By reading food labels you will become aware of what's in the foods you eat.

Here's how to read a food label.

1. Serving Size describes how much food is in one serving. All of the information on the label is based on serving size. In this example, there are about 2 servings in the container. Remember, if you are eating twice the serving size, you are getting twice the calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium, etc.

2. Amount Per Serving shows how much sodium, fiber, protein, fat, etc., is in each serving. If you are on a restricted diet, look at the nutrients the food contains.

3. Percent Daily Values shows how the amount of a nutrient in a serving of food fits into a 2,000 calorie diet.

4. Daily values for diets of 2,000 or 2,500 calories appear on the lower half of the food label. These numbers list the recommended limits of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates and dietary fiber for each day. Note: Your specific recommendations may vary from these.

Identifying nutrients

Knowing how to read labels is helpful when choosing foods. This is especially true when you are looking for good sources of certain nutrients. When comparing foods, the higher the percentage, the more of the nutrient is in the food.

These examples are from the pictured label:

• Fiber - You should have at least 25 mg a day. This example has 3 g of fiber in a 1 cup serving.
• Calcium - You should have 1,200 mg a day. This example has 4 percent in a 1 cup serving, which is 40 mg. Other percentages are: 10 percent equals 100 mg, 25 percent equals 250 mg, and 35 percent equals 350 mg.
• Iron - You should have at least 30 mg each day. This example has 4 percent in a 1 cup serving, which is one-half mg. Other percentages are: 7 percent equals 1 mg, 15 percent equals 2 mg, 30 percent equals 4.5 mg and 50 percent equals 7.5 mg.

The nutrition facts are only for one serving. So remember to compare the serving size with the number of servings per container.

The example on this page has two servings in the container.

Related Links

Your nutrition needs

Top 20 foods for pregnancy

First published: 06/01/2003
Last updated: 06/01/2003

Reviewed by: Allina Patient Education experts