Nutrition Labels

You are what you eat

Warm-up
1. Do you know how to read a nutrition label?
2. How often do you look at a nutrition label on
food you are going to eat?
3. Do you decide whether or not you will eat
something based on the nutrition label?
*Attach your food label to the middle of the
paper given

serving size

percentage of daily
value

calories
grams
fat
cholesterol
sodium
protein

vitamins and minerals

ingredients

Serving Size
The first place to start when you look at the Nutrition Facts label is the serving size and the
number of servings in the package. Serving sizes are standardized to make it easier to
compare similar foods; they are provided in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by
the metric amount, e.g., the number of grams.
The size of the serving on the food package influences the number of calories and all the
nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the label. Pay attention to the serving size,
especially how many servings there are in the food package. Then ask yourself, "How
many servings am I consuming"? (e.g., 1/2 serving, 1 serving, or more) In the sample
label, one serving of macaroni and cheese equals one cup. If you ate the whole package, you

would eat two cups. That doubles the calories and other nutrient numbers, including the
%Daily Values as shown in the sample label.

Calories
Calories provide a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of this food. Many Americans
consume more calories than they need without meeting recommended intakes for a number of
nutrients. The calorie section of the label can help you manage your weight (i.e., gain, lose, or
maintain.)

General Guide to Calories

40 Calories is low

100 Calories is moderate

400 Calories or more is high

The General Guide to Calories provides a general reference for calories when you look at a Nutrition
Facts label. This guide is based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Percentage of Daily Values

The % Daily Values (%DVs) are based on the Daily Value recommendations for key nutrients but only
for a 2,000 calorie daily diet--not 2,500 calories. You, like most people, may not know how many
calories you consume in a day. But you can still use the %DV as a frame of reference whether or not

you consume more or less than 2,000 calories.

The %DV helps you determine if a serving of food is high or low in a nutrient. Note: a few nutrients,
like trans fat, do not have a %DV--they will be discussed later.

Do you need to know how to calculate percentages to use the %DV? No, the label (the %DV) does the
math for you. It helps you interpret the numbers (grams and milligrams) by putting them all on the
same scale for the day (0-100%DV). The %DV column doesn't add up vertically to 100%. Instead each

nutrient is based on 100% of the daily requirements for that nutrient (for a 2,000 calorie diet). This way
you can tell high from low and know which nutrients contribute a lot, or a little, to your daily
recommended allowance (upper or lower).

Fat
Together with oils, fats comprise one of the three principal classes of foodstuffs, the others being
proteins and carbohydrates. Nearly all cells contain these basic substances. Fat is sometimes called
natures storehouse of energy because on a weight basis it contains more than twice as much energy
as does carbohydrate or protein.
Many animals require some fat containing one or more of the essential fatty acids (linoleic,arachidonic,
and to a limited extent linolenic) to prevent the physical symptoms of essential-fatty-acid deficiency
manifested by skin lesions, scaliness, poor hair growth, and low growth rates. These essential fatty
acids must be supplied in the diet since they cannot be synthesized in the body.

Transfats
Some meat and dairy products contain small amounts of naturally occurring trans fat. But most trans
fat is formed through an industrial process that adds hydrogen to vegetable oil, which causes the oil to

become solid at room temperature.

This partially hydrogenated oil is less likely to spoil, so foods made with it have a longer shelf life.
Some restaurants use partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in their deep fryers, because it doesn't have
to be changed as often as do other oils.

Saturated and Unsaturated Fats

From a chemical standpoint, saturated fats are simply fat molecules that have no double bonds
between carbon molecules because they are saturated with hydrogen molecules. Saturated fats are
typically solid at room temperature.Eating foods that contain saturated fats raises the level of
cholesterol in your blood. Be aware, too, that many foods high in saturated fats can be high in calories
too.
Monounsaturated Fat
From a chemical standpoint, monounsaturated fats are simply fat molecules that have one unsaturated
carbon bond in the molecule, this is also called a double bond. Oils that contain monounsaturated fats
are typically liquid at room temperature but start to turn solid when chilled. Olive oil is an example of a
type of oil that contains monounsaturated fats.Monounsaturated fats can have a beneficial effect on
your heart when eaten in moderation and when used to replace saturated fat and trans fat in your diet.
Polyunsaturated Fat
polyunsaturated fats are simply fat molecules that have more than one unsaturated carbon bond in the
molecule, this is also called a double bond. Oils that contain polyunsaturated fats are typically liquid at
room temperature but start to turn solid when chilled. Olive oil is an example of a type of oil that
contains polyunsaturated fats.Polyunsaturated fats can have a beneficial effect on your heart when
eaten in moderation and when used to replace saturated fat and trans fat in your diet

Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that comes from two sources: your body and food. Your body, and
especially your liver, makes all the cholesterol you need and circulates it through the blood. But
cholesterol is also found in foods from animal sources, such as meat, poultry and full-fat dairy
products. Your liver produces more cholesterol when you eat a diet high in saturated and trans fats.
It may surprise you to know that cholesterol itself isn't bad. In fact, cholesterol is just one of the many
substances created and used by our bodies to keep us healthy
There are two types of cholesterol: "good" and "bad." Too much of one type or not enough of
another can put you at risk for coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke. It's important to know
the levels of cholesterol in your blood so that you and your doctor can determine the best strategy to
lower your risk.
Excess cholesterol can form plaque between layers of artery walls, making it harder for your heart to
circulate blood. Plaque can break open and cause blood clots. If a clot blocks an artery that feeds the
brain, it causes a stroke. If it blocks an artery that feeds the heart, it causes a heart attack.

Sodium
Why is everyone so concerned about sodium these days? Its an essential nutrient, but if youre like
most Americans youre probably getting way more sodium than your body needs or that's good for
your heart.
In some people, sodium increases blood pressure because it holds excess fluid in the body, creating
an added burden to your heart. Blood pressure rises with age, and eating less sodium now will help
curb that rise and reduce your risk of developing other conditions associated with too much sodium,
such as stroke, heart failure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, and kidney disease.
Most people consume about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day more than twice the 1,500 milligrams
recommended by the American Heart Association.
Salty Misconception
The biggest contributor to our sodium consumption is not the salt shaker. Approximately 75 percent of
the sodium we eat comes from sodium added to processed foods and restaurant foods. This makes it
hard for people to choose foods with less sodium and to limit how much sodium they are eating
because it is already added to their food before they buy it.

Carbohydrates
Your body uses carbohydrates (carbs) to make glucose which is the fuel that gives you energy and helps keep
everything going.Your body can use glucose immediately or store it in your liver and muscles for when it is needed.
Healthier foods higher in carbohydrates include ones that provide dietary fiber and whole grains as well as those
without added sugars. What about foods higher in carbohydrates such as sodas and candies that also contain added
sugars? Those are the ones that add extra calories but not many nutrients to your diet.
Types:
Dietary fiber, also known as roughage or bulk, includes all parts of plant foods that your body can't digest or absorb.
Unlike other food components, such as fats, proteins or carbohydrates which your body breaks down and absorbs
fiber isn't digested by your body. Instead, it passes relatively intact through your stomach, small intestine, colon and out
of your body.

Fiber is commonly classified as soluble (it dissolves in water) or insoluble (it doesn't dissolve)
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They
arecarbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different
sources. Sugars are found in the tissues of most plants, but are present in sufficient concentrations for efficient
extraction only insugarcane and sugar beet.Sugarcane refers to any of several species of giant grass in the genus

Hungry for change

sensationalize

sensSHnlz/
verb
1.
2.

(especially of a newspaper) present information about (something) in a way that provokes public interest and excitement,
at the expense of accuracy.
"the papers want to sensationalize the tragedy that my family has suffered"

Do you believe the makers of this documentary

sensationalized the information regarding
nutrition and ingredients? Why?
Write a 1 paragraph PIE response.

But how do I know if something is

healthy?

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui
=2&ik=a57dd3842b&view=att&th=1
4b051a4f39533b9&attid=0.1&disp=
safe&zw

Well, as we have seen in the last few

decades opinions on what is a healthy diet
can change often and quickly with new
research. For example low carb diets have
challenged long held conceptions that low
fat means you wont be fat or suffer from
heart disease. The FDA realizes these
guidelines need to be changed often and
revise theirs every 5 years.
These can be accessed at www.nutrition.gov
http://www.nutrition.gov/smart-nutrition101/dietary-guidelines-americans

Understanding Calorie Needs

The total number of calories a
person needs each day varies
depending on a number of
factors, including the persons
age, gender, height, weight,
and level of physical activity.
In addition, a desire to lose,
maintain, or gain weight
affects how many calories
should be consumed. Table 23 provides estimated total
calorie needs for weight
maintenance based on age,
gender, and physical activity
level.

Individual foods and beverages and body weight

For calorie balance, the focus should be
on total calorie intake, but intake of some
foods and beverages that are widely overor underconsumed has been associated
with effects on body weight. [...] Although
total calorie intake is ultimately what
affects calorie balance, some foods and
beverages can be easily over-consumed,
which results in a higher total calorie
intake. As individuals vary a great deal in
their dietary intake, the best advice is to
monitor dietary intake and replace foods
higher in calories with nutrient-dense
foods and beverages relatively low in
calories. The following guidance may help
individuals control their total calorie intake
and manage body weight:

Eat more whole grains, vegetables, and fruits:

Moderate evidence shows that adults who eat more
whole grains, particularly those higher in dietary fiber,
have a lower body weight compared to adults who eat
fewer whole grains. Moderate evidence in adults and
limited evidence in children and adolescents suggests
that increased intake of vegetables and/or fruits may
protect against weight gain.
Reduce intake of sugar-sweetened beverages: This
can be accomplished by drinking fewer sugar
sweetened beverages and/or consuming smaller
portions. Strong evidence shows that children and
adolescents who consume more sugar-sweetened
beverages have higher body weight compared to
those who drink less, and moderate evidence also
supports this relationship in adults. Sugarsweetened
beverages provide excess calories and few essential
nutrients to the diet and should only be consumed
when nutrient needs have been met and without
exceeding daily calorie limits.

Reference Page
FDA Dietary Guidelines
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/dietary_guidelines_for_americans/PolicyDoc.pdf
American Heart Association
http://www.heart.org/
Encyclopedia Britanica
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/187171/energy
FDA consumer report
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm386203.htm