{"id":7311,"date":"2015-11-21T07:51:32","date_gmt":"2015-11-21T13:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=7311"},"modified":"2015-10-21T12:54:15","modified_gmt":"2015-10-21T17:54:15","slug":"understanding-the-nutrition-facts-label","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2015\/11\/understanding-the-nutrition-facts-label\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the Nutrition Facts Label"},"content":{"rendered":"

Understanding the Nutrition Facts Label<\/h1>\n

The key to a healthy shopping trip is understanding the Nutrition Facts Label. Follow this guide when buying food for yourself or a senior loved one.<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the best ways to help improve and maintain good health is to eat a healthy diet made up of foods with high nutrient density and low amounts of questionable \u00a0and potentially harmful ingredients. <\/span><\/p>\n

About 20 years ago, the\u00a0<\/span>Nutrition Facts Label<\/a><\/strong> was established to help consumers make informed and healthy food decisions. While this label has added significant transparency to the foods we eat, it has also generated a great deal of confusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Guide to the Nutrition Facts Label<\/h2>\n

Below is a breakdown of the main sections of the <\/span>Nutrition Facts Label<\/span>; it should add more clarity in preparation for you and\/or your loved ones next grocery store visit:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Nutrition1. Serving Size.<\/b> This number\u00a0defines the amount in one serving. This information is important to note as other metrics, such as calories and nutrient percentages, are directly tied to it. Be sure to identify how many servings per container – multiple servings result in higher numbers\/percentages. <\/span><\/p>\n

2. Calories.\u00a0<\/b>This number\u00a0tells you how much energy is achieved from one serving of food. Again, be sure to note how many servings are in a package and are consumed as the number of calories will increase based on the number or servings.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Fats, Cholesterol and Sodium. <\/b>Try to\u00a0limit the amount of food that is eaten when these percentages are high (above 5%). The lower the percentage, the better chance of fighting off deadly disease. Aim to always find foods with 0g Trans Fat. Even better, ensure that the ingredient list does not include words such as \u201cpartially hydrogenated.”\u00a0<\/span>The good news is that trans fats are being phased out since the <\/span><\/b>FDA declared they were \u201cno longer generally recognized as safe.\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

4. Vitamins and Minerals.\u00a0<\/b>Aim to have high percentages (above 5%) of beneficial nutrients such as Vitamin A, C Fiber and Iron.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

5. Percent Daily Values. <\/b>These\u00a0offer guidance into how much or how little a food has based on a 2,000-calorie diet. A good rule of thumb for percent daily values is to keep fat, cholesterol and sodium at very low levels (under 5%), while vitamins and minerals should be higher (aim for above 15-20%).<\/span><\/p>\n

Proposed Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label<\/h2>\n

As mentioned above, the Nutrition Facts Label has been a helpful guide for\u00a0many years but it has also come under fire with a decent level of scrutiny. Thus, there are <\/span>new changes that have been proposed<\/a><\/strong> to help clear up continued confusion. These include the following:<\/span><\/p>\n