Food label has been around for over a century but it wasn’t until 1994 that manufacturers were required by the FDA to include food label on their packages. Now days food label is more complex than ever and some can even be confusing to read. This shouldn’t stop you from reading them. Learning how to read food label will help you determine what food is healthy or not and prevent you from becoming a victim of misleading advertisements.
The food label below is from Hospitality Quick Oats.
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Food Label |
Serving Size: The size of each serving, it is usually located near the top of the nutrition facts. In this example, the serving size is 1/2 cup (45 grams) and there is about 26 serving per carton.
Main Nutrients: This is where you can find information on calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, etc. Keep in mind that the nutrition facts are based on 1 serving which is 1/2 cup (45 grams). In this example, the total calories per 1 serving (oats only) is 170, calories from fat is 25. If 1/2 cup skim milk is added, the numbers jump up to 210 and 30. To keep your body healthy, you should consume food that are low fat. Many nutritionists agreed that food with less than 10 percent fat is healthy for you. In this example the total calories from fat per serving is 15 percent. I got the answer by dividing 25 (calories from fat) and 170 (calories).