Nutrition- How to Read a Nutrition Facts Table
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What is a Nutrition Facts Table?
The Nutrition Facts table on food products tells you what’s in the food you’re eating and how much. It helps you determine if you have a healthy, balanced diet. Every packaged and processed product should have a table. Today, even some fresh products have a table. Some restaurants also have nutrition facts information available. The table includes amounts in the areas below. They are listed per serving, what a serving equals, and as a percentage of the daily value.
Here is an example of what’s listed on the nutrition facts table:
- Calories
- Total fat
- Saturated fat
- Trans fat
- Cholesterol
- Sodium (salt)
- Total carbohydrate
- Dietary fibre
- Sugars
- Protein
- Vitamins and minerals
Path to improved health
Serving size is the first piece of information listed on the table. A serving size is the amount of food that is typically eaten at one time. The size is in a basic household measurement, such as pieces, cups, grams or milliliters (for example, 7 potato chips or 3/4 cup (175 g) of yogurt).
Serving size is an important factor in your diet. You should compare the serving size listed on the label. Eating large servings or portions can lead to weight gain. The larger your portions are, the more calories you eat. For example, the table may list a serving size as 7 potato chips. If you14 chips, you are eating twice the amount of calories and nutrients.
The nutrition table provides a list of percentages (called the Percent Daily Value) that compares how much of a certain nutrient one serving of food contains to how much of that nutrient you should consume daily. The Percent Daily Value is based on a daily diet of 2,000 calories. You will need to adjust the percentages if you eat more or less than 2,000 calories per day. Everyone has different calorie needs. These depend on your gender, age, and activity level.
You get your daily calories from what you eat and drink. A healthy person should consume nutrients from various food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy). Some ingredients, such as saturated and trans fats, are unhealthy. You only should eat these in small amounts. One serving of food with 5% or less of the daily value is considered low. One serving of a food with 15% or more of the daily value is considered high.
Things to consider
Not all nutrients, or ingredients, listed on a table are equal. Some are better for you and should be eaten more. These include:
- Fibre helps your body digest the food you eat, and it can help lower your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. A food is considered high in fibre if it contains 5 grams of fibre or more per serving. Canadian women need 25 grams of fibre per day and men need 38 grams of fibre per day. Fibre is found in foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Look for the words “whole grain” on the package and ingredient list.
- Vitamins and Minerals. The main types include vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Vitamin D and potassium also are important. Talk to your healthcare provider about what vitamins and minerals you need and how much. In some cases, you may need to lower the amount of vitamins and minerals you consume. For example, if you have high levels of potassium, which can lead to cardiac problems, you may need to eat fewer foods containing potassium. This would include foods such as bananas, potatoes, and tomatoes/tomato sauce.
Other nutrients are bad for you and should be eaten less. These include:
- Saturated fat. Saturated fat can increase your risk of heart disease and high cholesterol. The average adult should consume no more than 20 grams of saturated fat per day.
- Trans fat. Trans fat also increases your risk of heart disease. Ideally, you should get 0 grams of trans fat per day. When you read a nutrition table remember that companies are allowed to list the amount of trans fat as “0 grams” if it contains less than .5 grams of trans fat per serving. This means that your food can contain some trans fat even if the nutrition table says “0 grams” per serving! Always check the ingredient list for trans fat, which may be listed as “hydrogenated vegetable oil” or “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.” Trans fat is usually found in commercially prepared baked goods, fried foods, snack foods and margarine.
- You should eat less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day (and less than 200 milligrams per day if you have heart disease). For more information see Cholesterol.
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