Nutrition
Labels
 The
"Nutrition Facts"
label that's required
on most foods is
one way to monitor
your food intake.
The Food and Drug
Administration made
this label format
mandatory on most
food products in
1994. It's a quick
way to get information
about serving sizes,
fat (including saturated
fat), cholesterol,
sodium, carbohydrates
and protein.
By carefully reading
nutrition labels,
you can make sure
you're eating a
balanced diet
and not getting
any surprises! The
label is the best
way to help uncover
the "hidden" fat
in many products,
because it identifies
the total grams
of fat and saturated
fat, as well as
milligrams of cholesterol,
in each serving.
Based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day
diet, the label
also identifies
the amount of calories
a food derives from
fat, as well as
the percentage of
recommended daily
fat intake that
represents. For
example, look at
the label below
for part-skim mozzarella
cheese. One serving
(which is 1 oz.
of a 1 lb. package)
is 8% of the total
fat allowed in a
2000-calorie diet.
(If your calorie
needs are lower,
this percentage
will be higher;
if you need more
than 2,000 calories,
this percentage
will be lower.)
Remember, each food
doesn't have to
contain less than
30% calories from
fat. Instead, the
combination of the
foods you eat over
the course of several
days should average
no more than 30%
calories from fat.
Reading the nutrition
label can also help
you better understand
product package
claims. "Lower in
fat" may not mean
"low-fat" (containing
3 grams or less
of fat per serving).
Products labeled
lower fat, reduced
fat 1/3 less fat,
50% less fat, light
or "lite" may only
be reduced from
the full-fat products
and still contain
quite a bit of fat.
Don't be fooled!
One last tip: Always
note the serving
size on the label.
For instance, one
serving of this
1 lb. package of
this cheese is 1
oz. just 1/16
of the entire package.
If you normally
eat more than that
amount, you're adding
more fat and calories
to your diet.
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