Food Labels and Nutrition What is a Food

Food Labels and Nutrition

What is a Food Label? Also called the “nutrition facts” label • A tool that helps you choose the foods you want to eat • Required to be on food packaging • • Law passed in 1990

Serving Size • The important starting point when reading a label • This tells you how much food is equal to one serving

Servings Per Container • This is the number of servings that are in the entire package • To find out the total amount of nutrients in the package, multiply each nutrient amount by the number of servings per container • Example: If there are 3 servings per container and the serving size is 1 cup, the whole package contains 3 cups

Calories • Calories are units of energy • In food, calories come from carbohydrate, protein and fat • Our bodies need calories to work

Calories from Fat • Fat is an important nutrient • It creates hormones, and helps you to feel full after eating • “Healthy foods” that we should be eating should have no more than 40% of our total calories from fat

Let’s practice!

Sodium • Sodium is found in salt • Our hearts and kidneys need some sodium to help stay healthy • Consuming too much sodium may lead to high blood pressure

Let’s practice! n We should not be getting more than 1500 mg of sodium each day. n What percentage of our daily value is one serving of beans?

Total Carbohydrate • Carbohydrates in food come from fiber, sugars and other starches • Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar during digestion • They are the main source of energy for the brain

Let’s Practice! n Every day we need: − About 350 g carbs for girls − About 450 g carbs for boys For simplicity's sake, let’s just average it out and put 400 g per day n What percentage of our daily intake of carbs is one serving of beans? n

% Daily Value • This is based on an average amount of 2, 000 calories a day • This number tells you the total percentage of each nutrient provided by one serving • However, this can sometimes be misleading because most of us need LESS THAN 2, 000 calories per day!

Let’s Clarify n We DO need fat, carbs, and sodium n However, we need them in moderation n We need to keep track of what we do eat to make sure we make healthy choices!

Summary Be a smart shopper • Compare food labels • Know what you’re eating • Choose healthy foods •