Reading food labels has been on my mind a lot … could be because am currently creating food labels of some recipes for my church recipe book (which by the way is a pretty awesome cook book with tons of great recipes. If anyone wants a copy when it ‘s ready – ping me)
First look at Serving Size and servings per container (look at label above as a reference). Calorie and Nutrient information is for 1 serving only, so if the box/ product says 2 servings / container and you plan to eat the whole box you have to multiply X 2 to get the right values. Caution, some products can hold up to 6 servings / container so if you plan on eating the whole box, do the math.
Next, after you glance at the calories and fat content, look at the % DV (Daily Value) which is the amount of a nutrient in one serving compared to the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) based on a 2000 calorie diet. In simple terms what the % DV tells you is the percent of a particular nutrient you’re getting from that product. For example if you’re getting 45% of calcium as in the label below, you can gauge that you only have to get another 55% calcium from other foods through the day, to reach your goal of 100%.
Then you apply the ‘5 and 20′ rule to the nutrients. General rule of thumb- anything that’s 5 % and below is a poor source of that nutrient, anything that’s 20 % and above is a high source and anything in between is a medium source.
Nutrients that you want get a lot of in your diet like calcium, fiber, maybe protein aim for 20 % or above. Nutrients that you want to get less of in your diet like Saturated fat, Sodium , maybe Carbs( if you’re on a low carb diet) aim for 5% or below or the numbers in between 5 and 20. I don’t have to say that you probably should not be looking for fiber in a Dairy product or Calcium in a cereal box (unless fortified) etc, so use the rule “in context “of the nutrient – if that makes sense. So next time you’re at the grocery store use the 5 and 20 rule to guide you effortlessly down the aisles and watch as healthy food products magically appear in your cart. Just a note, Also look out for words like “partially hydrogenated“, “trans fat“and steer clear of products that have them. Personally, if a product has too many ingredients, especially ones that I don’t understand I usually pass on it. Happy Grocery shopping – and take time to read the labels.
Hi there! I’m Sunithi, AKA Sue, a registered dietitian with a sweet tooth and a passion for eating healthy (quite a combo) currently working as an independent consultant in the DC Metro area. I’m also a blogger, health nut, nutrition geek who jogs to keep sane :)! I love to revamp recipes and add some ‘Nutrition Bytes’ to them. All my recipes are gluten free! I also blog on natural health and fitness! Visit often and drop me a note if you have any nutrition queries!
Hmm… the 5 and 20 rule is simple and easy !! Thanks will try it whne I shop for cereal next
love the simplicity of the 5/20 rule, especially since I have to watch my sodium because of BP issues.
@ keith, using that rule for cereals is great … you can go high fiber easily !!
Hey Pam, glad the rule can guide you in controlling Na in diet. Will post on Hidden sources of sodium soon ! If you have any Q's about Na … ping me. One of my fav topics !
Your blog is outstanding I will have to read it all, thank you for the diversion from my coursework! Thanks so much!
@ Alkaline recipes, Thank you again! Glad my blog is a diversion from coursework :)! Please look through the few posts I have ( new blogger ) and feel free to follow or subscribe via email to get auto updates!