Pressed for supermarket time? Still want to shop healthy?
Here’s how to quickly decipher the Nutrition Facts on food labels, using the “5-20 guide”:
- Nutrient Facts are listed as percentages of Daily Values (DV), in amounts per serving. For a single nutrient, 20% or more is a lot, and 5% or less is a little.
- For nutrients you may need less of, such as fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, look for foods with 5% or less DV per serving.
- For nutrients you may need more of, such as vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and fiber, look for foods with 20% or more DV per serving.
A few more quick label-reading tips:
- Check claims. If the front of the label gives a clue for “high” or “more,” “less” or “free,” Nutrition Facts gives the specifics.
- Remember the rule of doubles. Eating double the servings means double the DV for any nutrient and for calories.
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