| here are so many nutrients in food, so many | | | | great way to manage your weight. Another is to |
| ingredients, so many facts to know about what's | | | | balance out eating high-calorie foods with some |
| supposedly good for you and what's supposedly | | | | low-calorie foods earlier or later in the day. |
| not? Fortunately for all of us, the US Food and | | | | The next step to using nutrition labels to help |
| Drug Administration (US FDA) created a | | | | control your weight is to get the most nutrition |
| standardized format for the nutrition label that all | | | | out of the calories you take in. |
| processed and/or packaged consumer foods | | | | Most Recommended Tips forDiscover How to |
| must affix to the outside of their product. So, no | | | | Easily Read Nutrition Labels |
| matter what the food, you can easily compare its | | | | Use the Percentage Daily Value to tell you how |
| value to you with that of any other food. | | | | rich in each of the required nutrients the food |
| Most Recommended Tips for Discover How to | | | | really is. Daily values are based on a 2000-calorie |
| Easily Read Nutrition Labels | | | | diet. 5% or less of a nutrient's %DV is low, 20% |
| There are 3 fundamental areas to look for first | | | | or more of a nutrient's %DV is high. Limit your |
| on a nutrition label, and they're all conveniently | | | | amount of Total Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium. No |
| grouped together near the top, just under the | | | | daily requirement exists for Trans-Fats (the most |
| title "Nutrition Facts". | | | | dangerous kind), though their quantity per serving |
| What is the Serving Size: standardized amount | | | | does appear on the label; so just be sure to keep |
| (like cups or tablespoons or pieces) followed by | | | | them to an absolute minimum. Make sure to get |
| the equivalent amount in the metric system (such | | | | plenty of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, |
| as grams). In general | | | | Calcium, and Iron. |
| How Many Servings Per Container: Most packaged | | | | Once you have gathered all the information you |
| foods contain multiple servings in a single package, | | | | need, you simply ask yourself if a food choice is a |
| making it easy to double, triple, quadruple, etc. the | | | | wise choice for you in terms of both calories and |
| caloric intake from that of a single serving. | | | | nutrients, and whether it makes more sense for |
| What are the Amount of Calories Per Serving: | | | | you as part of a meal or as a standalone snack. |
| Typically, a single serving of around 40 calories is | | | | If the answers to these questions don't satisfy |
| considered low-calorie, around 100 is considered | | | | you for a particular food, then the next question |
| moderate, and 400 is considered high-calorie. | | | | to ask yourself is whether you can find a suitable |
| Keeping tabs on the amount of servings you take | | | | alternative. The answer that question is almost |
| in, based on the caloric intake per serving, is one | | | | invariably, ‘Yes'. |