Family & Consumer Science News
Common Nutrition Label Questions
By Terri Black County Extension Agent

Do you read nutrition labels? Are you still confused by what all those numbers and percentages

mean? Don't worry, you are definitely not alone. Here are some common questions

from cons

umers about nutrition labels.

1. Where do they get these portion sizes? When you look closely at some labels, you may be surprised to find that what you think is one serving is really two or more servings. This is especially true for snack foods that are individually packaged. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) established standardized portion sizes when the new nutrition labels appeared in 1993. These standardized portions were based on research that showed a common amount of a particular food that was consumed at one time.

Unfortunately food manufacturers don't make their products according to those standard sizes, but they have to list the nutrition information that way. So that explains why a package of cookies that you intend to eat entirely for your snack may actually be equal to 2.5 servings on the nutrition label. If you are really getting 2.5 servings by eating the whole package of cookies, you will need to multiply all the nutrition label information by 2.5 to know how many calories, grams of fat and other nutrients you are actually eating.

2. Does the listing for "Calo- ries" on the label include the "Calories from Fat" that is also listed? The first general listing for calories on the label includes the fat calories as well as the calories that are contributed by the carbohydrates (starches and sugars) and protein in the food. The fat calories have been listed separately so people can easily see whether a food gets a lot of its calories from fat. Fat is the most concentrated source of calories in a food, so many people try to avoid foods that have a lot of fat calories. Each gram of fat has nine calories while each gram of carbohydrate or protein contains only four calories.

3. Are the milligrams of cholesterol included in the total fat grams? While the grams of saturated fat are included in the total fat grams, cholesterol is not included. In reality, cholesterol is not a fat, but a wax like substance. You may wonder why saturated fat is listed separately from the total fat. There are three kinds of fat: polyunsaturated; mono-unsaturated and saturated. Saturated fat raises your blood cholesterol the most. The cholesterol in food also can raise blood cholesterol, but not as much as saturated fat. Choosing more foods that are lower in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol may lower your total blood cholesterol level and reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke.

4. Should I worry more about the total carbohydrate or the sugar content of a food? Like the calorie and fat listing, the total carbohydrate listing includes all the sources of carbohydrate including sugar and fiber. Total carbohydrate is more important for people with diabetes who are trying to control blood glucose (sugar) levels than the grams of sugar. All sugars and starches raise the blood glucose level, not just added sugar.

The listing for sugar includes natural and added sugars. For example, 11 grams of the total 12 grams of the carbohydrate in one cup of skim milk is sugar, but this is natural milk sugar (lactose) and not added table sugar. In contrast, part of the sugar listed for chocolate milk will be added sugar (sucrose).

Always look at the ingredient list and the nutrition facts label to decide whether a food that gets most of its carbohydrate from sugar is a low nutrient food. If the first ingredient on the ingredient list or several of the ingredients on the package are sugar (sucrose), brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey or other words that end in "-ose", you can be pretty sure that food has a lot of empty calories from added sugar. This food is probably not the best choice.

Just for your information, fiber is the only carbohydrate that is basically calorie-free and has no effect on the blood glucose (sugar) level. Eating more fiber can help you feel fuller since it will swell in the stomach and fill you up. This may help you feel more satisfied with less food and fewer calories. Try to consume at least 25 -35 grams of fiber a day. Increase your fiber intake slowly and drink plenty of water so you will not get cramps and gas. Fiber without enough water can make constipation worse.

5. What does "%DV" mean on the label? The symbol "% DV" stands for "percent Daily Value." These percentages are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. This is about what an average, moderately active, young woman might consume each day. The Daily Value is sort of the goal or limit for the day depending on the nutrient. It mainly helps you decide how much of this food or additional foods you will want to eat that day to meet your nutritional needs.

For the most part, you want to get at least 100% percent of the Daily Value each day for beneficial nutrients like fiber and calcium, and less than the percent Daily Value for potentially unhealthy nutrients like sodium and saturated fat.

Of course not everyone eats 2000 calories per day. You will need to adjust the values up or down based on your calorie intake, but the %DV does give you some idea about how a food will contribute to your total daily intake of a nutrient. Also listed are the % DV for 2500 calories at the bottom of some nutrition facts labels, but the % DV's directly next to the actual figures for each nutrient listed for a particular food is based on 2000 calories.

For more nutrition information, call the Burke County Extension Office at 706-554- 2119.