Health Tip: Decode Nutritional Labels

(HealthDay News) — Determining whether your food is nutritious can be challenge.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers these suggestions for deciphering product nutrition labels:

  • Review all ingredients. Those listed first have higher percentages for that product.
  • Compare the label’s serving size with your standard portion size, and make sure they are similar.
  • Note the total calories of each serving size.
  • The “Percent Daily Values” describes how much of the suggested daily requirement of each ingredient
    your food contains. Make sure you don’t overdo saturated fat, salt or sugar.
  • Get plenty of vitamins, minerals and fiber.