U.S. law requires almost all foods to display their nutritional content, including how many calories are in each serving. Examining nutrition labels helps you compare the calories and nutrient content of different foods, make healthy choices and monitor how many calories you are consuming.
Calories
Calories are units of energy that are contained in food. Most adults should eat about 2,000 calories a day, according to Mass in Motion, although your daily requirements may vary depending on your age, gender and level of physical activity. Men usually need more calories than women, and people who are active require more calories than inactive people. If you eat too many calories, your body stores the excess energy as fat.
Reading Nutrition Labels
"Nutrition Facts" labels tell you how many calories a type of food has per serving, as well as the number of calories from fat. This information is listed at the top of the "Nutrition Facts" area, underneath the number of servings per container. Always pay attention to both the calories and serving size, because if you eat more than the serving size, you are getting more calories than stated on the label. For example, if a can of soup is 120 calories per serving and the can has two servings, the whole can of soup is 240 calories.
Calories and Weight Control
Paying attention to calories can help you manage your weight. Imagine your caloric intake as a scale; the calories you consume must equal the number of calories you expend through physical activity and normal processes, or your weight will go up or down. If you need to lose weight, you must consume fewer calories or add physical activity. If you need to gain weight, you must consume more calories or decrease your level of physical activity.
Cutting Calories
Eating fewer calories can help you lose weight. Always read nutrition labels of products to determine which product has fewer calories. Don't count on product claims, such as "low fat" or "fat free"; many of these products have many calories, which your body stores as fat. In addition, if a product claims to be low in calories, check the serving size. In general, whole fruits and vegetables have very few calories, while junk food, fast food, soda and desserts have lots of calories. Fruits and vegetables don't usually have "Nutrition Facts" labels, but many grocery stores voluntarily display this information.
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