Reading the Nutrition Facts Label
 In the United States, food labeling is required for most prepared foods, such as breads, cereals, canned and frozen foods, snacks, desserts and beverages. The "Nutrition Facts" food label is a useful tool because it helps people understand the nutritional value of foods, compare similar products and make informed decisions about what they are purchasing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration explains How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label. 
What You Can Do:
- Talk with your health care team about your target nutrition goals (calories, fat, carbs, protein, fiber, calcium)
- Read the Nutrition Facts food label
- Compare food labels to find products that help you meet your own personal nutrition and blood glucose goals
- Pay attention to serving size and be realistic about how much you will eat
- Watch health claims by comparing "original" items with "diet" versions
- If you have food allergies/sensitivities, read the ingredients list
Serving Size
All the other numbers on the food label are directly related to the nutritional value of "one serving" of that food. Ask yourself "How many servings am I going to eat?" In our example, one cup of cereal is 24g of carbohydrate, but two cups of cereal would be 48g of carbohydrates. Too much of even the healthiest food can be bad for you. Be aware of which foods are in your meal plan and how much of those foods you should eat.
Health Claims
Especially for people with diabetes, read the food labels on products that claim to be "low sugar," "sugar free," "low fat," or "low calorie" and compare to the original version. You might be surprised that something sugar-free has more carbohydrates then the original food source. Sometimes there are healthier, and often tastier choices available that have similar or lower amounts of sugar, fats and calories.
Don't forget about the ingredients! Even if the information provided in the Nutrition Facts food label works with your meal plan, the individual ingredients may not work for you. People with food sensitivities and allergies (like wheat, gluten or peanuts), or people looking to eliminate certain things from their diet (like artificial sweeteners or hydrogenated oils) will also have to pay attention to the ingredients and then decide if the product is right for them.
For more information about food labels, check out How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label.
|
 |
|
This site is intended for visitors from the United States and published by LifeScan, Inc., which is solely responsible for its contents.