Eating healthy means choosing lots of different types of food throughout the day to get all the nutrients you need, such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fibre, and even fat.
Labels give you information that can help you decide what to choose as part of an overall healthy eating plan.
Checking the labels on foods can alert you when a food is high in something like sugar.
Food labels provide more than just nutrition facts, though. They also tell you what's in a packaged food (i.e., the ingredients). Some food labels also state which country the food came from, whether the food is organic, and certain health claims.
Labels give you information that can help you decide what to choose as part of an overall healthy eating plan.
Checking the labels on foods can alert you when a food is high in something like sugar.
Food labels provide more than just nutrition facts, though. They also tell you what's in a packaged food (i.e., the ingredients). Some food labels also state which country the food came from, whether the food is organic, and certain health claims.
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What is the Nutrition Facts?
•The Nutrition Facts is a label on all packaged foods that tell us information in what we are eating and putting in our bodies.
•This label can help you decide what is healthy and what is unhealthy.
•Use the Nutrition Facts table to help you make wise choices.
•Making healthy food choices can help reduce your risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
•So use the Nutrition Facts and make a wise choice!
Important Info on Nutrition Facts:
What is included in a nutrition facts table gives you information on:
However, the following foods do not need tohave a nutrition facts table:
A nutrition facts table can also be used to:
-learn about a food's nutritional value (calories and nutrients)
-see if a food contains a little (5% DV or less) or a lot (15% DV or more) of a nutrient
-compare 2 products to make informed food choices
-better manage special food needs such as a low-sodium diet
You can use the Nutrition Facts to:
-Compare products more easily
-Determine the nutritional value of foods
-Better manage special diets
-Increase or decrease your intake of a particular nutrient
Tips:
When using the Nutrition Facts label as a guide, try these tips:
•The Nutrition Facts is a label on all packaged foods that tell us information in what we are eating and putting in our bodies.
•This label can help you decide what is healthy and what is unhealthy.
•Use the Nutrition Facts table to help you make wise choices.
•Making healthy food choices can help reduce your risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
•So use the Nutrition Facts and make a wise choice!
Important Info on Nutrition Facts:
What is included in a nutrition facts table gives you information on:
- serving size
- calories
- % DV
- fat
- saturated and trans fats
- cholesterol
- sodium
- carbohydrate
- fibre
- sugars
- protein
- vitamin A
- vitamin C
- calcium
- iron
However, the following foods do not need tohave a nutrition facts table:
- fresh vegetables and fruit
- raw meat and poultry (except when it is ground)
- raw seafood
- one-bite confections that are individually sold
- milk sold in refillable glass containers
- individual servings of food meant to be eaten immediately
- foods prepared or processed in-store made from its ingredients, such as:
- bakery items
- salads
A nutrition facts table can also be used to:
-learn about a food's nutritional value (calories and nutrients)
-see if a food contains a little (5% DV or less) or a lot (15% DV or more) of a nutrient
-compare 2 products to make informed food choices
-better manage special food needs such as a low-sodium diet
You can use the Nutrition Facts to:
-Compare products more easily
-Determine the nutritional value of foods
-Better manage special diets
-Increase or decrease your intake of a particular nutrient
Tips:
When using the Nutrition Facts label as a guide, try these tips:
- Keep these low: saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium
- Get enough of these: potassium, fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron
- Use the Percent Daily Value (% DV) column when possible; 5% DV or less is low, 20% DV or more is high
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You will not find a nutrition facts table on foods that contain very few nutrients, such as:
- coffee
- tea
- vinegar
- spices
How to use a nutrition facts table:
•All the information in the Nutrition Facts table is based on a specific amount of food.
•Be sure to compare this amount to the amount you eat.
•The first thing you should do when you read the Nutrition Facts is to:
•All the information in the Nutrition Facts table is based on a specific amount of food.
•Be sure to compare this amount to the amount you eat.
•The first thing you should do when you read the Nutrition Facts is to:
- Look at the specific amount of food listed.
- Compare it to how much you actually eat.
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•The information in a nutrition facts table is based on the serving size.
•Serving size can be found at the top of the nutrition facts table.
•You can use a nutrition facts table to compare the serving size to the amount of food you actually eat.
•Look at the serving size and how many servings the package contains.
•If you eat one serving, the label clearly outlines the nutrients you get.
•If you eat two servings, you double the calories and nutrients, including the Percent Daily Value (% DV).
•Serving size can be found at the top of the nutrition facts table.
•You can use a nutrition facts table to compare the serving size to the amount of food you actually eat.
•Look at the serving size and how many servings the package contains.
•If you eat one serving, the label clearly outlines the nutrients you get.
•If you eat two servings, you double the calories and nutrients, including the Percent Daily Value (% DV).
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Step #3
•The Daily Value is how much of a specific nutrient you need to eat in a day.
•Percent Daily Value tells you how much of a nutrient is in one serving of food compared to the amount you need each day.
•For example, the serving size of bread in a nutrition facts table could be 1 slice.
•But if you eat 2 slices, you need to double the amount of calories and nutrients.
•Eating too much fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, or sodium may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, like heart disease, some cancers, or high blood pressure.
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Step #4
•Check the calories
•Calories provide a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of this food.
•Look at the calories on the label and note where the calories are coming from (fat, protein, or carbohydrates).
•Compare them with nutrients (like vitamins and minerals) to decide whether the food is a healthy choice.
•Eating too many calories per day is linked to overweight and obesity.
• You have to make sure that whatever the amount of calories you intake is the same amount you take out, it's got to be balanced, so that the extra calories are not stored as fat, that is why you should be ACTIVE
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Step #5
•Look for foods and beverages low in added sugars.
•Read the ingredient list and make sure that added sugars are not one of the first few ingredients.
•Some names for added sugars include sucrose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, maple syrup, and fructose.
•Look for foods and beverages low in added sugars.
•Read the ingredient list and make sure that added sugars are not one of the first few ingredients.
•Some names for added sugars include sucrose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, maple syrup, and fructose.
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Step #6
• Look for foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol to help reduce the risk of heart disease (5% DV or less is low, 20% DV or more is high).
•Keep total fat intake between 20% to 35% of calories.
•Research shows that eating less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium (about one teaspoon of salt) per day might reduce the risk of high blood pressure. •Most of the sodium people eat comes from processed foods, not from the salt shaker. Also, look for foods high in potassium (tomatoes, bananas, potatoes, and orange juice)
• Look for foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol to help reduce the risk of heart disease (5% DV or less is low, 20% DV or more is high).
•Keep total fat intake between 20% to 35% of calories.
•Research shows that eating less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium (about one teaspoon of salt) per day might reduce the risk of high blood pressure. •Most of the sodium people eat comes from processed foods, not from the salt shaker. Also, look for foods high in potassium (tomatoes, bananas, potatoes, and orange juice)
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•The list of ingredients is mandatory and has been on the food product package for many years.
•The ingredients present in the greatest amount in a product are listed first.
•The list is also a source of information for people who want to avoid certain ingredients or verify the presence of an ingredient in a food.
•The ingredients present in the greatest amount in a product are listed first.
•The list is also a source of information for people who want to avoid certain ingredients or verify the presence of an ingredient in a food.
•Dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron are nutrients that you need to get a lot of.
•Eating enough of these nutrients can improve your health and help reduce the risk of some diseases and conditions.
•For example, getting enough calcium may reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a condition that results in brittle bones as one ages.
•Eating a diet high in dietary fiber promotes healthy bowel function.
•Additionally, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.
•Use the % Daily Value to make food comparisons.
•The %DV helps you determine if a serving of food is high or low in a nutrient.
Important: Health experts recommend that you keep your intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol as low as possible as part of a nutritionally balanced diet.
Remember: You can use the Nutrition Facts label not only to help limit those nutrients you want to cut back on but also to increase those nutrients you need to consume in greater amounts.