Reading and understanding food labels

Reading and understanding food labels

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When you go food shopping what do you buy?  Do you get most of your purchases from the produce section?  The frozen aisle?  Is most of the food you eat pre-made and pre-packaged?  How do you determine which products are better for you?  When an athlete asks me my opinion on a food product, there is always one thing that I do.  Most often, I could care less about the colorful packaging and the clever marketing strategies used by food companies.  Other than the actual name of the product, I don’t trust anything on the packaging other than the food label, ingredient list, and certain FDA regulated food statements and seals.  By federal law, every packaged food sold within the United States must have a complete and standardized list of every ingredient and portray an accurate breakdown of the nutrients within the product.  The information contained within these two sections must be true, accurate, and reliable. 

Understanding the food label – there are four different sections on the food label

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1. Serving information:  Indicates the number of servings within the package, and the size of 1 serving.  This is not a recommendation of how much you should consume.  Unless otherwise stated, the number of calories and the amount of each nutrient listed on the label are the values for one serving consumed. 
2. Calories:  Indicates how many calories there are within one serving.  The number of calories indicates how much energy there is in one serving of the food.  The amount of calories needed each day is dependent upon age, gender, activity level, and health. 
3. Nutrients:  Depicts key nutrients.  Nutrients to get less of cause negative health effects, and include added sugars, sodium, and solid fats.  When looking at the sugars on a food label, you must look at both the total sugars, as well as the added sugars.  Added sugars are detrimental to your health, however, dairy and fruit both contain natural sugars that are not bad for your health.  High levels of sodium and solid (saturated) fats cause cardiovascular problems.  Trans fats should also be avoided.  Nutrients to get more of include calcium, dietary fiber, iron, potassium, and vitamins A, C, D, and E. 
4. The percent daily value:  Most food labels are based off of a 2,000 or 2,500 calorie per day diet.  There are three macronutrients that the body utilizes for energy, carbohydrates (sugars), protein, and fats.  There are also vitamins and minerals that help to support healthy functions within the body.  Each macronutrient, vitamin, and mineral is required in different amounts to promote healthy living.  The amount of each macronutrient, vitamin, and mineral needed each day is the daily value.  On food labels, this is expressed in grams, milligrams, or micrograms.  Each food label also lists the percent daily value, which is the percentage of recommended nutrients in one serving per day.  5% daily value or less of a nutrient per serving is considered low.  20% daily value or more of a nutrient per serving is considered high.  You should be consuming higher percentages of daily values for calcium, dietary fiber, iron, potassium, and vitamins A, C, D, and E.  You should also choose foods lower in percentage daily values for added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats. 

The ingredient list is located underneath or to the side of the food label.  At the end of the ingredient list is a list of any potential allergens within the food product. 

Usually located on the front of the package are any potential FDA-approved seals providing further information about the food.  Food must meet certain government guidelines to legally use these seals. 

• Certified organic:  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic seal indicates that the product has met specific government standards.  Crops can neither be genetically modified nor engineered. Additionally, crops cannot be grown with synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or sewage.  Animals must have had access to the outdoors and pasture, and they can only have been fed with organically grown feed.  Animal products can neither be cloned, nor treated with synthetic antibiotics or hormones. 

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• Country of origin labels:  Currently, the United States requires country of origin labeling on produce, chicken, seafood, and some nuts.  This indicates what country the product was produced in. 

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• USDA Inspected:  This seal indicates that the product has been inspected by USDA employees and has met certain quality standards.  Any USDA inspected product will have a USDA seal of inspection and a code for the producing establishment.  The labels with a grade indicate the quality and size of the product; it does not provide information on the company’s practices. 

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• Treated with irradiation:  In grocery stores, there must be a label on food that has been irradiated.  This means that the food was treated with ionizing radiation.  This is said to decrease/eliminate the microorganisms and insects on the food, and is thought to extend the shelf life of the food. 

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Supplements are not held to the same standards as medication and food in the United States; thus, they are not regulated by the FDA or the USDA.  For more information on supplements, please check out our blog post from November 2019. 

By:  J. Scott, DPT, ATC, TSAC-F

Sources:  

American Heart Association

FDA

Food and water watch