A GUIDE TO FOOD LABEL READING/UNA GUÍA DE LECTURA DE ETIQUETA

DE ALIMENTOS

Fairfax County Health DepartmentSchool Health Promotion Team

Designed by Kenna ByrdPublic Health Intern

December 2015

FOOD LABEL/DATOS DE NUTRICIÓN

5 COMMON MISTAKES OF FOOD LABEL READINGHOW DO YOU MEASURE UP?

#1 - Ignoring the label

#2 – Not checking serving size

#3 - Not checking the Sodium/Salt

#4 –Sugar Free or Fat Free is not Calorie Free

#5 – Believing what the package says, “Healthy”, or “Low Fat”

SIZE UP YOUR SERVING Most serving sizes are based on Adults eating a 2000 calorie diet. How many Servings do you expect to eat?

INGREDIENT LISTWhat is in this list of ingredients?

SERVING SIZES/RACIONES

CALORIES/CALORÍAS

What Does 2000 Calories Look

Like?

2000 calories of junk food is not the same as 2000 calories of healthy nutritious

foods

SUGAR/AZÚCAR4 grams = 1 tsp of

sugar4 gramos = 1 tsp of

azúcar

SODIUM/SALHow much is in your foods?

I love you salt but you are breaking my

heart…Did you know too much salt increases blood pressure?

FIBER/LA FIBRABenefits SourcesFeel Fuller Longer Whole grainsReduce cholesterol Nuts and seedsHelps Control Diabetes Fruits & vegetablesAids in Digestion

Age 50 or younger Age 51 or older Men 38 grams 30 grams Women 25 grams 21 grams

FATSHealthier

MonounsaturatedPolyunsaturated• Fish, Avocados, Nuts, Vegetable Oils

LimitSaturated• Butter, Animal

ProductsTrans fats• Processed

foods, baked goods, fried foods

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FOOD LABELBreakfast A or Breakfast B? Which one is healthiest?

A B

WHICH SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

ARE YOU AN EXPERT LABEL READER?

A is for taking action…B is for being an Expert Label Reader!C is for checking out the “Read the Label” webpage:

www. fda.gov/nutritioneducation

Thank you for taking time to learn about Food Label Reading:

For more information on food labels please visit these websites

American Heart Association:

www.heart.org

U.S. Food and Drug Administration:

www.fda.gov

REFERENCESAmerican Heart Association. (AHA). (2015). Sodium. Retrieved from

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/About-

Sodium-Salt_UCM_463416_Article.jsp#.VmC2Rb_Nl-8

American Heart Association. (AHA). (2015). Understanding ingredients on food lists. Retrieved from

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Understanding-

Ingredients-on-Food-Labels_UCM_433234_Article.jsp#.VlMqrb_Nl-8

Be Food Smart. (2012). Sodium Hexametaphosphate. Retrieved from

http://www.befoodsmart.com/ingredients/sodium-

hexametaphosphate.php

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (CDC). (2015). Salt. Retrieved from

http://www.cdc.gov/salt/index.htm

Fairfax County Health Department. (FCHD). (2015). Important Links. Retrieved from

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/

Mayo Clinic. (2015). Nutrition and Healthy Eating. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/fiber/ART-

20043983?p=1

REFERENCES CONTINUEDMcDonalds Inc. (2015). Nutrition List. Retrieved from http://s3.amazonaws.com/us-east-prod-dep-share-

s3/dna/pushlive/nutritionfacts.pdf

North Dakota State University. (2013). Think your drink during March, National nutrition month.

Retrieved from https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/food/foodwise/news/think-your-drink-during-march-

national-nutrition-month

Ohio State University. (OSU). (n.d.). Dietary Fiber. Retrieved from

https://patienteducation.osumc.edu/Documents/hi-fiber.pdf

Soto Mas, F., Mein, E., Fuentes, B., Thatcher, B., Balcázar, H. (2013). Integrating health literacy and ESL: An

interdisciplinary curriculum for Hispanic immigrants. Retrieved from

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3587681/

REFERENCES CONTINUEDUnited States Department of Agriculture. (2015). Choose MyPlate. Retrieved from

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

United States Department of Agriculture. (USDA). (2015). Fiber. Retrieved from http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/food-

composition/macronutrients/fiber

University of North Carolina School of Education. (UNC). (2010). Food labels and serving sizes. Retrieved from

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nutrition/6425

University of Texas School of Medicine. (2015). Curriculum: You are what you Eat. Retrieved from

http://teachhealthk-12.uthscsa.edu/unit/69

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (HHS). (2008). Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Retrieved

from http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/toolkit/default.htm#tools

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (FDA). (2006). Make your calories count: Sizing up your servings and

calories. Retrieved from http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/videos/CFSAN/HWM/hwmsk01.cfm