Facilitator Notes: According to the SMOG test, the following text is written at about a Grade 8 reading level, or literacy level 2 and may be read using assisted or reading techniques. In assisted reading, facilitator and learners take turns reading parts of the text, whereas choral reading involves reading together. These techniques are described further in Section 2 of the manual of the Nova Scotia Tutor & Instructor Training and Certification Program.
Learner Activity
Understanding Food Labels
Most of the packaged foods we buy today have a label called Nutrition Facts. These labels can be seen on the wrappings of canned goods, grain products, some vegetables, dairy foods, frozen dinners, drinks, candy, chips, etc.
All of these labels have headings, such as serving size, calories, and nutrients like fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and minerals. There is also a column with the heading “% Daily Value” which helps us see if how much of that type of nutrient is needed in a day in that packaged food.
We need a certain amount of FAT to give us energy and to provide nutrients for our body. However, eating too much of certain kinds of fat, such as saturated fat and trans fat could lead to heart disease or Type 2 diabetes.