The calorie chart, or food nutrition label, on the back of food products is intended to make finding the nutritional information about that particular food easy. The information on the food nutrition label is standardized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. Generally, the information on the label is based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Once you understand the information on this label, you can make an informed choice about which foods you eat and which foods you pass up.
Step 1
Look at the serving size for the information. Some foods will have servings listed in cups, pieces or ounces. Directly under the single-serving size information, there is a line that tells you how many servings are in the package.
Step 2
Check the number of calories per serving. The FDA notes that food with 40 calories per serving is considered low calorie, 400 calories is considered high and 100 calories is considered moderate.
Step 3
Know which nutrients you should limit. These include fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium. For these items, less is better. To determine if the value is a suitable level, check the percent daily value listed for the item. The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that 5 percent or less for these nutrients is considered low.
Step 4
Notice the amounts listed by the good nutrients on the label. These include dietary fiber, vitamins, calcium, iron, niacin and other minerals. A percent daily value of 20 percent or more is considered high. For these nutrients, more is better.
Step 5
Study the footnote. This note contains information about dietary recommendations for 2,000- and 2,500-calorie diets. Total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium values are listed as the highest recommended, while total carbohydrates and dietary fiber values are a minimum recommendation. Some packaging won't have the footnote information as it is only required if there is room for it.
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