Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 3 Nutrition 91 he goal of making good food choices is to provide the right amount of nutrients for your body. Another goal is to make sure the foods and beverages you put into your body are safe. One of the most helpful strategies for making good food choices is to carefully read the information provided on a packaged food label. These labels contain valuable information about that food, such as how long it will remain fresh, how it should be stored, and the type of nutrients it pro- vides. This section will focus on the important information provided on food labels and how you can avoid becoming ill from the foods you eat. Understanding Nutrition Facts Labels To help consumers make good choices about what they eat, the FDA requires any food sold in a package to include a Nutrition Facts label (Figure 3.16). Certain pieces of information are required to be printed on the Nutrition Facts label, including • serving size (the volume or weight of a single serving of the food) • number of servings in a package • number of calories in each serving • amount of different nutrients (including fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fi bers, sugars, protein, and some vitamins fi and minerals) in a serving and • percent of daily values for the different nutrients provided in a serving. The Nutrition Facts label was updated, effective July 2018, to refl revised serving sizes and include flect amounts of added sugars, vitamin D, and potassium. Daily Values Daily y Values are the recommended intake amounts for specifi nutrients. The Daily Values for fic a 2,000-calorie diet are used to calculate the Percent (%) Daily Values for the nutrients on the Nutrition Facts panel. These percentages, therefore, could be higher or lower depending on an individual’s daily calorie needs. The % Daily Value signals whether a serving of food contributes a lot or a little of a particular nutrient to your total daily diet. For example, suppose a food item’s % Daily Value for calcium is 20. That means one serving of the food supplies 20% of the daily requirement for calcium for an individual on a 2,000-calorie diet. T 4% 10% 4% 7% 12% 0% 0% 32% 1% 11% 34% 162mg 3g Nutrition Facts Calories 208 Amount per serving Total Fat Saturated Fat 2g Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 12mg Sodium Total Carbohydrate 34g Dietary Fiber 0g Total Sugars 34g Includes 17g Added Sugars Protein 12g Vitamin D 0mcg Calcium 419mg Iron 0.2mg Potassium 537mg % Daily Value* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. * 1 serving per container Serving size 1cup (245g) 0% 32% 1% 11% Vitamin D 0 mc g Calcium 419m g Iron 0.2mg Potassium 537m g 0% D ietary Fiber 0 g 34% I ncludes 17 g Added Sugars Effective July 2018, this new Nutrition Facts label lists added sugars, vitamin D, and potassium. How does this Nutrition Facts label compare to labels printed before July 2018? Figure 3.16 Daily Values the recommended amounts of nutrients that a person should consume each day