drug Administration: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html Food Labeling and nutrition http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/label.htmlhttp://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/label.html Understanding food labels http://www.nutrientfacts.com/label.htmhttp://www.nutrientfacts.com/label.htm Clip Art: Microsoft Word Ingrid Adams, Ph.D. Assistant Extension Professor Extension Specialist for Food and Nutrition July 2009 Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. Copyright © 2010 for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for educational or nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice.