If you buy pre-packaged food you will see that each package has been labelled with a Nutrition Facts table. Nutrition labels contain important information about the nutritional content of food. And, given that 75 per cent of the sodium we eat comes from processed foods, reading the label on packaged foods is a key factor in making healthier food choices.
Nutrition Facts Table
The Nutrition Facts table found on food packages gives you information about:
- Calories
- 13 core nutrients
- % Daily Value (%DV)
The % Daily Value (% DV) can help you make more informed food choices. Look for it in the Nutrition Facts table on food packages.
This applies to all nutrients.
You can use the % DV to compare two different food products in order to make the healthiest choice. Or you can use the % DV to choose products that are higher in the nutrients you want more of and lower in nutrients you want less of.
All of the information in the Nutrition Facts table is based on a specific amount of food such as 15 mL (one tablespoon) of peanut butter or 125 mL (1/2 cup) of yogurt. This amount is always found at the top of the Nutrition Facts table.
DID YOU KNOW?
When using the % DV to make healthy choices, consider the serving size listed in the Nutrition Facts table to ensure you are comparing simular amounts of food.
Get More Information
To learn how the Nutrition Facts table can help you choose products that are lower in sodium, visit Health Canada's website
The information on the Healthy Eating pages of the Healthy Families BC website is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment from a physician or other qualified healthcare professional.
Comments (2)
aileen
Posted on Saturday March 9, 2013 a 9:20am
What is an acceptable amount of sugar on the label eg. Salad dressings
Healthy Families BC
Posted on Wednesday March 20, 2013 a 9:14am
Thanks for your question Aileen.
There is no specific recommendation for the maximum amount of sugar that should be eaten over the course of a day as part of a healthy diet. As a result, there is no defined amount of sugar that is ‘acceptable’ in food products such as salad dressings.
To figure out how much sugar is in a product, check out the Nutrition Facts table on the food label. It lists the amount of sugars in a serving of the product in grams. To help put that number into perspective, there are 4 grams of sugars in one teaspoon of table sugar.
In general, eating foods and drinking beverages lower in sugar is part of a healthy diet. In some cases, small amounts of sugar can make healthy, but bland foods, more appealing. The amount of sugar that is acceptable to you will depend on a number of factors, including your taste and what your health goals are.
If you would like further information or information customised to you, call 8-1-1 and ask to speak to a Registered Dietitian.
All the best,
Andrea