Food labels can help patients make better decisions about what to eat and how to manage their diabetes.
Almost every packaged food has a “Nutrition Facts” label that provides portion sizes and other nutritional information for each serving, recording the amount of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals in a typical amount of food. This information makes it easier to choose foods that fit into one’s eating plan and helps control blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight.
Read below for information on nutrient content.
Serving size
The portion size of a serving is a standard measure based on the amount of food people typically eat in one sitting. The amount of the portion determines the amount listed on the label. It lets the person eating it know how many calories and nutrients are on the plate.
Note the portion size listed, including the number of servings in the package, and compare it to the amount actually eaten. Don’t confuse servings with portions. A serving is the food you choose to eat, for which there is no standard metric.
For example, a slice of bread is one portion, and if you eat a sandwich and two slices of bread, then a serving is two portions of bread, so you must increase all the nutritional values, such as calories and carbohydrates, by a factor of 1. If a package contains 4 servings and it is eaten up (like a bag of crunchy snacks), then 4 times as many calories, fat, and all the other ingredients listed on the label have been consumed.
Calories and calories from fat
Calories are the unit of measurement for calories, so this number refers to how many calories can be obtained from a single portion of food. Keep in mind that if the serving size is different than the serving size on the label, you will need to adjust for this.
This part of the label also says how many calories come from fat in a serving of food.
Nutrients
For the key nutrients listed, the “% Daily Value” shows how much a serving of food can provide. These percentages are based on a 2,000 calorie/day diet and apply to average or larger men who rarely exercise. Women with diabetes or older adults, or those trying to lose weight, need fewer calories.
If the daily calorie intake is not 2000, then a little math needs to be done. Certain nutritional goals change with daily caloric intake. Some, including sodium and calcium, are based on age, gender, or health status, not calories consumed. Consult your doctor or diabetes educator about how to adjust the % Daily Amount value on the label in your diet.
In general, when it comes to the components of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, choose foods with lower % Daily Amount values. For total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, try to reach your daily goal for each nutrient you need.
Ingredients
Each product should have all the ingredients listed in it. By weight, put them in order from largest to smallest, which means the food consists of the first ingredient with the largest weight and the last ingredient with the smallest weight.
Label claims
Some food labels claim to be “low cholesterol” or “low fat”. Manufacturers can use these terms only if a food meets a strict definition.
| Tag declaration: | Definition (per standard component) |
| less than 0.5 grams of fat or sugar | |
| Low fat | 3 grams of fat or less |
| Reduced fat or reduced sugar | At least 25% less fat or sugar than conventional products |
| No cholesterol | less than 2 mg of cholesterol and 2 g or less of saturated fat |
| Cholesterol reduction | Reduce cholesterol by at least 25% and saturated fat by 2 grams or less |
| No calories | Less than 5 calories |
| 40 calories or less | |
| 1/3 less calories or 50% less fat |
Other important terms on food labels relate to the amount of salt or sodium. Remember, 1 teaspoon contains 2000 mg.
| Tag declaration | Definition |
| Sodium-free or salt-free | Less than 5 mg per serving |
| Very low sodium | 35 mg sodium or less per serving |
| Low sodium | 140 mg or less sodium per serving |
| Low sodium meals | 140 mg or less sodium per 100 g meal |
| Reduced or less sodium | At least 25% less sodium than the daily version |
| Light sodium | at least 50% less sodium than the daily version |
| No salt or no salt added | No salt added to the product during processing |
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