It’s imperative to understand food Labels known as Nutrition Facts Label in order to have accurate nutritional information about the food you eat.
 
The food label provides information regarding the serving size, calories from fat, % daily value, fat, nutrients: cholesterol & sodium, vitamins & minerals, protein and the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), all of which will help you build better eating habits.
 


According to the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act affected in 1990 by the USDA & the FDA, all food labels must contain the following information:

    1- Common name of the product
    2- Name and address of the product’s manufacturer
    3- Net content in terms of weight, measure or count

    4- Serving Sizes:
    Each package must identify the size of the serving. Serving sizes are standardized, so you can compare similar products with one another. The serving sizes on the label are supposed to be close to "real life" serving sizes. The information on the rest of the label is based on data for one serving. Packages may contain more than one serving. That's what the servings per container line tells you.

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    5- Calories from Fat:
    The closer this number is to the food's total calories, the more fat the food contains.

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    6- % Daily Value:
    This information is based on a 2,000-calorie daily diet.

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    7- Fat:
    This is where you look if you are trying to count fat grams. Total fat is important to watch, but saturated fat is particularly bad for you. Saturated fat raises your blood cholesterol level and that could lead to heart troubles.

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    8- Cholesterol, Sodium:
    Along with the saturated-fat information above, cholesterol amounts are important for anyone concerned about heart disease. High levels of cholesterol can lead to serious heart problems later in life. Sodium (or salt) levels are important to monitor if you have high-blood pressure.

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    9- Carbohydrates:
    These fit into two categories: complex carbohydrates (dietary fiber) and simple carbohydrates (sugars). You want to eat more complex carbohydrates and fewer simple carbohydrates. Diets high in complex carbohydrates have been shown to fight cancer and heart disease. Simple carbohydrates are good for energy, but eat too much of them and you can expect your waistline to grow.

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    10- Protein:
    The food label doesn't specify a daily percentage or guideline for protein consumption because so much depends on individual needs. But in a typical 2,000-calorie diet, most people need no more than 50 grams of protein per day.

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    11- Vitamins and Minerals:
    The FDA requires only Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron and Calcium on this label, although food companies can voluntarily list others. The FDA feels these four vitamins and minerals are particularly important in order to maintain a healthy diet. Try and get 100 percent of each every day.

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    12- Recommended Daily Allowance:

    * Daily Values Footnote:
    The daily values footnote is a reference tool, giving you basic guidelines on how much of each nutritional item you should eat daily.

    * Calories per Gram Footnote:
    This footnote tells you how many calories are in each gram of fat, carbohydrate and protein. As you can see, one gram of fat has over twice as many calories as carbohydrates or protein.

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