Weight Management Program
Understanding Food Labeling: Instructor’s Guide
This week’s session is designed to provide information on reading food labels. There are food labels within the session to use for product comparison; however you may want to ask the participants to bring in the nutrition facts panels from some of their favorite foods to make it more interactive and pertinent to the participant.
Background Information:
Food product labels provide the necessary information to make healthy choices. Food labels can be confusing or misleading. Learning how to read food labels allows the consumer to be well informed and find products that meet their nutrition and health goals.
By the end of this session you will be able to:
· Understand common label terminology.
· Read a product label and decipher the information with confidence.
· Understand exercise terms.
Weight Management Program
Understanding Food Labeling
Food Labels at a Glance:
2. Servings Per Container
On this label a serving is 1 cup. Note that there are 4 servings per container. If you consume the entire container you need to multiply the numbers by 4. This would mean instead of consuming 150 calories you would consume 600 calories.
3. Amount Per Serving: Calories and Calories from Fat
As mentioned above, these numbers are based on the serving size listed on the label. Calories from fat can help you meet dietary guidelines that recommend no more than 30 percent of total calories from fat. To figure out what percentage of calories are coming from fat, divide the number of calories from fat by the total number of calories. In this case you would divide 35 by 150, which equals 23. This food provides 23% of the total calories from fat.
4. Required Nutrient Information
The following nutrients are required to be listed on the food label by the FDA. A company may list additional nutrients if they feel it is beneficial to the consumer or their product.
Ø Total Fat and Saturated Fat
Total fat lets you know exactly how many grams of fat there are in a product. Total fat is made up of three types of fat: Saturated, Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated. Only Saturated fat is required to be listed on the label. Research shows a diet high in saturated fat increases your risk of heart disease. A healthy diet contains no more than 1/3 of total fat from saturated fat.
Ø Cholesterol
Dietary cholesterol has been shown to contribute to plaque formation in the arteries leading to heart disease and stroke. Cholesterol is only found in animal products.
Ø Sodium
Sodium is found naturally and added during the processing of foods. Excess sodium may contribute to certain health conditions and fluid retention.
Ø Total Carbohydrate and Sugars
Total carbohydrate includes all carbohydrates. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple (sugars) and complex (starches). Sugars are part of the Total carbohydrate listed on the label. In this product, 17 of the total 17 grams of carbohydrate is from sugars. This product may be high in natural sugars (lactose and fructose) which you would not know from the label. Sugars listed on the label include both natural and added sources. Sugars include table sugar (sucrose), milk sugar (lactose), honey, corn sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, and fruit juice concentrate. There is no Daily Value set for sugars. The reason is that there is no scientific proof to indicate that a particular amount of sugar in the diet is appropriate or inappropriate. Generally foods high in added sugars are low in nutrients and should be limited in the diet.
Ø Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber is part of the Total carbohydrate, but does not provide calories. A diet with adequate fiber (25-30 grams per day) has many health benefits including reducing the risk of colon cancer.
Ø Protein
Protein listed on the label is helpful in planning a balanced diet. For instance, if you are a vegetarian choosing a meat alternative such as a vegetable burger you could compare brands. If you use the product in place of meat, you would want to make sure there is at least 6-7grams of protein per serving. (One ounce of animal protein contains about 7 grams of protein.)
Ø % Daily Values
The %Daily Values can be the most confusing part of the food label. The Daily Values are reference numbers on the nutrition label. The Percent Daily Value gives a general idea of a food’s nutrient contributions to the total diet. The Percent Daily Value is a percentage of the Daily Values (listed at the bottom of the label). You don’t need to remember all this, just remember the %Daily Value for fat is a percentage of the Daily Value for fat of 65 grams. So, if a food lists the %Daily Value for fat as 5%, it means the food supplies 5% of the reference 65 grams.
5. Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron are the only vitamins and minerals required on the new label. This does not mean that there are not other nutrients in the food, but only the above mentioned are required. Food manufacturers can voluntarily list other nutrients that the food naturally contains. Nutrients that are added as a supplement to the food must be listed on the label. Also, if a claim is made about an added supplement it must be listed. Example: “Extra calcium added to help prevent osteoporosis.”
6. The Daily Value
This footnote is exactly the same on all food labels that carry it. You can use it as a reference to a healthy eating plan. The Daily Value References are 2000 calories, 65 grams fat, 20 grams saturated fat, 300 mg cholesterol, 2,400 mg sodium, 300 grams total carbohydrate, 25 grams fiber, 50 grams protein, 60 milligrams Vitamin C, 5,000 IU Vitamin A, 1 gram Calcium, 18 milligrams iron.
Your calorie level and grams of fat, saturated fat, and carbohydrate may be higher or lower based on your special needs. The reference value for fat is 30% of total calories, for saturated fat it is 10%, for carbohydrate it is 60%.
Trans Fat Now Required on a Label
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires food manufacturers to list trans fat (i.e., trans fatty acids) on Nutrition Facts and some Supplement Facts panels based on recent scientific evidence. Consumption of saturated fat, trans fat, and dietary cholesterol raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol levels that increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, over 12.5 million Americans suffer from CHD, and more than 500,000 die each year. This makes CHD one of the leading causes of death in the United States today.
Starting January 1, 2006 it will be mandatory that trans fat be on the nutrition panel. The FDA has required that saturated fat and dietary cholesterol be listed on the food label since 1993. By adding trans fat on the Nutrition Facts panel consumers will now how much of all three -- saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol -- are in the foods they choose. Identifying saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol on the food label gives consumers information to make heart-healthy food choices that help them reduce their risk of CHD. This revised label will be of particular interest to people concerned about high blood cholesterol and heart disease. However, all Americans should be aware of the risk posed by consuming too much saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.
Making Better Choices
Don't assume similar products are the same. Be sure to check the Nutrition Facts panel (NFP) when comparing products because even similar foods can vary in calories, ingredients, nutrients, and the size and number of servings in the package. When buying the same brand product, also check the nutrition panel frequently because ingredients can change at any time and any change could affect the information.
Need More Information?
Guidance on How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Panel on Food Labels www.cfsan.fda.gov
Comparing ProductsButter ** / Margarine, stick † / Margarine, tub †
Saturated Fat : 7g
+ Trans Fat : 0g
Combined Amt.: 7g / Saturated Fat : 2g
+ Trans Fat : 3g
Combined Amt.: 5g / Saturated Fat : 1 g
+ Trans Fat : 0.5g
Combined Amt.: 1.5g
Cholesterol: 10 % DV / Cholesterol: 0 % DV / Cholesterol: 0 % DV
*Nutrient values rounded based on FDA's nutrition labeling regulations. Calorie and cholesterol content estimated.
**Butter values from FDA Table of Trans Values, 1/30/95.
† Values derived from 2002 USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 15.
Compare Products
Above are three nutrition facts panels from spreads. Look at the labels and decide which product is best for you.
1. Is the serving size the same?
2. How do the calories compare?
3. Is the fat content the same?
4. How do they compare in saturated fat?
5. Notice the trans fats are listed. How do they compare?
6. Do they all have cholesterol?
7. What factors do you consider when choosing a product?
Answers:
Margarine, 80% fat, stick † Look for another option. This choice does not contain the lowest combined amount of Saturated and Trans Fat.
Butter ** Look for another option. This choice contains the highest combined amount of Saturated and Trans Fat, and the highest amount of Cholesterol.
Margarine, 60% fat, tub‡ Congratulations! This choice has the lowest combined amount of Saturated and Trans fat and 0 g of Cholesterol.
Margarine, 70% fat, stick † Look for another option. This choice does not contain the lowest combined amount of Saturated and Trans Fat.
References:
Label Facts for Healthful Eating: Educator’s Resource Guide, National Food Processors Association, in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Focus On Food Labeling: Read The Label, FDA Consumer: An FDA Consumer Special Report
Weight Management Program
Understanding Exercise Labels
The following lists terms that are commonly used in discussions of exercise and physical activity.
Calorie
A calorie is a measure of energy from food. Also the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1° C (1000 calories = 1 kilocalorie). An interesting fact: When we see "Calories" on a food label it is actually measuring kilocalories, although the prefix "-kilo" is dropped and the "c" is capitalized—"Calories."
Cardio-respiratory fitness
Cardio-respiratory fitness is the ability of the body's circulatory and respiratory systems to supply fuel during sustained physical activity.
Exercise
Exercise is physical activity that is planned or structured. It involves repetitive bodily movement done to improve or maintain one or more of the components of physical fitness: cardio-respiratory fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition.
Household physical activity
Household activities include activities such as sweeping floors, scrubbing, washing windows, raking the lawn, etc.
Inactivity
Not engaging in any regular pattern of physical activity beyond daily functioning.
Leisure-time physical activity
Leisure-time physical activity is physical activity that is performed during exercise, recreation, or any additional time other than that associated with one's regular job duties, occupation, or transportation.
Moderate-intensity physical activity
Moderate-intensity physical activity generally requires sustained rhythmic movements and refers to a level of effort equivalent to:
· a "perceived exertion" of 11 to 14 on the Borg scale
· 3 to 6 metabolic equivalents (METs);
· any activity that burns 3.5 to 7 Calories per minute (kcal/min); or
· the effort a healthy individual might expend while walking briskly, mowing the lawn, dancing, swimming, or bicycling on level terrain, for example.
A person should feel some exertion but should be able to carry on a conversation comfortably during the activity.
Occupational physical activity
Occupational physical activity is completed regularly as part of one's job. It includes activities such as hauling, lifting, pushing, carpentry, shoveling, packing boxes, etc.
Physical activity
Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in an expenditure of energy.
Physical fitness
Physical fitness is a measure of a person's ability to perform physical activities that require endurance, strength, or flexibility and is determined by a combination of regular activity and genetically inherited ability.
Regular physical activity
A pattern of physical activity is regular if activities are performed:
· most days of the week, preferably daily;
· 5 or more days of the week if moderate-intensity activities are chosen; or
· 3 or more days of the week if vigorous-intensity activities are chosen.
Sedentary
In scientific literature, sedentary is often defined in terms of little or no leisure-time physical activity. A sedentary lifestyle is a lifestyle characterized by little or no physical activity.
Transportation physical activity
Transportation physical activity is gained while moving from one place to another, usually across a reasonable distance. It includes walking, biking or wheeling (for wheelchair users), or similar activities used to get to work, school, place of worship, stores, etc.
Vigorous-intensity physical activity
Vigorous-intensity physical activity generally requires sustained, rhythmic movements and refers to a level of effort equivalent to:
· a "perceived exertion" of 15 or greater on the Borg scale;
· greater than 6 metabolic equivalents (METs);
· any activity that burns more than 7 kcal/ min; or
· the effort a healthy individual might expend while jogging, mowing the lawn with a non-motorized push mower, chopping wood, participating in high-impact aerobic dancing, swimming continuous laps, or bicycling uphill, for example.
Vigorous-intensity physical activity may be intense enough to represent a substantial challenge to an individual and results in a significant increase in heart and breathing rate.
References
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical activity and health: a report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 1996.