Understanding Food Labels

Most of the packaged foods we buy today have a label called Nutrition Facts. These labels can be seen on the of canned goods, grain products, some , dairy foods, frozen dinners, drinks, candy, chips, etc.

All of these labels have headings, such as size, calories, and nutrients like fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and . There is also a 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 and to provide nutrients for our body. However, eating too much of certain kinds of fat, such as fat and fat could lead to heart disease or Type 2 diabetes.