Reading Food Labels for Heart Healthy Eating

Elizabeth MellottSodexo Dietetic Intern

Serving Size

Most important information on a food label!

All of the information on a food label is for one serving.

Serving SizeMay be listed in ounces

or grams

Digital kitchen scale may be helpful

Calories

Know your daily calorie goal.Most Females: 1500-1800 caloriesMost Males: 1800- 2000 calories

Too many calories can lead to weight gain.

Total FatIncludes trans fat, saturated fat,

polyunsaturated fat, & monounsaturated fat.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are not required to be listed on the food label.

Choose foods that contain less than 5 grams of total fat per serving.

50-65 grams of total fat per day

Trans FatsTrans fats raise your bad LDL cholesterol level

and lower your good HDL cholesterol.

No more than 1% of calories from trans fat or 2 grams/day

If food has less than 0.5 gram per serving, the label may still say trans fat-free.

Other names for trans fats: partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Saturated FatChoose foods with less than 3 grams per

serving.

Eat no more than 11 grams per day.

Saturated fats raise your bad LDL cholesterol level, but have no effect on your good HDL cholesterol.

Polyunsaturated FatsReduce your total blood cholesterol level, but

also decrease good HDL cholesterol.

Manufacturers can choose whether or not to list on the food label.

Soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil

Monounsaturated FatsReduce cholesterol levels, and do not

decrease good HDL cholesterol.

Manufacturers can choose whether or not to list on the food label.

Nuts, canola oil, olive oil, avocado, peanut oil

CholesterolEat no more than 200 milligrams per day if

you have risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Comes from animal products- beef, pork, poultry, cheese, egg yolks, shellfish

Bad fats (saturated and trans) impact your cholesterol level more than dietary cholesterol

SodiumYour body needs only 500 milligrams per day to

function properly

Eat less than a total of 1500 milligrams per day

Avoid products with more than 400 milligrams per serving

Choose foods with less than 200 milligrams per serving

Sodium Food ClaimsLow-Sodium- less than 140 mg per servingVery- Low Sodium- less than 35 mg per

servingSodium Free- less than 5 mg per serving

Reduced Sodium: 25 % less than original productLower in Sodium: 25 % less than comparable productLightly Salted: at least 50% less sodium than

comparable productNo added sodium: no sodium added during

processing

Potassium

http://nutrition.edublogs.org/2009/02/24/more-potassium-less-sodium/

Potassium is not always found on the food label

CarbohydrateIncludes sugars and dietary fiber

The grams of sugars includes both added and natural sugars

55%-65% of total calories should come from carbohydrate

FiberTry to get 25 – 30 grams of fiber per day.

To meet this goal, choose high fiber foods with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving.

Soluble Fiber can help to lower bad LDL cholesterol.

Soluble Fiber Foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes, lentils, dried beans, whole grain foods made with oats, barley, and rye

ProteinYour needs :

0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight

Soy Protein is an alternative source of protein instead of meat and cheese, which can be high in saturated fat.

Soy Protein sources: soy milk, soy nuts, edamame, tofu, soy burger, soy cheese

Vitamins & MineralsOnly 4 are required to be displayed on the

label

Vitamin AVitamin CCalcium Iron

Other vitamins and minerals may also be listed

Calories per Gram Fat: 9 calories per gram

Carbohydrate: 4 calories per gram

Protein: 4 calories per gram

Ingredient ListIngredients are listed in descending order by

weightAlways check the ingredient list to see what

the label does not tell youRemember, the fewer ingredients the better!

Organic LabelingOrganic does not mean that a product is

more healthful than conventionally produced foodStill need to read the food label for nutrient

content

Organic is about how food is produced and handled

100% Organic may use USDA seal

Natural does not mean Organic

Recipe ResourcesKeep the Beat heart-healthy recipes

(http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/ktb_recipebk/ktb_recipebk.pdf)

Stay Young at Heart(http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/syah/index.htm)

Heart-Healthy Home Cooking African-American Style (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/chdblack/cooking.pdf)

Delicious Heart Healthy Latino Recipes(http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/sp_recip.pdf)

DASH Recipes (http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/nhbpep_kit/recipes.htm)

Additional ResourcesFor more shopping tips, visit the American

Heart Association’s Delicious Decisions Web page (http://www.deliciousdecisions.org).

Questions?

Referenceshttp://nutritioncaremanual.org/

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Nutrition-Center_UCM_001188_SubHomePage.jsp

http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=2&tax_subject=256&topic_id=1342

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/dietaryguidelines.htm