Read It Before You Eat It – Nutrition labels tell you what you need to know. What are you eating? Labels are helpful if you want to cut back on such things as fat, cholesterol, and sodium; and if you want to eat more of the stuff that fuels your body and mind, such as fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron. Labels tell you if you are getting the nutrients you need. To help you get started, we pulled a nutrition label and outlined the good—and not so good—about this tasty treat! Check it out... How to Read a Nutrition Label Think you know how to read a nutrition label? Test Your Food IQ!

How To Read A Nutrition
Facts Label

The Nutrition Facts label will tell you if a food is a good source of the good stuff. You can also use it to compare similar foods—for example, to find which brand of frozen dinner is lower in fat, or which kind of breakfast cereal or packaged snack food contains more protein and less sugar.¹

Start by looking at the serving size on food labels. You’ll find the serving size at the top of every Nutrition Facts label.² And while you may be able to eat a whole box of that tasty macaroni & cheese on your own, there are really TWO servings in that container—NOT ONE—which means if you ate the whole box, you would need to DOUBLE the information on the label! So instead of eating 12 grams of fat for one serving, you would actually be eating 24 grams of fat! OUCH!!! 

Now, look at the % Daily Value (%DV) column to see if a food is high or low in nutrients. To limit fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and/or sodium, pick foods with a lower number, like 5% or less. To get more calcium, vitamins, minerals and fiber, look for foods with a higher number, like 20% or more.¹ With the macaroni and cheese, one serving is 20% of your recommended daily value of salt. If you eat that whole box, you’re looking at eating 40% of your daily salt intake from that one box alone! Thirsty yet?

 For more information on how to read food labels, visit http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html

Sources
1. Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2000” USDA
2.Team Nutrition “Power of Choice” Pre-Teen Kit Leader’s Guide “Are You Label Able?”

Test Your Food IQ!

It’s hot outside and you’re looking for something cold to drink! While your first reach may be for that icy soda, you could do better for your body. Take the food IQ test: As you think about your answers, look at the food labels. 1. Which drink would you choose for calcium? 2. Which if you wanted less sugar? 3. Which one for vitamin C? How big is a serving for each one and how many servings are in the container?³

Can of Cola	2% Chocolate Milk	Orange Juice

Answers: 1. 2% Chocolate Milk 2. 2% Chocolate Milk 3. Orange Juice

Sources
3. Team Nutrition YourSelf Middle School Education Kit Magazine “Get the Picture”


For more information on how to read food labels, visit http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html