There is a strong connection between our food choices and our overall health. As people seek ways to improve their health, they often turn to reading food labels. There’s a lot of information packed into that box, and understanding what it’s telling you can help you make nutritious choices. Here are five simple steps to making the most of the current food label.
1. Understand the parts of the Nutrition Facts Label
The Nutrition Facts Label is broken into four main sections: serving information, calories in each serving, the nutrients in each serving, and the percentage of the recommended daily value.
- Serving information – tells you what the serving size is (1 cup, 1 ounce, 100 grams, etc) and how many servings are in the package
- Calories – the amount of calories per serving
- Nutrients – key nutrients that our bodies need to function, including fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins and minerals
- Percentage of daily value – estimates how much the quantity of each nutrient contributes to your daily dietary needs, based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet
Altogether, the Nutrition Facts Label gives you an overview of how much of each nutrient is contained within one serving of the package. It is not saying you can only eat one serving of the product each day—it is just providing information to help you make more informed choices about what you eat each day, depending on your needs. Every body is different and energy needs can change based on many variables. Working with a registered dietitian can help you better understand your specific energy needs as they change throughout life.
The Nutrition Facts Label also gives you an idea of the calories in each food and where those calories come from. Calories are how we measure the energy that food gives us and how much energy we use in a day. Think of a light bulb—the wattage number indicates how much energy, or watts, the lightbulb uses and therefore how bright the light is. Similarly, we use calories to get a sense of the amount of energy going into our body. Calories can come in many forms, but we get most of them from macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
2. Understanding macronutrients: total carbohydrates
The body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which is carried to all our organs to help them function—even the brain. The Nutrition Facts Label breaks down carbohydrates into dietary fiber and total sugars.
Dietary fiber helps our digestive system, lowers blood glucose and cholesterol, and can help us feel more full. Sugars are the smallest type of carbohydrate and are easily digested by the body. The sugars listed on the Nutrition Facts Label are made up of sugars found in foods like fruits and vegetables, sugars that are added (such as honey), sugar that is added after processing (such as cane sugar) or sugar alcohols, such as artificial sweeteners that add a sweet flavor without increasing the calories from sugar. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most Americans exceed the recommended daily value of added sugars in their diets. This can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease as well as an increased risk of poor dental health. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugars to 10 percent of total calories per day, or 200 per day of added sugars based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet.
3. Understanding macronutrients: protein
Proteins are made up of amino acids. These amino acids are the building blocks of our cells. We need them to repair muscle and body tissue, keep our bones strong, and for many body processes, including vision and blood clotting. According to the FDA, most Americans get the recommended amounts of protein—however, most of us don’t get protein from a large enough variety of protein sources. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend getting your protein from both plant and animal sources, such as beans, eggs, meats and poultry, nuts and seeds, seafood, and whole grains. Eating a varied diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
4. Understanding macronutrients: total fat
In addition to providing energy like carbohydrates and protein, fat can act like a battery, storing energy for later use. This came in handy long ago when our ancestors may not have had a steady source of food and had to survive on limited caloric intakes for periods of time. Fat also helps the body absorb important vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K, and helps us feel full for longer. There are different types of fat: saturated fat, trans fat, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. The Nutrition Facts Label only breaks out saturated fat and trans fat. This is because high amounts of saturated fats and trans fats can lead to increased levels of LDL, the “bad” cholesterol. Elevated levels of LDL cholesterol can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that saturated fat intake should be limited to fewer than 10 percent of calories per day, and that trans fat should be limited as much as possible. The FDA banned the use of adding trans fats to foods in 2018; however, small amounts of trans fat do occur naturally in dairy, beef, lamb, and some refined vegetable oils.
5. Some great foods don’t even come with Nutrition Facts Labels
Using the Nutrition Facts Label is a great way to make sure you’re eating a variety of foods that provide the necessary energy to keep your body moving throughout the day. That said, some of the best foods for your health don’t even come with labels.
Most health professionals agree that one of the most important steps to improving the standard American diet is to increase fresh fruit and vegetable consumption—foods that typically don’t come with labels on them at all (except for maybe barcodes). Spend more time in the produce aisle or local farmers market where you don’t have to worry about reading labels and you can focus on bright, colorful selections.
Making sure that you’re getting enough calories, but not too many extra, from a variety of sources can be daunting, especially for someone on a healthy weight journey. Working with a registered dietitian can help. We work with our patients to develop a framework of nutritious and delicious ideas to satisfy their physical needs while balancing our mental needs for feeling satisfied and full. If you’re looking for support with building a healthy diet plan that fits your needs, the Obesity Medicine program at Brown University Health can help. Visit us online or call 401-793-7837.
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