How to Learn to Read a Nutrition Label

Located on the side panel or label of most prepackaged or ready-to-eat food items, the nutrition facts label provides a handy source of information about the nutritional value of the food inside. Knowing how to read a nutrition label helps you manage a special diet due to a medical condition or simply make more healthful menu choices for your family. Look for foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol and sodium, and high in potassium, fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. These nutrients can help prevent high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, some types of cancer and osteoporosis.

Things You'll Need

• Nutrition labels

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Instructions

• 1

  Examine the label. Look for the serving size and servings per container just under the "Nutrition Facts" table header. The nutrition amounts that follow are based on a single serving of this size, not the entire package. If you are going to eat or drink the whole package yourself, multiply the servings per container by the amount of each nutrient or calories to know the total you are getting.

• 2

  Compare calories with fat content. If most of the calories come from fat, you may want to make a more healthful choice.

• 3

  Check for sodium and fats. Foods high in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease, so look for foods with higher percentages of unsaturated fats. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute advises, "5 percent daily value or less is low, 20 percent daily value or more is high." Fats should make up 20 percent to 35 percent your daily calorie intake.

• 4

  Pay attention to carbohydrates and proteins. If you are counting carbs or are on an exchange diet plan for weight loss or a medical condition, check these numbers carefully. The standard measurement for a single carb serving is 15 grams and 7 grams for protein. Compare the amounts listed with the serving size to determine if you need to adjust the portion size to stay in line with your dietary requirements.

• 5

  Compare the percent daily values with the footnote at the bottom of the table. The footnote lists the recommended daily values of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates and fiber. Again, 5 percent is low and 20 percent is high, so look for low numbers on the nutrients that you need to limit and high numbers on those you need to boost.