http://www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Human Biology
- Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals; choose the foods with lower levels.
- Drink water instead of drinks with high levels of sugar.
Using Nutrition Facts Labels
In the United States and other nations, packaged foods are required by law to have nutrition facts labels. Anutrition
facts label(Figure1.29) shows the nutrients in a food. Packaged foods are also required to list their ingredients.
The information listed at the right of the label tells you what to look for. At the top of the label, look for the serving
size. The serving size tells you how much of the food you should eat to get the nutrients listed on the label. A cup
of food from the label pictured below is a serving. The calories in one serving are listed next. In this food, there are
250 calories per serving.
FIGURE 1.29
Reading nutrition facts labels can help
you choose healthy foods. Look at the
nutrition facts label shown here. Do you
think this food is a good choice for a
healthy eating plan? Why or why not?Next on the nutrition facts label, look for the percent daily values (% DV) of nutrients. Remember the following tips
when reading a food label:
- A food is low in a nutrient if the percent daily value of the nutrient is 5% or less.
- The healthiest foods are low in nutrients such as fats and sodium.
- A food is high in a nutrient if the percent daily value of the nutrient is 20% or more.
- The healthiest foods are high in nutrients such as fiber and proteins.