Understanding Food Labels

Your life is so busy, it’s hard to fit in grocery shopping some days. What can be even more difficult is deciphering the food labels!

While you might know that food recommendations are based on a 2,000-calorie diet, you may not know what to look for on food labels—including what daily value percentages to aim for so you can keep your family healthy.

Some parts of the label to consider are:

• Servings and Serving Sizes. Start by looking at serving sizes on the label. The package could contain multiple servings. If there are two servings per container, for example, you would double all the daily value percentages if you ate the whole package.
• Added Sugar. While some sugars are naturally occurring, such as in fruit, other products contain added sugars. The FDA suggests keeping added sugars at 50 grams or less per day. This is important because 1 in 3 adults has pre-diabetes, and high blood sugar can raise risks for conditions like cardiovascular disease, nerve damage and stroke.
• Dietary Fiber. Women younger than 50 need about 25 grams of fiber daily, while older women can lower their intake to 21 grams. Men, however, should aim for 38 grams if younger than 50 and 30 grams if older. Even if a product claims to be high in fiber, it’s important to check the labels. The American Diabetes Foundation classifies something with  2.5 grams or more per serving as “good fiber” and anything with 5 grams or more per serving as “high fiber.”
• Protein. Though recommendations vary by age and how active you are, the recommended amount of protein to eat is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight for sedentary people and 1.2 to 2.0 grams for active people. A sedentary woman who weighs 150 pounds, for example, would need 55 grams of protein daily. That’s roughly the equivalent of two eggs, four ounces of grilled chicken and a quarter-cup of almonds.
• Sodium. The American Heart Association suggests we have less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day (about one teaspoon of salt), but encourages you to aim for 1,500 mg. What might surprise you is that many foods, such as canned soups, pizzas, instant oatmeal and lunch meat are chock-full of “hidden” sodium. Remember, a daily value percentage of 5% or less is low, while 20% or more is high.
• Total Fat. On food labels, “total fat” percentages include unsaturated, saturated and trans fats. Your intake should be between 44 and 78 grams per day, and be about 20% to 35% of your daily diet. However, 10% or less of your calories should be from saturated fats, as they can raise your risk of high cholesterol and heart disease. So, it’s important to prioritize unsaturated fats from plants, nuts and fish rather than eating foods like beef, bacon, sausage and hot dogs.

By knowing more about food labels and daily suggestions, you can make healthier choices for yourself and your family.

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