Food Labeling Terms and What They Mean to You

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Anna_Maria_Volpi]Anna Maria Volpi

There is a lot of confusion on the food labels and even if more than 30% of consumers read them, only half understand the terminology. The most important parts of the food label are the "Nutrition Facts" and the "Ingredients list".

Calories and serving sizes

The first number to look for in the "Nutrition Facts" is the calories. Calories are an essential number if you are trying to control your weight, but calories alone will not give you the entire picture. What you really have to look for in the label are two numbers: "Calories" and "Serving Size". In fact it is common practice for the manufacturers to try to keep the calorie number low not to alarm the consumers and they achieve that lowering the portion size.

If you read closely the label you will discover that some serving sizes as indicated on the labels are ridiculously low. The portion size for potato chips indicated by the manufacturers on the bag is around one ounce or 10 to 15 chips and accounts for about 150 calories. In a bag they say there are about 15 servings. It is evident that this is not realistic information. If you snack in the morning eating half a bag you are in reality ingesting well over 1000 calories, and since the average calories per day for an adult are about 2000, you have already ingested about half your daily calorie allowance.

Fat and cholesterol content

The second very important piece of information is the fat and cholesterol content. Watch out for saturated and trans fats (also called trans fatty acids). In the ingredient list look for "partially hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated," which means the product contains trans fats. These are the bad fats and you should limit their intake as much as possible. Also cholesterol content should be low especially if you are approaching middle age or your have a history of hearth, coronary or arteries problems.

Sodium

Sodium should be limited to about 2,300 mg or about one teaspoon of salt per day. The quantity is further reduced if you have health problems like hypertension (high blood pressure.) In this case the total amount of sodium should be less than 1,500 mg per day. The sodium indicated on the labels will give you an idea of the quantity you are going to ingest while you eat that specific product. To go back to the potato chips example, sodium content would be about 200 mg per serving, but if you eat half a bag of chips you have now consumed about 1500 mg that is almost your complete recommended daily intake.

Sugar

Sugar is a direct factor in calories increase. The ingredients list sometimes indicate sugars with aliases like high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, molasses, invert sugar, turbinado, etc. If you are trying to control your weight and calorie intake chose products with low sugar content.

Dietary Fibers and Vitamins

A healthy diet should be rich in fibers. It is important to have at least 24-25 grams of fibers per day. Consider foods with high fiber content like whole grain cereals and breads. Remember that nothing compares to fresh food and vegetables when it comes to providing good fibers and especially vitamins.

Percentage daily values

The "Nutrition Facts" label should also indicate the suggested quantities based on a 2000 calories diet. This would give you an idea of how much each component should supply to your diet per day:
Total fat less than 65g, saturated fat less than 20 g, cholesterol less than 300 mg, sodium less than 2400 mg, potassium 3500 mg, total carbohydrates 300g, fibers 25g.

Ingredients list

Manufactures have to list all ingredients listed in order by weight [1]. Therefore if you are buying a can of marinated olives and water is listed before the main ingredients you should be suspicious about what you are buying. This is also very important information for anyone with food allergies. also, there are recommendations set by the FDA on what the food manufactures can claim is light or low fat, reduced or free. As an example "Healthy" food must be low in fat, with limited cholesterol and sodium. "Free", "Low sodium", "Low cholesterol", etc. on the package means the product contains only tiny amounts of the ingredient per serving. "Reduced" or "Light" should contain from 25% to 50% less fat or ingredients than the regular product. "Low calorie" should contain a maximum of 40 calories per serving, but again, what is the serving size?

In conclusion, it is extremely important to read the "Nutrition Facts" and the "Ingredients list". It is also very important also to use your own good sense and judgment in order to make the right choices.

[1] FDA, Food Labeling Guide, September 1994; Revised April 2008, Guidance for Industry, A Food Labeling Guide.

About the author:

© 2005 http://www.annamariavolpi.com traditional Italian cooking food recipes for tiramisu, pasta, pizza, lasagna, risotto, gnocchi and much more, articles and food newsletter.
Anna Maria Volpi is a cooking instructor and personal chef in Los Angeles.

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