Nutritional values are listed on all packaged food and are available online and through government publications for whole foods such as fruits and vegetables. Most restaurants also will provide nutritional information if it is requested. Being able to read the standard nutritional value panel on foods is vital to keeping track of your intake of healthy and unhealthy food components. This is useful not only for those watching their weight or dealing with specific health issues, but also for anyone interested in healthy eating.
Step 1
Look at the serving size. This will likely not be the entire package, so you need to make sure you know how much you're actually eating. Nutritional values are usually listed per serving, so a package with four servings actually will have four times the calories, fat and other values listed.
Step 2
Check out the main portion of the label. This section lists the calories, fat, protein, carbohydrates, cholesterol and sodium found in the food. The label also breaks some of these down further, showing the calories that come from fat, which is helpful for those on a low-fat diet; the levels of saturated and trans fats, which are dangerous for heart health; and the breakdown of carbohydrates into sugars and fiber.
Step 3
Look at the percentage daily values, which are listed in the right-hand column of all macronutrients. This value is a number from 0 to 100 and gives an indication of how much of that component is in this food compared to how much you should be eating daily if you are consuming a 2,000-calorie diet. Everyone should aim for 100 percent of each nutrient daily. It's OK to go over 100 percent with healthy vitamins and minerals, and desirable to stay below 100 percent with things that can harm your health, such as saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. To get a simple at-a-glance idea of how a food stacks up nutritionally, a value under 5 percent is considered low and over 20 percent is high for each item. Limit foods high in harmful components and try to eat more foods high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Step 4
Read the nutrient panel below the main box. This panel lists the percent daily value of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. The specific grams or micrograms are not listed. These micronutrients are all necessary for health, and you should aim for getting 100 percent or more of these nutrients each day.
Step 5
Compare your caloric needs to the footnote. At the bottom of the label, the footnote lists how much you should be getting daily of carbohydrates and fiber, as well as your maximum daily amount of cholesterol, overall fat, saturated fat and sodium. These values are given for a 2,000- and 2,500-calorie diet.
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