Not only should you be able to read food labels but also be able to know how to use the information more effectively and easily. The nutrition facts label contains product-specific information such as serving size, calories, as well as nutrient information with Daily Values (DVs) for 2,000 and 2,500 calorie diets.
The Daily values appear as footnotes, and are the same for every product as they provide the recommended dietary information for important nutrients, including fats, sodium and fiber.
The serving size: Pay attention to the serving size, especially how many servings there are in the food package. The size of the serving on the food package influences the number of calories and all the nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the label. How many servings are you consuming?
Calories: Calories provide a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of this food.
Nutrients: shows you some key nutrients that impact on your health. They comprise of those nutrients listed first that Americans generally eat in adequate amounts, or even too much such as trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. The ones that follow include dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron, which improve health and reduce the risk of some diseases.
The Footnote in the lower part of the nutrition label: This is not present if the label is too small. This footnote does not change from product to product and appears the same in all. That's because it shows
recommended dietary advice for all Americans and is not about the nutritional value of any specific product. The footnote contains daily values (DV) for dietary guidance based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet.