Part 1 – The Nutrition Facts should be noted, though, that not all of these nutrients need to be listed on a food label. Instead, the FDA requires that some, if not all, of the following

How to Read Food Labels © Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN

www.alldayenergydiet.com

Part 1 – The Nutrition Facts

Before we begin looking at the food label Nutrition

Facts itself, it is first important to understand how to

read it. For starters, it helps to understand the terms

Daily Values (DV), Daily Reference Values

(DRVs), and Reference Daily Intake (RDIs).

Furthermore, it is helpful to know how to calculate

calories based on daily requirements. We will get to

that in a minute but first let’s look at DVs, DRVs,

and RDIs.

Daily Values are comprised of the latter two terms.

One of the issues with our current labeling system is

that the percent Daily Values (% DV) are based on

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) from

1968 and in Canada from the 1983 Recommended

Nutrient Intakes (RNIs).

Thankfully, as new research emerges, these food

labels will be improved and better reflect what the

human body actually requires. Until then, if you are

relying on packaged foods for your nutrition, then

you have bigger concerns to worry about!

Daily Reference Values (DRVs):

This is used for the designation of energy-producing nutrients that have no prior set

standards, such as fat, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber.

The DRVs for these nutrients are based on the number of calories consumed per day.

The FDA has deemed that 2,000 calories is the standard used for such calculations on

food labels based on the fact that it approximates the calorie requirements of the group

most often targeted for weight loss: postmenopausal women.

The DRVs for the energy-producing nutrients are calculated as follows:

• Fat – based on 30% of calories

• Saturated Fat – based on 10% of calories

• Carbohydrates – based on 60% of calories

• Protein – based on 10% of calories

• Fiber – based on 11.5 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories



Note the low component of protein – only 10% of total calories. If you have ever fallen

into the high-protein trap, then these DRVs should knock some sense back into you!

At the same time, it should be noted that the fiber DRV seems suspiciously low

considering that many experts believe that 35 grams of fiber (not 23 grams per 2,000

calories) is ideal for optimal health. 23 grams is at the low end of the fiber spectrum

according to the American Dietetic Association.1

To help you better understand these DRVs it is useful to know how many calories 1 gram

of each macronutrient yields:

• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories

• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories

• 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories (fiber is also a carbohydrate)

Now, let’s put this into practice using fat as an example…

Assuming a 2,000-calorie per day diet, the total calories from fat (according to its DRV)

should be no more than 600 calories (or 30% or 66 grams of fat), right?

Therefore, if a food has 12 grams of fat, how much of the Daily Value (DV) for fat does

that represent?

If you said 18%, then you’re right!

Here’s why…

Since 1 gram of fat is 9 calories, then 12 grams of fat = 108 calories

Therefore, 108 calories out of a possible 600 fat calories (DRV for fat) = 18%

Step 1 – Serving Size

The first place to start when you

look at the Nutrition Facts label is

the serving size and the number of

servings in the package. Serving sizes are standardized to make it easier to compare

similar foods; they are provided in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by the

metric amount (ie. number of grams).

1 J . Marlett et al. (2002). Position of the American Dietetic Association Health Implications of Dietary Fiber. Journal

of the American Dietetic Association, 102(7): 993 - 1000



The size of the serving on the food package influences the number of calories and all the

nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the label. Pay attention to the serving size,

especially how many servings there are in the food package. Then ask yourself, "How

many servings am I consuming"? (e.g., 1/2 serving, 1 serving, or more). In many

instances, one serving may only be equivalent to a certain portion of the whole product.

For example, one serving may equal one cup but if you ate the whole package, you would

eat two cups. That doubles the calories and other nutrient numbers, including the %Daily

Values for all nutrients.

Step 2 – How Many Calories?

Calories provide a measure of how

much energy you get from a serving

of this food.

Unfortunately, far too many people consume more calories than they need without

meeting recommended intakes for a number of key nutrients. The calorie section of the

label can help you manage your weight (i.e., gain, lose, or maintain.) since the number of

servings you consume determines the number of calories you actually eat.

It may be helpful to remember that one pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories.

In the example (food label above), there are 250 calories in one serving of this food. At

the same time, there are 110 calories from fat, which means almost half the calories in a

single serving come from fat. What if you ate the whole package content? Then, you

would consume two servings, or 500 calories, and 220 (or 25 g) would come from fat.

Not the greatest choice of food if you ask me!

The FDA has a general guide to calories which states the following:

• 40 Calories per serving is low

• 100 Calories per serving is moderate

• 400 Calories per serving or more is high

Accordingly, foods that contain less than 40 calories per serving are allowed to state “low

calorie” on the packaging.



Step 3 - How Much Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium is Too

Much?

On all food labels you will now notice

that there is a section listing nutrients

that North Americans consume far too

much – total fat, saturated fat, trans

fats, cholesterol, and sodium.

Considering all of these contribute the

development of numerous chronic

diseases such as heart disease, high

blood pressure, and some cancers, the

goal is to limit your intake of these nutrients.

Accordingly, the FDA has set upper limits of DRVs for them, and they are the following:

• Total Fat: less than 65 g

• Saturated Fat: less than 20 g (which includes trans fats)

• Cholesterol: less than 300 mg

• Sodium: less than 2,400 mg

To clarify, these are the upper limits for each of these nutrients per day.

Reference Daily Intake (RDI)

The second component that makes up the Daily Value (DV) used on food labels is the

RDI; which is a set of dietary references for “ideal” daily intake of important vitamins

and minerals to meet the nutrient requirement of 97-98% of healthy individuals (formerly

known as Recommended Dietary Allowances).

Once again, these numbers are according to the FDA’s standards but the idea here is that,

supposedly, processed foods with greater amounts of these vitamins and minerals are

healthier. This may be true, but let’s not forget that fresh whole foods will always be

your best source of these vital micronutrients.

Here is a list of RDIs for the major vitamins and minerals

Nutrient Amount

Vitamin A 5,000 International Units (IU)

Vitamin C 60 milligrams (mg)

Vitamin D 400 IU

Vitamin E 30 IU



Vitamin B6 2 mg

Vitamin B12 6 micrograms (mcg)

Thiamin 1.5 mg

Riboflavin 1.7 mg

Niacin 20 mg

Calcium 1 g

Iron 18 mg

Folic Acid 0.4 mg

Phosphorus 1 g

Iodine 150 mcg

Magnesium 5 mg

Copper 2 mg

Biotin 0.3 mg

Pantothenic Acid 10 mg

It should be noted, though, that not all of these nutrients need to be listed on a food label.

Instead, the FDA requires that some, if not all, of the following components be listed on a

food label in the following order:

• Total calories*

• Calories from fat*

• Calories from saturated fat (including trans fat)*

• Stearic acic (for meat and poultry only)

• Polyunsaturated fat

• Monounsaturated fat

• Cholesterol*

• Sodium*

• Potassium

• Dietary fiber*

• Soluble fiber

• Insoluble fiber

• Sugars*

• Sugar alcohol (ie. xylitol, mannitol, and sorbitol)

• Other carbohydrates

• Protein*

• Vitamin A*

• Percent Vitamin A present as beta-carotene

• Vitamin C*

• Calcium*

• Iron*

• Other essential vitamins and minerals*

As you can probably guess, the vast majority of food labels do not list all of these

nutrients. In most cases, the nutrients marked with an asterisk (from above) are most

often present on packaged foods.



It is also worth noting that these are the only nutrient components that are allowed to be

listed on any food label (at the present time), according to the FDA. In the case where is

a food is fortified or enriched with one of these nutrients, or a claim is made about them,

then pertinent additional nutrition information is required. For instance, a food fortified

with Vitamin D must include the relevant Vitamin D nutrition information on the label.

Step 4 - How Much of the Good Stuff?

This part of this food label (coloured

in blue) represents the “good stuff”

that you want more of in your diet.

The FDA considers that any of these

“good” nutrients with a % DV less

than 5% is low, while a % DV greater

than 20% is high.

Looking at this abbreviated food label

we can see that this food would be

considered a “high source of calcium” (and would be able to say so on the label), while

this food would also be deemed low in dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron.

Obviously, this would not be stated on the packaging!

Step 5 – How to Interpret the Footnote at the Bottom of

the Nutrition Facts Label

If you look at the initial food label

image used at the beginning of this

chapter you will notice the * used

after the heading % Daily Value on

the Nutrition Facts label.

This asterisk refers to the Footnote

in the lower part of the nutrition

label, which tells you "Percent

Daily Values are based on a 2,000

calorie diet".

This statement must be on all food labels.

But the remaining information in the full footnote may not be on the package if the size

of the label is too small. When the full footnote does appear, it will always be the same.



It doesn't change from product to product, because it shows recommended dietary advice

for all consumers - it is not about a specific food product.

Look at the amounts circled in red in the footnote - these are the Daily Values (DV) for

each nutrient listed and are based on supposed public health experts' advice. The DVs

represent the recommended levels of intakes of each nutrient and the DVs in the footnote

are based on a 2,000 or 2,500 calorie diet.

Note how the DVs for some nutrients change, while others (for cholesterol and sodium)

remain the same for both calorie amounts.

The nutrients that have "upper daily limits" are listed first on the footnote of larger labels

and on the example above. “Upper limits”, as the term implies, means it is recommended

that you stay below - eat "less than" - the Daily Value for that nutrient on a daily basis.

For example, the DV for saturated fat is 20 grams. Therefore, if you ate a food stating

that saturated fat was 20 grams or 100% DV of its content, then you would have

consumed your entire day’s limit of saturated fat in this one food!

Considering the nasty health impacts of saturated fat (especially from animal sources),

the dietary goal is to eat "less than" 20 g or 100% DV for the day.

Here’s another way of looking at a similar scenario:

Note: The pictures above were provided by the FDA’s site on food labels.2

2 http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html#seeimage2



What About the Health Claims?

Nowadays, you will most likely see health claims on potentially any product, regardless

of whether it is healthy or not. The reason – the FDA allows health claims to be made on

any food product, as long as it meets certain criteria. As a result, even the unhealthiest

foods can be misleading.

I even noticed Fruit Loops cereal with the health claim “source of vitamin A” right on the

front of the box. How much more deceptive can you be?

To help you cut through much of the nonsense, below are the most common health claims

used on food labels as well as what is required (nutritionally) for their use.

Notice the ones that claim that a food is “... free” such as sodium free. Is there really “0”

trace of that nutrient?

• Low calorie…fewer than 40 calories per serving.

• Low sodium…140 mg or less per serving.

• Very low sodium…less than 35 mg per serving.

• Sodium free…less than 5 mg per serving.

• Low fat…3 g or less per serving.

• Low saturated fat…1 g or less per serving.

• Low cholesterol…20 mg or less per serving.

• High or source of…denotes the beneficial presence of a nutrient such as fiber or

vitamins.

• High or excellent source of…contains 20% or more of the Daily Value (DV) for

a particular nutrient in a serving.

• Good source of…supplies 10 to 19% of the DV for a particular nutrient in a

serving.

• Reduced…means a product has been nutritionally altered and contains at least

25% less of a nutrient (ie. fat) OR 25% fewer calories than the regular product.

• Less…means a product contains 25% less of a nutrient OR 25% fewer calories

than the reference food.



• Light or lite…signifies a product contains 1/3 fewer calories or ½ the fat of the

comparison food. “Light in sodium” may also be used if sodium content has been

reduced by at least 50%.

• More…means a product contains at least 10% more of the DV for a desirable

nutrient, such as fiber, than the regular food.

• Fresh…signifies a food that has not been heat processed or frozen and

supposedly contains no preservatives.

• Lean and extra lean…describes the fat content of meats, poultry, seafood, and

game meats. Lean = fewer than 10 g fat per serving. Extra lean = fewer than 5 g

of fat per serving.

• Percent fat free...used only to described foods that qualify as low fat.

• High potency…describes a nutrient in a food that is 100% or more of the RDI

established for that product. The term may also be used with multi-ingredient

products if 2/3 of the nutrients are present at 100% of the RDI.

• Antioxidant…may be used in conjunction with “good source” and “high” to

describe a nutrient scientifically shown to neutralize free radicals (ie. vitamin E)

or prevent free-radical initiated chemical reactions in the food.

Labeling of Fresh Produce

Did you know? Those 4 or 5 digit numbers

on produce stickers at the grocery store do

more than just identify the food for the

cashier. They also let you know if the food

has been genetically modified, organically

grown, or conventional grown.

If the item doesn’t have a sticker on it, just

look at the sign for a 4 or 5 digit number.

What does the #4017 on the apple in this

picture signify? Well, the following 3 rules

will help you out.



If the number is:

• 4 digits, it’s conventionally grown.

• 5 digits starting with 8, it’s genetically modified.

• 5 digits starting with 9, it’s organically grown.

This system is used in Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France and by

all countries exporting to them.

So pay attention to these stickers when you shop!

If you see a flyer advertising organic tomatoes for 70¢ a pound, a price that seems too

good to be true, it probably is! Have a look at the sticker on the tomatoes. Does it only

have 4 digits? If it does, you are been tricked into buying organic tomatoes, which are

really conventionally grown. Take it up with the store manager!



Part 2 – Understanding the Ingredient

List

The second component to reading a food label, in our opinion, is truly the most

important. Food manufacturers know that most consumers are lazy and will primarily

focus on the “quantitative” aspect of the food – the Nutrition Facts – while paying little,

if any, attention to the “qualitative” side – the ingredient list! Mostly, because consumers

have no idea what half the ingredients are in the first place. Hint, hint!

If the food label Nutrition Facts show numbers that scream “low fat” or “low carb”,

would that not imply that the food should be healthier for you?

Not at all!

The composition of a food, not necessarily its nutrient numbers, is the most important

element when it comes to assessing its health properties. If this were not the case then

“low calorie” diet sodas filled with poisonous cancer-causing artificial sweeteners like

Aspartame and saccharin would be better for your health!

The irony is that supposed heath promoting organizations such as the FDA devote little to

educating the public about what’s in our foods. Instead, the focus their money and time

on fractioning our foods into carbs, proteins, fats, and other unit nutrients. It’s totally

backwards and in no way does it promote looking at foods for what they are – whole, and

much more than the sum of their parts!

If you are eating packaged foods, the simple rule of thumb is the safest products are

those with the fewest ingredients.

A great example of this is Lara Bar3, a delicious organic live food bar that usually

contains no more than 4 ingredients. These bars use fresh ingredients such as organic

dates, organic almonds, organic cacao, and organic lemon zest, just to name a few. If you

need a quick fix, put down the protein bar and, instead, take one of these energy bars for

a test drive.

When it comes to most manufactured foods, it is important to recognize that even if all of

the ingredients are safe individually, rarely does any product contain only one ingredient.

Safety testing has only been done for individual ingredients, not combinations of

ingredients. Therefore, ingredients that are considered safe individually may be harmful

in certain combinations.

Nobody knows the effects of the many different ingredients used in the thousands of

different combinations, the effects of eating numerous different products together, with

3 http://www.larabar.com



different chemical additives, or the cumulative effects of consuming these ingredients or

products over time.

So, in part 2 of “How to Read a Food Label” you are going to learn how to read the

ingredient list and then uncover the hidden truths about the notorious chemicals that the

food industry is lethally injected into our foods. In most cases, the answers are right there

in the ingredient list of the food label!

From the FDA with Love

I thought it would be appropriate to begin our inquisition into food ingredients by

highlighting precisely what the FDA discusses on its food label site regarding the

difference in ingredients between a “plain yogurt” and a “fruit yogurt”.

Here’s what their Nutrition Facts labels look like…

PLAIN YOGURT FRUIT YOGURT

What do you notice?

That the FRUIT YOGURT has nearly 4 times as much sugar, more saturated fat, and

more than twice the calories compared to the PLAIN YOGURT.

Not a great start!

But, now have a look at their respective ingredients…



PLAIN YOGURT – contains no added sugars

FRUIT YOGURT – contains added sugars

What is the difference between their ingredients?

Well, it is pretty hard to not notice the red circle around high-fructose corn syrup. Credit

the FDA for at least circling a food additive that may single-handedly be responsible for

our obesity epidemic!

So it would be appear that the PLAIN YOGURT would be sure and safe bet, right?

Not necessarily.

This is where it helps to be a savvy, educated consumer. It is easy to be fooled by the

lower calorie, lower sugar, and lower fat content of the PLAIN YOGURT but I would

like to draw your attention to the last ingredient in the PLAIN YOGURT?

Carrageenan.

If you are not familiar with carageenan, you should be. It is used in foods as an

emulsifier and used to produce gels – kind of like yogurt. It is also commonly found in

soy products, yogurts, chocolate products, cheese spreads, ice cream, and many more

foods.

The problem with carrageenan is that animal studies have shown it to cause cancer, and

specifically, malignant tumours in the connective tissue.4 In spite of this knowledge, in

1980, the FDA claimed that no evidence supported its danger to the public at the levels of

use at that time. Recently, though, carrageenan has been placed on the FDA list for

cancer study because of its nasty carcinogenic effects in animals.

In 2003, the FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives requested that carrageenan

be removed from infant formulas, while simultaneously permitting for use as a food

additive.

If a food additive was banned from infant foods, why would it not be banned from other

foods?

4 Winter, R. A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives. Three Rivers Press, NY. 2004



If you eat yogurt for its “good” bacteria, then there a plenty of healthier alternatives. Try

sauerkraut, miso, or even a probiotic supplement. These choices are much healthier than

yogurt and provide far greater amounts of friendly bacteria into your body.

This is Not About Becoming Orthorexic

Orthorexia is a condition that is becoming more popular these days in our health-

conscious society. It is characterized by an obsession with eating foods that one

considers healthy. Orthorexics may even be considered borderline paranoid since they

obsess with the littlest details from ensuring that everything they eat is organic to the fear

of negative health consequences if they consume anything that might be considered less

healthy.

Although it may seem that some of what you have just read (and are about to read) is knit

picking at small details, rest assured that it is not.

I totally understand the need for balance, which might include indulging in your favourite

foods from to time to time. Heck, I am the last one to count calories and read the label of

every food I put in my body. I am big “foodie” but I also understand the need to be a

health conscious and savvy food consumer.

My own dietary lifestyle revolves around eating predominantly fresh raw foods and

cooked vegetarian dishes. Very seldom do I eat processed or packaged foods or even

animal products. But I do enjoy going out to eat every now and again. I won’t beat

myself up for having a treat or going out for a “non-healthy” meal once in a while.

But this does not detract from the fact that I am “hardcore” health promoters. I feel

passionately about our my health and yours as well! I would not have written this

otherwise. So remember, I am not asking you to become fanatical about your food

choices.

Rather, the goal is to become aware, slightly frightened by the products of the food

industry, and to ultimately move towards eating greater amounts of fresh vegetables and

fruit. If you do, your body and your health will transform beyond your wildest dreams!

Documents

Part 1 – The Nutrition Facts should be noted, though, that not all of these nutrients need to be listed on a food label. Instead, the FDA requires that some, if not all, of the following