Transcript Anatomy of a Nutritional Label

Anatomy of a Nutritional Label
Serving Size
The serving size is the first
thing stated on a
Nutritional Facts table.
This is the recommended
amount to be eaten to
gain the nutrition
indicated on the label.
Servings Per Container
This suggests how many
servings are in the
container.
If you eat two servings at
one sitting, you will need
to multiply the nutrients
by two to know how many
calories your are
consuming.
Calories
This shows how many
calories are in one
serving of food.
REMEMBER:
Snack = 100-200 calories
Meals = 201-400 calories
Calories from Fat
This shows how much of
the total calories are
actually from fat.
However, DO NOT go by
their calculation. Do your
own calculation!
REMEMBER:
There are 9 calories for
every 1g of Fat. (Total Fat
x 9 = Calories from Fat)
Calories from Fat
ALSO, REMEMBER:
Cat 1 = 10% or Less Fat
Cat IV = 50% or Less Fat
13.5 calories from fat /
120 calories = .1125
= 11% Fat
% Daily Value
Based on a 2,000 calorie
diet, this is the
percentage of your daily
allowance that you are
consuming in one
serving.
“Not necessarily
important to the Thrive!
Lifestyle Program”
Total Fat
This shows the total
grams of fat in one
serving.
REMEMBER:
Use this the calculate
your calories from fat.
Total Carbohydrate
This shows the total grams
of carbs in one serving.
REMEMBER:
Net carbs are what’s
important.
Total Carbs – Fiber – Sugar
Alcohol = Net Carbs
Total Carbohydrate
ALSO, REMEMBER:
Try to stay with 5g or
less of sugar per serving
Total Carbohydrate
This shows the total
grams of protein in one
serving.
REMEMBER:
You want more Protein
than Net Carbs
Total Carbohydrate
FORMULAS:
Approved Meals =
Protein > Net Carbs
Approved Snacks =
Protein > (Net Carbs x
Product Terms Used About CALORIES
• Low Calorie means that the product contains 40 calories
or less per serving size.
• Reduced Calorie means that the product has less than 1/3
to half fewer calories than the normal regular product. For
example, if you buy mayonnaise that says: reduced
calorie, it means that 1 cup of the reduced calorie
mayonnaise will contain 1/3 to half fewer calories than 1
cup of regular mayonnaise.
• Calorie Free means that the product has less than 5
calories per serving size.
Product Terms Used About FAT
• Low Fat means that the product must contain
less than 3 grams of fat per serving size.
• Fat Free means that the product contains less
than 0.5 grams of fat per serving size.
• Low Saturated Fat means the product contains 1
gram or less of fat per serving size.
Product Terms Used About CHOLESTEROL
• Low Cholesterol means that the product contains
20 milligrams or less cholesterol per serving size.
• Cholesterol Free means that the product has less
than 2 milligrams of cholesterol per serving size.
BUT, cholesterol free can also be seen on the labels
of products in which cholesterol does not occur
naturally! For example, I’m sure that you’ve seen
cholesterol free on your vegetable oil bottle – this is
a selling gimmick! Cholesterol is only found in foods
that have ingredients from animal sources.
Product Terms Used About SUGAR
• No Sugar Added means that no sugar or sweeteners
of any kind have been added during the preparation
or packaging. Though there is no added sugar, it
does not automatically mean that the product is a
low calorie or reduced calorie unless it is.
Depending on the product, it may have its own
natural sugar/sweetness
• Sugar Free means that the product contains less
than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving size. However,
the product may contain artificial sweeteners.
Product Terms Used About SODIUM
• Low Sodium means the product has less than
140 milligrams of sodium per serving size.
• Very Low Sodium means the product has less
than 35 milligrams of sodium per serving size.
• Sodium Free means the product contains less
than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving size.
Product Terms Used About LIGHT/LITE
• Light/Lite means that the product contains ⅓
fewer calories or half of the fat of the regular
product. It may also mean that the sodium
content of a low calorie, low fat food has been
reduced by half. Lite can also be used to describe
the texture or color of a product.
Product Terms Used About LEAN
• Lean means less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams
or less of saturated fat and less than 95
milligrams of cholesterol per 3oz serving of
meat, poultry or seafood.
• Extra Lean means less than 5 grams of fat, less
than 2 grams of saturated fat and less than 95
milligrams of cholesterol per 3 oz serving.
Product Terms Used About FIBER
• High Fiber means that the product must contain
at least 6 grams of fiber per serving size.
• Source of Fiber means the product must contain
at least 3 grams of fiber per serving.
“Eye Catching” Product Terms
• Natural – this means that the food contains no
added vitamins, minerals, artificial flavoring agents
or food additives. This does not mean, however,
that the food is naturally “healthier”.
• Healthy – this is used to describe foods that are low
in fat and saturated fat and contain no more that
360 milligrams of sodium, no more than 60
milligrams of cholesterol per serving, and provide at
least 10% daily value for Vitamins A and C or iron,
calcium or dietary fiber.
“Eye Catching” Product Terms
• Fresh – this may be used to describe foods that
are raw and have never been frozen or heated
and contain no preservatives.
• Enriched – this is the process whereby the
nutrients lost during processing have been
added back to an equal level or higher than
originally present.
“Eye Catching” Product Terms
• Fortified – nutrients are added to a product in which such
nutrients are not naturally present. For example, the
addition of Vitamin D to milk and the mineral iodine to
salt.
• Whole grain – the food contains the entire kernel, the
outermost part called the bran (which contains most of
the fiber and is a good source of the B vitamins). The
germ, lies at the base of the kernel (rich source of Vitamin
E) and the endosperm that is mainly starch (contains most
of the protein and some vitamins and minerals). Such
whole grain products are whole wheat flour, cornmeal,
brown rice, and oat meal.
Product Term Loopholes
• “Pure” has no regulated, agreed- upon meaning in food
labeling. It tells you nothing about what's in the package
that perhaps should not be there.
• "Natural" is probably the least trustworthy of all the label
terms. While the term "natural" sounds appealing, it
really says little about the nutritional quality of the food,
or even its safety. In reality, "natural" is empty of
nutritional meaning. Consumers believe that "natural"
means the food is pretty much as Mother Nature grew it,
but this is seldom the case. And even then, "natural" is
not the same as nutritious, or good for you. The fat
marbling in a New York strip steak is "natural," but it's not
good for your arteries.
Product Term Loopholes
• "Made from" simply means the food started with this
product. For example, the claim "made from 100 percent
corn oil" may be technically correct, yet it is misleading.
Consumers are led to believe they are eating 100 percent
corn oil. They think of fields of corn under a clear blue
Iowa sky. But a lot can happen to corn oil before it gets to
the grocery store. The label really means the processor
started with 100 percent corn oil, but along the way may
have diluted or hydrogenated it, changing it into a fat that
will clog your arteries, not one that flows free and golden.
Another common label lie is "made from natural..." This
simply means the manufacturer started with a natural
source, but by the time the food was processed it may be
anything but "natural.”
Product Term Loopholes
• "Made with real fruit" is a good example of a
misleading claim. The law does not require the
label to say how much real fruit is in the product.
This boast is particularly prevalent in snacks for
children, which may contain a grape or two in a
snack that is otherwise mostly sugar.
Product Term Loopholes
• "Made with whole grains" is another little,
"white" label lie. The consumer is led to believe
that this is a whole-grain cereal or waffle, yet the
package label is not legally required to say how
much "whole grain" is in the product. Its main
ingredient could be refined flour with just a
small amount of whole wheat added. So, the
food won't contain all the fiber and other
nutrients associated with whole grains.
Product Term Loopholes
• "Made with vegetables" is another misleading
term, which sounds healthy, but says nothing
about how much nutrition is really in the box.
Product Term Loopholes
• Understand the real meaning of "fat free" on a
label. For example, suppose a food is labeled 95
percent "fat-free." This means that five percent of
the total weight of the food is fat, (which may not
seem like much), yet a single gram of fat contains
nine calories compared to four calories in a gram of
protein or carbohydrates. Five grams of fat in 100
grams of ground or dark-meat turkey represents
one-fourth of the calories in that serving.
• “Fat Free” products also may add extra sugar to
make the product taste better.
Product Term Loopholes
• "Enriched" is a tip-off that something bad was
done to the food, requiring another process to
put some of the good stuff back in. Enriched
flour or enriched white bread are not as healthy
as their whole wheat counterparts.
Product Term Loopholes
• "Smoked" legally describes the flavor of the
food, not how it was smoked. The consumer
imagines the food is smoked in a backyard
barbecue or an old-fashioned smokehouse.
Really, the food could be artificially or chemically
smoked and/or just contain smoked flavoring
and still legally be labeled "smoked."
Product Term Loopholes
• Beware of fruit "drinks," which may contain little
or no real fruit juice. Look at the ingredients to
find out what's really in there. "Drink" on the
name of the product tells you that it is not 100
percent juice. It may, in fact, be mostly sugar and
water, with added vitamin C. This enables the
manufacturer to say the product is "high in
vitamin C," even if it's a long way from being real
orange juice.
Product Term Loopholes
• The terms "organically grown," "organic,"
pesticide-free," "all natural," and "no artificial
ingredients" say very little about the nutritional
value or safety of the product.
• Trust ONLY labels that say "certified organically
grown." These are the only words that mean the
food was grown without chemical fertilizers and
pesticides, in soil free of these substances.