Nutrition Labels - Know What Are You Eating
 The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 required most foods to display nutrition labels by 1995. This was part of an attempt to provide people with a better education about what they are eating in order to make healthier choices. This nutritional data is still used today on most of the foods that Americans eat regularly; however, many people don't know how to properly read them and do not undertand the relationship between diet and nutrition.
Nutrition labels contain the following information:
- Serving size - This is how much one serving of the food is. It also states how many servings are in the package. What many people don't realize is that one package is not necessarily one serving.
- Calories and calories from fat - Calories are the energy your body gets from food. They are also a huge factor in your weight, since calories that don't get burned get stored as fat, and most people eat more calories than they need. Most daily nutritional requirements classify 40 calories per serving as low, 100 as moderate, and anything over 400 as high calories.
- Percentage of Daily Value (%DV) - This is how much of your recommended daily nutritional value one serving of the product provides you based on a 2,000 calorie diet. On some labels there may be an alternative measurement on the bottom for a 2,500 calorie diet.
- Nutrients - Nutrition labels are required to list the percentage of the daily value (%DV) of many nutrients and ingredients in a product. There are some nutrients you should get a lot of, and some you should limit. The ones you should consume in moderation are:
- Total fat
- Trans fat
- Saturated fat
- Cholesterol
- Sodium (salt)
Along with these nutritional guidelines, you should ensure you are getting enough of your daily intake of the following:
- Dietary fiber
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Calcium
- Iron
Some questions you may want to ask yourself when reading nutrition labels and considering nutrition and healthy eating include: Do you need more or less of a nutrient? How many calories do you typically consume? Do you have special dietary needs? Nutrition labels are supposed to be easy to read, and by learning what each of these factors plays in your individual nutrition, you can make educated and healthy choices for you and your family and better understand the importance of nutrition.
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