What Do Food Labels Mean

Until recently food labeling was voluntary or not at all, other than fortified foods and foods making health claims. How they were listed and the information presented was up to the manufacture. Under new laws, nutrition information is required on most packaged food products, including meat and poultry. You can be over whelmed with all the information, if you are in a hurry, there’s no need to try to make sense of it all. Instead check out only the essential elements listed below.

When you have more time look at such items as calcium, vitamin content, iron, and other nutrients to see that your family is getting enough of the essentials. Better yet, buy fresh or frozen vegetables and use less packaged food. Package or prepared food is usually high in sodium, even if low in fat and sugar. Following are some of the most common terms and how manufactures are allowed to use them.

Free: One serving contains only trace amounts of or no calories. Fat free means less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving. Sugar free means less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving. The words “without” and “no” and “zero”means the same thing.

High: One serving contains 20 percent or more of the recommended daily intake of a particular nutrient.

Good Source: One serving contains 10 to 19 percent of the recommended intake of fat, carbs, protein, cholesterol, sodium, potassium.

Light, Lite: One serving contains one third fewer calories or half the fat than in the regular version. And sodium content of this slow calorie, low fat food has been reduced by 50 percent. But watch out. Lite can also be used to describe color and texture.

Lean, Extra Lean: These terms are used to describe fat content of meats, poultry, seafood and game. An item labeled lean contains less than 10 grams of total fat, less than 4 grams of saturated fat and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. Extra lean means less than 5 grams of total fat. less than 2 grams of saturated fat and less than 95 milligrams a serving.

Low: Is low in one or more element, such as calories or fat, other terms that mean the same are “little” “few” and “low source-of.”

More: One serving contains at least 10 percent more of the recommended daily intake than it’s regular counterpart.

Reduced: One serving contains 25 percent less of a nutrient than in the regular product.

Ruby’s articles:

http://healthmad.com/nutrition/the-key-to-healthy-eating/

http://healthmad.com/weight-loss/evaluate-your-eating-pattern/

http://healthmad.com/nutrition/30-super-nutritious-foods/

http://healthmad.com/recreation/food-exchanges-for-your-health/

http://healthmad.com/weight-loss/weight-watchers-pluspoints/