Importance Of Nutrition Labels

The important of nutrition labels on food cannot be underscored enough if you're watching your weight or on a diet that limits or restricts sodium, cholesterol, sugar or certain nutrients. The nutrition facts label, also called the nutrition information panel, tells you all you need to know about the food you put in your mouth so you can make healthier dietary choices.

Food Labeling History

The nutrition labels on your food fall under the purview of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Since the FDA's inception in 1862, when it was part of the Bureau of Chemistry, federal legislation regarding food labeling evolved as legislation was passed to protect consumers. For example, the Gould Amendment of 1913 required food manufacturers to make sure that product contents were "plainly and conspicuously marked on the outside of the package in terms of weight, measure, or numerical count." The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1966, another piece of landmark legislation, ensures that the food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices you buy are "honestly and informatively" labeled, with the FDA acting in an enforcement capacity. The nutrition facts label was born out of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, which charged the FDA and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture with creating an easy-to-understand label listing the food's most essential nutrients.

Servings and Calories

When reading the nutrition facts label, the FDA suggests starting at the top, with the serving size, the number of servings in the container and the calories per serving -- this is valuable information if you're watching your weight or simply trying to stay within your recommended daily caloric intake. Pay close attention to how many calories you get from the food's fat content; if one serving of your food contains 230 calories, and 100 of them come from fat, this suggests the need to stay within a single serving size -- or choose a similar food with a lower fat content.

Recommended Daily Values

The importance of nutrition labels comes into play when you're making sure that you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients. The Daily Values -- or "% Daily Value" -- you see listed on the nutrition panel assumes you eat a 2000-calorie daily diet. Use the nutrition label to select foods that offer plenty of fiber, calcium, iron and vitamins A and C -- most people don't get enough of these nutrients in their diets, states the FDA. A "5% DV" or less is considered low; "20% DV" or more is considered high. This holds true for true for all nutrients, even those you want to limit or avoid entirely.

What to Avoid

When reading nutrition labels, there are certain nutrients you'll want to limit. According to MayoClinic.com, these include the total fat content in the food, including saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar.

Helpful Tips

If you're confused about how to interpret Daily Values, the FDA suggests ways to make reading nutrition labels easier. Just remember that a DV of 5 percent or less is low, and one of 20 percent or more is high. When making the healthiest choice between competing brands, make sure the serving sizes are the same. Defer to the "% DV" rather than relying on descriptors such as "reduced fat" or "light;" simply defer to the Total Fat in the food product. Lastly, be prepared to make trade-offs, advises the FDA. If you enjoy eating a certain food high in saturated fat, make sure that your other food choices are low in fat.