The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has passed laws that regulate the food industry's packaging. Nutrition labels are a requirement for any packaged food. These labels help people choose the right foods while dieting, and educate consumers on the amount of foods necessary in daily meals. These facts can be used to maintain a healthy weight and provide the body with enough vitamins and minerals for energy.
Significance
With obesity numbers growing, more education is being done to improve the public health. Food labels are a way for people to monitor their caloric intake and keep track of each nutrient they consume. The facts on the nutrition labels list the total amount of fats, carbohydrates and proteins consumed for each serving. Nutrition labels also identify the amount of vitamins and minerals in a serving. The facts on nutrition labels are based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the sugars needed for energy. Food labels list the daily consumption recommended as 300mg. For some people with disease like diabetes, this number may be too high. However, nutritional labels allow these patients the convenience of quickly checking the information and counting the total amount for each item consumed. This is also beneficial for people who are practicing low carbohydrate diets for weight loss.
Proteins
Lean proteins are considered healthy sources for nutrients. Nutrition labels list the amount of proteins in grams. Some proteins contain fats as well, so the content in protein may be high, but consumers need to take note of the amount of fats on the label. For instance, lean proteins like chicken, beans and turkey will have healthy doses of proteins but lower quantities of fats on the nutrition labels. Nutrition labels on foods like red meat have high proteins but high fat content, which can lead to higher caloric intake.
Fats
Fats on nutritional labels have sublists indicating the amount of saturated and trans fats. These two types of fats should be avoided, which is why the labels indicate if foods contain any of these nutrients. Trans fats have been linked to tumor growths, so they should be avoided altogether. Saturated fats should be moderated by consumers. Diets high in saturated fats are linked with higher risks for heart disease.
Considerations
When evaluating the amount of nutrients in a packaged food item, also note the serving sizes. Some foods look healthy, but the serving size is very small. Therefore, the consumer needs to multiply the serving size by the number of grams for each nutrient. This number is the total amount of nutrients for the entire package. This is especially important for people on diets that limit certain products like sodium, fats or carbohydrates.
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