Using Food Labels to Prevent Heart Disease : Part 2

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 2 of 2)

Daily Values

The place to find out whether a food is relatively high or low in a nutrient is the %Daily Value column on the Nutrition Facts panel, usually on the side or back of the food package. For people concerned about high blood cholesterol and heart disease, the %Daily Values for fat (especially saturated fat), cholesterol, and fiber are important.

If, for individual foods, the %Daily Value is 5 or less, the food is generally considered low in that nutrient. The more foods chosen that have a %Daily Value of 5 or less for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, the easier it is to eat a healthier daily diet. Foods with 10 percent or more of the Daily Value for fiber are considered good sources of that dietary component.

The overall goal should be to select foods that together do not exceed 100% of the Daily Value each for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and that will meet or exceed that amount for other nutrients.

Serving Size

The serving size information on the Nutrition Facts panel also is important. It tells the amount of food, stated in both common household and metric measures, to which all other numbers apply.

Unlike before, serving sizes now are more uniform among similar products and reflect the amounts people actually eat. For example, the reference amount for a serving of snack crackers is 30 g. So, the serving size for soda crackers is 10, while the serving size for Goldfish crackers is 55, because those amounts are the ones that come closest to weighing 30 g.

This makes it easy to compare the nutritional qualities of related foods.

Front Label Info

On some food packages, short label statements describing the food's nutritional benefits may appear. Often, they will be on the front label, where shoppers can readily see them.

Some statements, like "low in saturated fat" and "no cholesterol," are called nutrient content claims. They are used to highlight foods with desirable levels of nutrients.

Other statements are health claims. FDA approved eight of them, two of which relate to heart disease. These two can state that:

A diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

A diet high in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fiber, particularly soluble fiber, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

These health claims also must state that the risk of coronary heart disease depends on many factors.

Both types of claims signal that the food contains desirable levels of the stated nutrients.

Other Nutrition Information

"Calories from Fat" appears on the Nutrition Facts panel, listed next to "calories." This information helps people limit their total fat intake to 30 percent or less of their total daily calorie intake.

Here's how to use "Calories from Fat": At the end of the day, add up total calories and then calories from fat eaten. Divide calories from fat by total calories. The answer gives the percentage of calories from fat eaten that day. For example, 450 calories from fat divided by 1,800 calories = 0.25 (25 percent), an amount within the recommended level of not more than 30 percent.

The Nutrition Facts panel also gives the amount by weight, in grams or milligrams, of certain nutrients, including fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. These amounts are helpful for people who monitor their daily consumption of these nutrients.

The amount by weight of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats also may appear under Nutrition Facts. Information about each is required when a claim is made on the label about the food's saturated fat or cholesterol content. Otherwise, it's voluntary.

If the information is provided, it will appear below saturated fat and be given in grams per serving of the food.

This information is helpful for people who closely monitor their fat intake to reduce their risk of heart disease. Polyunsaturated fats, when substituted for saturated fats in the diet, tend to lower blood cholesterol levels. Monounsaturated fats are considered neutral in terms of increasing the risk of fatty deposits in the arteries.

Look to the Label

Whenever my mother and other consumers check the label for the nutritional qualities of the foods they eat, they'll find plenty of information to help them choose foods that may help reduce their risk of heart disease.

On the Nutrition Facts panel, %Daily Values will tell them at a glance whether a food has desirable levels of cholesterol, saturated fat, fiber, and other nutrients that may be beneficial for them.

Claims, usually on the front of labels, will signal to them right away that the food contains appropriate levels of certain nutrients.

And all of the information will be easy for them to read and use so, like my mother, they won't have to rely on a dietitian or nutritionist to help them out.

As FDA Commissioner David A. Kessler, M.D., says about the new label: "You don't have to be a nutritionist to understand. Just take a minute to find the %Daily Values on the label. They really tell you what's in a food."

About the Author

www.fda.gov
FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.