You’ve seen them. Usually every day. But have you ever really read a Nutrition Label? If so, did you understand it? Intended to give consumers a quick, easy way to understand the nutritional content of food, Nutrition Labels are mandatory on pre-packaged foods in Canada.
Even those who regularly read nutrition labels have different reasons for doing so, which can limit the information they get from the label. Bodybuilders may focus on the protein content, while anyone trying to lose weight may look only at calories and/or fat statistics.
Nutrition Labels are chock full of important information and you should use as much of it as you can.
Understanding the Nutrition Label
Nutrition labels list the Percent Daily Values for macronutrients, vitamins and minerals, along with the total calories in a single serving of the food in the package on which the label is displayed.
1. Serving Size – This is the size of the serving to which all the information on the label applies. The serving size is most often only a portion of all the food in the package, not the entire contents. This is often a source of confusion and many people misunderstand the nutritional values listed.
2. % Daily Value – The daily value is how much of each nutrient you should get every day in an average adult diet of 2,000 calories. The Percent Daily Value shows the percentage of the daily value for each nutrient that is contained in a single serving.
3. Macronutrients by Weight – Nutrition labels also list fats, carbohydrates and proteins by weight, in grams.
4. Calories – Calories are listed as a total number for the serving.
The calorie total can be deceiving too. If you’re trying to lose weight, you might look only at the totals on different labels to find those that are lower. But, the label doesn’t tell you where the calories come from. The calories listed might come from saturated fats, which are generally bad for you (and you don’t need them anyway). It means that, even though the number of calories is lower, it is not necessarily better for your weight management.
So, to get even more useful information from nutrition labels, it helps to understand the calorie-gram equivalents for macronutrients:
- 1 gram of fat = 9 calories
- 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
- 1 gram of protein = 4 calories
If you would like help to better understand Nutrition Labels and how to get the right nutrition to support your dietary goals, please consult your local Herbal One nutritional specialist today.