Nutrition Labels 101: Essential Tips for Healthier Choices

Of all the things you can do to maintain your health, one of the most important is deciding what to eat each day.

According to Dina Dugan, RD, clinical dietitian at Baystate Noble Hospital, our dietary choices have a profound effect on our overall health and well-being. “What we choose to eat, or not eat, impacts every organ in our bodies and can lead to or prevent chronic conditions, including heart disease and diabetes.”

The good news is that the information needed to stay on top of what we’re consuming is readily available on nutrition labels. And, thanks to ongoing improvements to nutritional labeling by the FDA, the information on them is getting easier to understand. Dugan notes, “Using the information on food packaging, you can make better decisions about your nutritional intake and overall health. But there are some helpful tips for making sense of all the data provided.”

Tips for Reading Nutrition Labels

Whether they’re on a single-serving beverage or a party-sized snack bag, nutritional labels are packed with information.

“At first glance, a label can be a bit daunting,” says Dugan. “There are a lot of numbers, percentages, and terms. But once you get familiar with what they’re conveying, it gets easy to understand the info and put it to use to your benefit.”

While the information found on nutritional labels can vary from product to product, it always contains the following product-specific information: serving size, calories, and nutrient information. Here’s a look at where to find that info and what it means.

Serving Size Information

Most recently updated in 2016, serving size information reflects the number of servings in the package or container and the serving size most people eat or consume. Dugan notes, “While serving sizes make it easier to compare similar foods, they aren’t necessarily a recommendation for how much you should eat or drink at one time.”

Serving size information is listed in familiar units, such as cups, pieces, or one bottle, followed by the metric amount in grams (g).

“What makes the serving size information so critical,” says Dugan, “is that all the information that follows is based on what’s found in a single serving.”

However, she notes, some packaging includes information that reflects the nutritional information for both single servings and the full package/container.

Calories

Prominently placed below or next to serving size, caloric information is often the thing many label readers zero in on first. But, as Dugan cautions, “It’s not always that helpful.”

“The calorie info provides a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of a given food,” she explains. “But caloric needs can vary dramatically from person to person based on age, how active they are, and even their height and weight. More importantly, not all calories are created equal. A bag of chips and an apple may have the same calories, but what goes into making those calories—in this case, nutrients and fiber versus fats and salt—determines how healthy they are or aren’t.”

In other words, calories are not apples to apples or even chips to chips, which, says Dugan, is why understanding the nutritional content so important.

Nutrients and Nutritional Content

The nutritional information on food labels is presented as a “% daily value.”

The % Daily Value, or %DV, shows how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to your overall daily diet. Food labels in the United States must include information about total fats, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sugar (including added sugar), protein, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.

As a rule:

• A food with 5% or less of a nutrient is considered low in that nutrient.
• A food with 10%–19% of a nutrient is a good source of that nutrient.
• A food with 20% or more of a nutrient is high in that nutrient.

But, as with many things, more is not always better.

Dugan notes that while there are certain nutrients that you should strive for more of (e.g. 20%+ of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals), you should aim to keep your intake of the following at 5% or less:

• Saturated fat
• Sodium
• Added sugars

Reading Nutritional Labels for Allergies

According to the CDC, 33 million Americans have food allergies. Food allergies are the cause of 3.4 million visits to the emergency room each year, with over 200,000 of those visits being serious or acute. Tragically, 150-200 Americans die from severe reactions to food allergens every year.

Due to those alarming numbers, all food labels must state if a product contains any one of the nine major food allergens. These include:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Tree Nuts
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soybeans
• Sesame

As helpful as this information is, it’s often not enough for those with gluten allergies.

Dugan explains, “Gluten is derived from wheat, barley, and rye. You may see packaging that reads ‘gluten-free,’ and that claim is voluntary. When a product includes gluten derived from a source other than wheat, listing “gluten” as an allergen is not required.

“The fact that gluten comes from sources other than wheat can be particularly problematic. For example, barley is often processed into malt, which is used as a flavoring in many foods. The ingredient list will note barley, but it won’t list gluten. If you’re gluten intolerant and you’re not careful, you could end up in a bad way.”

Understanding Food Claims and Terms

In addition to the required information, food packaging often features claims and terms. Things like:

• “Excellent source of…”
• “Can help reduce cholesterol”
• “Reduced sodium”
• “Organic”
• “Fat free”

The good news is there’s some science behind the hype. “The FDA has strict guidelines related to nutritional- and health-related claims,” says Dugan. “In fact, food manufacturers have to clear some very real hurdles even to just make the claim of being ‘healthy.’” In order to label a food as healthy, it must meet the following criteria. In order for a main dish to be labeled healthy, it must meet at least two criteria while an entire meal must meet three criteria.

Here’s a look at other qualifiers for nutritional claims commonly found on food packaging.

Sodium

• Reduced Sodium: Must contain 25% less sodium per serving than the original version.
• Low Sodium: Must contain 140mg or less sodium per serving.
• Salt Free of Sodium Free: Must contain less than 5mg sodium per serving; contain no sodium chloride.

Fat

• Reduced Fat: Must contain 25% less total fat per serving than its original version.
• Low Fat: Must contain 3g total fat or less per serving.
• Fat Free: Must contain LESS THAN 0.5g fat per serving.

Saturated Fat

• Reduced Fat: Must contain 25% less total fat per serving than its original version.
• Low Fat: Must contain 1g total fat or less per serving.
• Fat Free: Must contain LESS THAN 0.5g fat per serving.

“High In…” or “Excellent Source of…”

Contains 20% or more of the Daily Value of a referenced nutrient

“Good Source of…”

Contains 10-19% of the Daily Value of a referenced nutrient

“More”

Contains at least 10% or more of the Daily Value of a referenced nutrient per serving than the reference food.

May only be used for vitamins, minerals, protein, dairy, fiber, and potassium.

“Lean”

On seafood/game/meat products: less than 10g total fat, 4.5g or less saturated fat, and less than 95mg cholesterol

“Extra Lean”

On seafood, game, or meat products: less than 5g total fat, 2g or less saturated fat, and less than 95mg cholesterol

“Natural”

No artificial ingredients or colors used in a product

Ingredients can be found in listed form in nature

“Organic”

Food grown without artificial fertilizers, pesticides, or growth stimulants; also has other regulations/certifications.

Meat, poultry, and dairy products from animals that have not been given antibiotics or growth hormones

“Proprietary Blend”

Mixture of ingredients without specific amounts disclosed, as the quantities and ratios are considered a trade secret

“Superfood”

Marketing term that describes food high in nutrients and purported to have health benefits. NOTE: The FDA has no legal definition for a superfood.

Structure or Function Claims

This includes claims related to a specific body function, such as “Helps support digestive health” or “Supports your immune system.”

Must feature an FDA disclaimer noting product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Disease Risk Reduction Claims

Statements that a food or supplement can reduce the risk of a disease or condition, such as “Can help lower cholesterol” or “May reduce the risk of osteoporosis”

Claim is made based on current scientific studies/evidence and must be reviewed by the FDA.

Better Labeling Could Lead to More Informed Choices

Because nutritional labeling is so critical to health, the FDA is constantly revisiting labeling standards to account for new products, ingredients, manufacturing processes, and consumer needs. Dugan is particularly excited about one proposed labeling change slated for 2025.

“A new proposal from the FDA aims to provide clear, accessible information on the front of food packages to make comparing and choosing healthier food options easier,” she explains. “Described as the ‘nutrition info box,’ the new label would prominently display the percent of recommended daily value per serving for saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars, as well as whether the food product is ‘High,’ ‘Medium,’ or ‘Low’ in each of the three nutrients.”

She adds, “While the new approach can lead to healthier food choices, it’s not an excuse to ignore other critical nutrient and ingredient information, especially when it comes to allergens.

“Ultimately, it falls to each of us to do a little homework about what we’re putting in our bodies. By taking the time to understand and interpret food labels, you can make more informed choices and benefit from better overall nutrition and health outcomes.”