Introduction to food labels I The LifeCo

Reading food labels can sometimes be confusing and difficult to understand. Often, when we rush through the supermarket, we don’t have time to decipher what the labels mean and how they are used.

Learning to read food labels will make shopping easier and help you achieve your desired weight. Knowing what nutrition information you need can help you make better choices for your health and avoid unnecessary saturated fat, salt, and sugar.

How to read food labels

1st portion- It will list the total number of servings and their size per person. What you should be aware of is that while some products are offered as single servings, they may come in sizes that can be enough for more than one person.

2.calories- Consider the number of calories per serving and the total calories in the entire package. Remember that if you double the portions you eat, you will double your calories and nutrients.

3. Limit- When it comes to foods that are high in sodium and saturated fat, keep servings as small as possible. Avoid trans fats because they are one of the worst fats your body can consume.

4. Daily consumption- Foods containing dietary fiber, protein, iron and vitamins are always beneficial. For this reason, it is helpful to know and consume as many of these beneficial nutrients as your body needs each day.

5. Ratio of daily requirement It basically tells the percentage of each nutrient in one serving in relation to the recommended daily amount. So if you want to limit your intake of saturated fat or sodium, it’s best to choose foods with 5% or less of your DV.

Things to remember when buying:

Percentage of Daily Values ​​on labels is usually calculated based on 2,000 calories per day. Depending on your age, gender, activity level, and whether you’re trying to lose weight, gain or maintain weight, the amount of calories you need will vary while you’re consuming an average of 2,000 calories or less per day, based on labels.

If the nutrition label states that a product contains “0 g” of trans fats, and the ingredients list says “partially hydrogenated fat”, this means that the product contains trans fats, but less than 0.5 g. Thus, if you eat more than one serving, you are more likely to hit your daily trans fat limit.