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 NUTRITION LABEL
Summary: Interpreting the nutrition label and its numbers.
Are you one of those who never bother to read a food's nutrition label because you wouldn't understand it anyway? Do you feel that trees were unjustly cut down for this futile attempt to educate men on their food intake? Do you agree that price tags have been looked at more often than the nutrition label?
If you are one of those who'd rather look at how much your food costs rather than what it contains, you probably don't know what to make of the nutrition label and its numbers. It basically works like the
table of contents of a book or the manual of your television set. The nutrition label gives a complete breakdown of the nutrient content of the food measured either in grams, milligrams or by percentages. Either way, these figures are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, the amount which is mostly recommended for healthy people.
Serving Size
This portion of the nutrition label basically tells a person the actual amount of food he is eating. Food products of the same nature have the same serving sizes, making it easier to compare them.
Serving per Container or Package
This is the part of the nutrition label which tells you how many servings are actually in the package. This tells us how many of the serving sizes are inside the container.
Calories and Calories from Fat
This is the portion that people almost always focus on. The calorie content is important because excess intake can lead to weight gain. The calorie from fat is just as crucial because it is healthy to limit fat intake.
% Daily Value
This particular part of the nutrition label shows how much the contents are present in the 2,000 calorie diet based on the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). This will highlight if the food has enough or too much of the nutrients you need.
Total Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium, Total Carbohydrates, Protein
Comprises the different types of fat like unsaturated, saturated, and trans fat, all of which are given their breakdown. Too much intake of the last two types can bring about harmful effects to one's health.
Some people with specific diet instructions may be asked to limit their cholesterol and sodium intake. This portion of the nutrition label is their guide to adhering to their diets.
Total carbohydrates as well as proteins are also shown in this portion to help one have an idea how much of these nutrients each serving size has.
Vitamins & Minerals
These are the required food contents to be shown on nutrition labels which should be according to the RDA. However, some food companies may opt to show other necessary info on the food contents as well.
Maybe next time you shop, looking at the price tags won't take as much time as the going over the nutrition label. After all, we all want to get our money's worth, right?
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