THE NUTRITION LABELTHE NUTRITION LABEL

Easy Ways to Use the Label For Healthy Eating

For more information, please contact:Food and Drug Administration

Center for Food Safety and Applied NutritionOffice of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements

THE NUTRITION LABELTHE NUTRITION LABEL

I’m delighted to talk to you about one of my favorite subjects 

Food Label Education

Today, I’d like to discuss the food label and ways to educate consumers on how to use it.

THE NUTRITION LABELTHE NUTRITION LABELOne the most important messages I’d like

to leave with you is that effective consumer label education requires

active, not passive learning.

Active Learning- a process whereby students engage in activities, such as reading, writing, discussion, or problem solving. Getting consumers to maximize the health benefits of their choices by helping them apply label information is what counts.

 

Passive Learning- Defining terms & providing explanations; rarely translates into behavior changes

THE NUTRITION LABELTHE NUTRITION LABEL

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) goal is

to teach label-building SKILLS that affect the quality

of consumer’s eating and food purchasing behaviors.

THE NUTRITION LABELTHE NUTRITION LABELInstead of guessing, we help people INTERPRET the label

facts, put the facts in a context that promotes health and healthy living, and then teach skills that

can be applied quickly.

The Nutrition Facts Label

Use this label to answer the questions on the following slide in your Health Journal.

Key Label Questions

• How many calories am I actually eating? Is that

number low, medium, or high?

• What nutrients should I limit or get enough of

and why?

• What’s relevant about the footnote?

• How can I tell if a %Daily Value is high or low?

• Which nutrients have no %Daily Value?

Journal Entry #2.1

The Nutrition Facts Label

Consumers use the label for different reasons

How do you use it?

If you’re like most people, you probably look at calories and “fat grams” first. It’s

goal was to provide information not to teach people how to interpret them; they need more guidance and context to make

informed decisions .

The Nutrition Facts Label

The Nutrition Facts label. It identifies the 6 basic messages we seek to

communicate to health professionals, educators and consumers.

One or Two Servings?Single % Double %Serving DV Serving DV

Serving Size 1 cup (228g) 2 cups (456g)Calories 250 500Calories from Fat 110 220Total Fat 12g 18% 24g 36%Trans Fat 1.5g 3gSaturated Fat 3g 15% 6g 30%Cholesterol 30mg 10% 60mg 20%Sodium 470mg 20% 940mg 40%Total Carbohydrate 31g 10% 62g 20%Dietary Fiber 0g 0% 0g 0%Sugars 5g 10gProtein 5g 10gVitamin A 4% 8%Vitamin C 2% 4%Calcium 20% 40%Iron 4% 8%

The Nutrition Facts Label

In this example, one serving of macaroni and cheese equals one cup. If you ate the whole package, you would eat two cups, which doubles the calories and other nutrient numbers, including the % DVs.

The Nutrition Facts Label

BOTTOM LINE: You need to compare how much you actually eat—not only to the serving size on the label but also to the

number of servings you eat. To figure out how many calories (and

nutrients) you are consuming.

General Guide to Calories*

40 Calories is low

100 Calories is moderate

400 Calories is high

*Based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Limit These Nutrients

The goal is to stay BELOW 100% of the DV for each of these nutrients per day.

Limit These NutrientsEating too much fat, (saturated fat, trans

fat, and cholesterol), or sodium may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, like heart disease, some cancers, or high blood pressure.

So when we say, “Limit These Nutrients,” the goal is to stay BELOW 100% of the DV for each one of these nutrients per day.

Get Enough of These Nutrients Try to get 100% of the DV for each of these nutrients each day. Americans often don't get enough dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron in their diets.

EATING ENOUGH OF THESE NUTRIENTS CAN BENEFIT YOUR HEALTH AND HELP REDUCE THE RISK OF SOME DISEASES AND

CONDITIONS.

Examples of DVs versus %DVs*

The first 4 nutrients, which are in yellow, represent upper daily limits—that means your goal is to stay BELOW the amount for the day. Example: look at saturated fat: the DV is 20g= 100%DV. The goal for Sat fat, is to stay below 20g per day (100%DV) whereas for Total fat the DV is 65g.

The Percent Daily Value

The % DV is based on 100% of the daily value for each nutrient.

What’s High? What’s Low? Do You Have to Calculate to Know? Footnote

The % DV Does the Math for You

Look here for highs and lows!

Quick Guide to % DV

5% DV or less is Low

Limit theseNutrients

Get Enough of theseNutrients

20% DV or more is High

No % Daily Value

• Trans Fat

• Sugars

• Protein

Read the Nutrition Facts Label For Total Sugars

Plain Yogurt Fruit Yogurt

Look at the Ingredient List for Added Sugars

Plain Yogurt

INGREDIENTS: CULTURED PASTEURIZED GRADE A NONFAT MILK, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, PECTIN, CARRAGEENAN.

Fruit Yogurt

INGREDIENTS: CULTURED GRADE A REDUCED FAT MILK, APPLES, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CINNAMON, NUTMEG, NATURAL FLAVORS, AND PECTIN. CONTAINS ACTIVE YOGURT AND L. ACIDOPHILUS CULTURES

Calcium In Your Daily Diet

Calcium

Calcium Calculation

100% DV = 1,000mg calcium 30% DV = 300mg calcium = one cup of milk130% DV = 1,300mg calcium = daily goal for

teens

Living in such a fast-paced world, we rarely stop to really analyze what we are eating, how much we are eating and even when we are eating. The food that we intake has a major impact on our overall health and well-being and can greatly affect how we feel and perform throughout the day.

 

Assignment #2.1

Your assignment will be to keep a Nutrition Log for nine-(9) days. Write down everything you consume, food and drink, the amount of food and drink that you consume, and the time of day within the log. It is important that you keep this log accurately so that you will be able to see where your specific eating habits may affect your overall health.

Print off three-(3) food logs, these will be added to your portfolio of assignments that will be turned in at the end of the course.

NUTRITION LOGS

ASSIGNMENT #2.2

After recording your food for the nine-(9) days, go to http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/planner/. Use this website and directions to analyze the nutrient and variety benefit of your consumption from each day (it will print out an analysis of your intake).

Answer the attached questions and turn in the Nutrition Log, Nutrition Log Analysis, and your printouts from mypyramidtracker.gov.

NUTRITION ANALYSIS