Every packaged food and drink in the United States carries a Nutrition Facts label. Used well, it helps you make healthier choices and see how a food fits into your overall diet.
Start with the serving
- Serving size is based on how much people usually eat or drink at one time.
- Servings per container tells you how many servings are in the package.
Some labels give calories and nutrients for both the whole package and one serving, but many give them per serving only — so do the math. If a bottle of juice holds two servings and you drink it all, you get twice the sugar on the label.
Use % Daily Value
Experts recommend getting certain amounts of different nutrients each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) shows what share of that daily amount one serving provides:
| %DV | Means |
|---|---|
| 5% or less | low in that nutrient |
| 20% or more | high in that nutrient |
What the label lists (per serving)
- calories;
- fats — total fat, saturated fat and trans fat;
- cholesterol;
- sodium;
- carbohydrates — including fiber, total sugar and added sugar;
- protein;
- vitamins and minerals.
Sources
Based on "Food Labeling," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, with its summary from the Food and Drug Administration; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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