8.1: What is in the Food You Eat?
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STOP: Choose a Food
STOP! Before you go any further in this chapter, think about something you want to eat today.
Maybe you want to eat a burrito, or a burger, a salad, some soup, or maybe spaghetti?
- Choose something you want to eat.
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Find the nutrition label for the food you chose.
- If the food you chose is something you bought at the grocery store it likely has a food label, or you may be able to view the food label through the grocery stores website. For example, Raley’s grocery store provides images of the product including the food label (check out the Mott's Applesauce label on the Raley's website .
- If you would like to get something from a restaurant you can usually find the food label online by either going to the restaurants website or searching for the item using online databases like CalorieKing , MyFitnessPal, Nutritionvalue.org , or try Food Data Central.
- You might not be able to find the exact food item, do your best to find something close.
- Take a moment to review the Interactive Nutrition Facts Label website to familiarize yourself with the information on the label.
- Keep the nutrition information with you as you read this chapter!
Understanding Food Labels
Food labels are a tool to help us understand more about the foods we choose to eat. By understanding the nutrition of our food we can make better informed choices that contribute to our wellness. Nutrition labels have changed over time based on updated scientific information, new nutrition research, and input from the public. The most recent Food Label requirements were launched in 2016. Interested in seeing how the food label changed in 2016? Check out this comparison of the old and new label.
Ultimately, by having a standard way to show nutrition facts we are able to easily and quickly compare food choices to make informed decisions about the fuel we put into our body. Just like a car needs fuel to run, our bodies need food to provide us with energy.
Try this Nutrition Facts Pre-Test to see how much you already know about nutrition.
Nutrition Facts Pre-Test
Servings
At the top of the food label you should see information about the number of servings and the size of the servings. The data provided on the food label is based on the serving size listed on the label. It is important to first identify how many servings you are consuming. If you are consuming two servings then you will need to multiple the data on the nutrition label by two.
The serving size on a nutrition label is based on the amount of food that is typically eaten at one time and is not a recommendation of how much to eat. Many people found that that servings sizes on the old food labels, prior to 2016, were unrealistic. For example, a 12 ounce can of Coke used to be 1.5 servings and has now been adjusted to being 1 serving.
Your food label: Servings
Evaluate the serving size and number of servings on your food label. How many servings do you eat? Did the serving size surprise you?
Calories
The next item on the food label is the amount of calories in the food. Calories refer to how much energy the food provides. Our bodies need energy (calories) to keep us alive and our organs functioning normally. When we eat and drink, we put energy (calories) into our bodies, and we use that energy in many ways, for example to keep our heart beating, to breathe, to digest food, to move throughout the day, to exercise, or to participate in sports.
Although the term calorie is the term commonly used, it actually refers to a kilocalorie. One (1) kilocalorie is the same as one (1) calorie (upper case C). In technical terms, a kilocalorie is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water one degree celsius.
When looking at the amount of calories on your food label, it is important to recognize the amount of calories in the food you are eating compared to how many calories you should consume each day. Look at the very bottom of the food label and you should see an asterisk with a statement similar to “2,000 calories a day is used as a general guide for nutrition advice.” Although 2,000 calories is used, the total number of calories you need each day varies depending on a number of factors including your age, sex, height, weight, level of physical activity, and pregnancy or lactation status. The total number of calories you should consume may also be determined by whether would like to lose, maintain, or gain weight affects how many calories should be consumed.
Use the MyPlate Plan to calculate how many calories you should consume each day.
As you look at the calories on your food label compared to your recommended daily caloric intake, be mindful of your energy balance. Energy balance refers to the balance of calories consumed through eating and drinking compared to calories burned through daily activities and physical activity. If we consume more calories (energy) than we use throughout the day, we store that energy for use at a later time as body fat. If we consume less calories (energy) than we use throughout the day, we utilize our stored body fat for energy.
Your Food Label: Calories
Evaluate the calories on your food label. How many calories does it contain? Is this considered a low or high calorie food? How much does this food item contribute to the total amount of calories you should consumer each day?
Use the MyPlate Plan to calculate how many calories you should consume each day and remember, if you are eating more than one serving you need to multiply the number of calories on the food label to see the total amount of calories consumed!
Nutrients
It is now time to learn about what your food is made up of, meaning what are the nutrients provided to your body when you consume the food. Nutrients are commonly divided into two categories, macronutrients and micronutrients. On the food label, the macronutrients are listed first followed by the micronutrients.
- Macronutrients: Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water.
- Micronutrients: Vitamins and minerals
When reviewing your food labels, you might notice some variation in the nutrients listed. The label must include total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, protein, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium. The label might also include monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, sugar alcohols, vitamins (biotin, choline, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, E, and K) and minerals (chloride, chromium, copper, iodine, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc).
Some nutrients are essential and some are considered nonessential. Essential nutrients are nutrients that must be consumed through the foods we eat, the body cannot synthesize the nutrients. Nonessential nutrients are nutrients that the body can synthesize, so they do not need to be consumed from food.
Three essential nutrients provide energy (calories), these are fats, carbohydrates, proteins. Alcohol also provides energy (calories), but is not considered an essential nutrient. The other nutrients do not directly provide calories, but they do aid in the production and utilization of energy by the body.
% Daily Value
For each nutrient, you will see the % Daily Value (%DV). This percentage is very helpful for understanding how the food contributes to the recommended total amount you should consume. it is important to note that the % Daily Value does not add up to 100%, it is not telling you the breakdown of the item, but rather how much the food item contributes to what you should consume each day. For example if you notice that the %DV for sodium is 50% this would mean the food you are eating contributes to half of your daily total for sodium. %DV makes it easy for you to compare foods.
An easy way to use %DV is to determine if a serving of the food is high or low in an individual nutrient. As a general guide:
- 5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is considered low.
- 20% DV or more of a nutrient per serving is considered high.
The %DV for each nutrient is calculated by comparing the nutrient to the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) . The DRIs represent the most current scientific knowledge on nutrient needs of healthy populations. Some DRI’s are listed as a specific amounts, such as number of grams, and others are based on the energy they provide in relation to your entire diet. The Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs) helps you to determine the amount of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates you should consume based on a percentage of your total calories.
Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs)
- Carbohydrates: Consume 45-65% of your calories from carbohydrates
- Fats: Consume 20-35% of your calories from fats
- Protein: Consume 10-35% of your calories from protein
Fat (lipids) and Cholesterol
The first nutrients on the food label are fats and cholesterol. Fats are also called lipids. We need both fats and cholesterol, however too much of both can negatively impact health.
We need fats in our diet for many reasons. First, fats provide us with energy. For every gram of fat you consume, you are provided with 9 calories of energy. Fat is considered a high-energy nutrient. Fat also provides us with long term energy storage, so if we do not consume enough energy our body can burn out stored body fat. Our body needs fat for other basic bodily function such as the synthesis of cell membranes, for growth and development, healthy skin and hair, blood clotting, nervous system function, reproduction, immune response, and to absorb important fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K). Fats also make food taste really good and help you feel full. Fat is found in foods from both plants and animals.