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A How-To GuideforOlder Adults
Using the Nutrition Facts Label
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Good Nutrition Can Help You Avoid or
Manage These Common Diseases:
certain cancers
type 2 diabetes
heart disease
Why Nutrition Matters For You
Good nutrition is important throughout your lie!
It can help you eel your best and stay strong. It can help
reduce the risk o some diseases that are common among
older adults. And, i you already have certain health
issues, good nutrition can help you manage the symptoms.
Nutrition can sometimes seem complicated. But the good
news is that the Food and Drug Administration has a simple
tool to help you know exactly what youre eating.
Its called the Nutrition Facts Label. You will nd it on all
packaged oods and beverages. It serves as your guide ormaking choices that can aect your long-term health.
This booklet will give you the inormation you need to start
using the Nutrition Facts Label today!
high blood pressure
obesity
osteoporosis
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For more on nutrition or older adults, visit:
www.da.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/Seniors
Why Nutrition Matters For You ....................................1
At-A-Glance: The Nutrition Facts Label .......................2
3 Key Areas o Importance .........................................4Your Guide To a Healthy Diet ......................................7
Dietary Salt/Sodium ................................................9
Fiber ....................................................................10
Total Fat ..............................................................13
Cholesterol ..........................................................16
Calcium ...............................................................18
Glossary ..................................................................20
Inside
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2 Amount of CaloriesThe calories listed are or one serving o the ood.
Calories rom at shows how many at calories there
are in one serving.
Remember a product thats fat-free isnt necessarily
calorie-free. Read the label!
Percent (%) Daily ValueThis section tells you how the nutrients in one serving o
the ood contribute to your total daily diet. Use it to chooseoods that are high in the nutrients you should get more o,
and low in the nutrients you should get less o.
Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. However,
your nutritional needs will likely depend on how physically
active you are. Talk to your healthcare provider to see what
calorie level is right or you.
Limit these NutrientsEating too much total at (especially saturated at and trans
at), cholesterol, or sodium may increase your risk o certain
chronic diseases, such as heart disease, some cancers, or
high blood pressure.
Try to keep these nutrients as low as possible each day.
Get Enough of these NutrientsAmericans oten dont get enough dietary ber, vitamin A,
vitamin C, calcium, and potassium in their diets. These
nutrients are essential or keeping you eeling strong
and healthy.
Eating enough o these nutrients may improve your health
and help reduce the risk o some diseases.
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4
5
3
Serving SizeThis section shows how many servings are in the package,
and how big the serving is. Serving sizes are given in amiliar
measurements, such as cups or pieces.
Remember: All o the nutrition inormation on the label is
based upon one serving o the ood.
A package o ood oten contains more than one serving!
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2
5
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The Nutrition
Facts LabelUnderstanding what the Nutrition
Facts Label includes can help you
make ood choices that are best
or your health.
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At-A-Glance:
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Percent Daily Value (%DV)
The %DV is a general guide to help you
link nutrients in one serving o ood to
their contribution to your total daily diet.
It can help you determine i a ood is high
or low in a nutrient: 5% or less is low,
20% or more is high.
You can also use the %DV to make
dietary trade-os with other oods
throughout the day.
%DV: Quick Tips
You can tell i a ood is high or low in a particular nutrient by taking
a quick look at the %DV.
I it has 5% percent o the Daily Value or less, it is low in that
nutrient.
This can be good or bad, depending on i it is a nutrient you
want more o or less o.
I it has 20% or more, it is high in that nutrient.
This can be good or nutrients like ber (a nutrient to get more
o) . . . but not so good or something like saturated at
(a nutrient to get less o).
Using %DV
Once you are amiliar with %DV, you can use it to compare
oods and decide which is the better choice or you. Be sure to
check or the particular nutrients you want more o or less o.
Using %DV inormation can also help you balance things out
or the day.
For example: I you ate a avorite ood at lunch that was high
in sodium, a nutrient to get less o, you would then try to
choose oods or dinner that are lower in sodium.
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Serving SizeThe top o the Nutrition Facts Label shows
the serving size and the servings per
container. Serving size is the key to the rest
o the inormation on the Nutrition Facts Label.
The nutrition inormation about the ood
like the calories, sodium, and ber is
based upon one serving.
I you eat two servings o the ood, you
are eating double the calories and getting
twice the amount o nutrients, both good
and bad.
I you eat three servings, that means three times the calories
and nutrients and so on.
That is why knowing the serving size is important. Its how you know
or sure how many calories and nutrients you are getting.
Check Serving Size!
It is very common or a ood package
to contain more than one serving.
One bottled sot drink or a small bag
o chips can actually contain two or
more servings!
of ImportanceAs you use the Nutrition Facts
Label, pay particular attention
to Serving Size, Percent Daily
Value, and Nutrients.
3 Key Areas
4
I you eat two servings . . .
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Use this chapter as a guide or those
nutrients that could impact your own
health. Each nutrient section discusses:
What the nutrient is
What it can mean or your health
Label-reading tips
Watch or nutrients to get less o
(the ones that you should try to limit),
and nutrients to get more o (the ones
that are very important to be sure to get
enough o).
You also might want to talk to your healthcare provider about
which nutrients you should track closely or your continued health.
And remember the Nutrition Facts Label is a tool that is
available to you on every packaged ood and beverage!
to a
Healthy DietThe Nutrition Facts Label can
help you make choices or
overallhealth. But some
nutrients can also aect certain
health conditions and diseases.
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Your Guide
Test your Nutrition Facts Label knowledge with
Label Man, FDAs online label-reading tool!
www.da.gov/LabelMan
NutrientsA nutrient is an ingredient in a ood that provides nourishment.
Nutrients are essential or lie and to keep your body
unctioning properly.
Nutrients To Get MOREO:
There are some nutrients that are especially
important or your health. You should try to get
adequate amounts o these each day. They are:
calcium vitamin A
dietary ber vitamin C
potassium*
Nutrients To Get LESS O:
There are other nutrients that are important, but
that you should eat in moderate amounts. They
can increase your risk o certain diseases.
They are:
Total at (especially saturated at)
Cholesterol
Sodium
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* Note: The listing o potassium is optional on the
Nutrition Facts Label.
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Dietary Salt/Sodium
What It Is:
Salt is a crystal-like compound that is used to favor and preserve
ood. The words salt and sodium are oten used interchangeably.
Salt is listed as sodium on the Nutrition Facts Label.
What You Should Know:
A small amount o sodium is needed to help certain organs and
fuids work properly. But most people eat too much o it and theymay not even know it! Thats because many packaged oods have
a high amount o sodium, even when they dont taste salty. Plus,
when you add salt to ood, youre addingmore sodium.
Sodium has been linked to high blood pressure. In act, eating
less sodium can oten help lower blood pressure . . . which in
turn can help reduce the risk o heart disease.
And since blood pressure normally rises with age, limiting your
sodium intake becomes even more important each year.
Salt/Sodium
Read the label to see how much sodium is in the ood you
are choosing.
5% DV or less islowin sodium
20% DV or more ishigh in sodium.
When you are deciding between two oods, compare the
amount o sodium. Look or cereals, crackers, pasta
sauces, canned vegetables, and other packaged oods
that are lower in sodium.
LabelReadingTips
NUTRIENT
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On the ollowing pages, youll nd specic inormation about
certain nutrients.
Some are nutrients to get less o;
others are nutrients to get more o.
All o them can have an impact on your long-term health.
In addition, here is an example o how the Nutrition Facts Label
can guide you in making good decisions or long-term health
and nutrition.
Example
Heart disease is the number one cause o death in the U.S.
today. You can use the Nutrition Facts Label to compare oods
and decide which ones t with a diet that may help reduce the
risk o heart disease. Choose oods that have ewer calories
per serving and a lower %DVo these nutrients to get less o:
Total at
Saturated at Cholesterol
Sodium
To lower your risk o heart disease,it is also recommended that you
eatmore ber.
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NUTRIENTS AND YOUR NEEDS
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Soluble v. Insoluble Fiber:
Where To Get It, and What It Does
Fiber comes in two orms insoluble and soluble. Most plant
oods contain some o each kind.
Insoluble fberis mostly ound in whole-grain products, such
as wheat bran cereal, vegetables and ruit. It provides bulk
or stool ormation and helps wastes move quickly through your
colon.
Soluble fberis ound in peas, beans, many vegetables and
ruits, oat bran, whole grains, barley, cereals, seeds, rice, and
some pasta, crackers, and other bakery products. It slows the
digestion o carbohydrates, and can help stabilize blood sugar i
you have diabetes. In addition, it helps lower bad cholesterol.
This, in turn, reduces the risk o heart disease.
Check the Nutrition Facts Label to see which oods have a
higher %DV o ber.
Fiber also aids in the regularity o bowel movements and
preventing constipation. It may help reduce the risk o
diverticulosis, a common condition in which small pouches
orm in the colon wall. This condition oten has ew or no
symptoms; people who already have diverticulosis and do have
symptoms oten nd that increased ber consumption can
reduce these symptoms. Its also important to note that i the
pouches caused by diverticulosis rupture and become inected,it results in a more severe condition called diverticulitis.
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Fiber
What It Is:
Fiber, or dietary ber, is sometimes called roughage. Its the
part o ood that cant be broken down during digestion. So
because it moves through your digestive system undigested,
it plays an important role in keeping your system moving and in
working order.
What You Should Know:
Fiber is a nutrient to get more o. In addition to aiding in digestion,
ber has a number o other health-related benets. These benets
are especiallyeective when you have a high fber diet that is
also low in saturated at, cholesterol, trans at, added sugars,
salt, and alcohol.
Eating a diet that is low in saturated at and cholesterol and
high in ruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain some
types o dietary ber, particularly soluble ber, may help lower
your cholesterol and reduce your chances o getting heart
disease, a disease associated with many actors.
Healthul diets that are low in atandrich in ruits and
vegetables that contain ber may reduce the risk osome
types o cancer, including colon cancer, a disease associatedwith many actors. In addition, such healthul diets are also
associated with a reduced risk otype 2 diabetes.
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NUTRIENT
Total Fat
What It Is:
Fat, or dietary at, is a nutrient that is a major source o
energy or the body. It also helps you absorb certain important
vitamins. As a ood ingredient, at provides taste, consistency, and
helps you eel ull.
What You Should Know:
Eating too much at can lead to a wide range o health challenges.
The total amount and type o at can contribute to and/or increase
the risk o:
heart disease
high cholesterol
increased risk o many cancers (including colon-rectum cancer)
obesity
high blood pressure
type 2 diabetes
It is important to know that there are dierent types o dietary at.
Some have health benets when eaten in small quantities, butothers do not.
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LabelReadingTips
Fiber
Read ood labels. The Nutrition Facts Label tells you the
amount o dietary ber in each serving, as well as the %DV
o ber that ood contains.
When comparing the amount o ber in ood, remember:
5% DV or less islowin ber
20% DV or more ishigh in ber
The label wont indicate whether ber is insoluble or
soluble, so its best to try to get some o both.
(See inormation on previous page)
Compare oods and choose the ones with higher fber.
Look or and compare labels on whole-grain products such
as bulgur, brown rice, whole wheat couscous or kasha and
whole-grain breads, cereals and pasta. In addition, compare
dierent styles/types o canned or rozen beans and ruit.
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LabelReadingTips
Total Fat
When comparing oods, check the Nutrition Facts Labeland choose the ood with the lower %DV o total at and
saturated at, and low or no grams otrans at.
5% DV or less o total at islow
20% DV or more o total at ishigh
When choosing oods that are labeled at-ree and
low-at, be aware that fat-free doesnt mean calorie-free.
Sometimes, to make a ood tastier, extra sugars are added,
which adds extra calories. Be sure to check the calories
per serving.
Trans Fat On the Label
There is no recommended total daily
value or trans at, so you wont nd
the %DV otrans at on a oods
Nutrition Facts Label. However, you
can still use the label to see i a ood
contains trans at and to compare two
oods by checking to see igrams o
trans at are listed. I there is anything
other than 0 grams listed, then the ood
contains trans at.Because it is extremely dicult to eat
a diet that is completely trans at-ree without decreasing other
nutrient intakes, just aim to keep your intake otrans at as low
as possible.
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Good Fat: unsaturated ats (monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated)
These are healthul i eaten in moderation. In act, small amounts
can even help lower cholesterol levels!
Best Sources: plant-based oils (sunfower, corn, soybean,
cottonseed, and safower), olive, canola and peanut oils, nuts,
and sot margarines (liquid, tub or spray).
Undesirable Fat: saturated and trans ats. These can raise
cholesterol levels in the blood which in turn can contribute to
heart disease.
Common Sources: meat, poultry, sh, butter, ice cream, cheese,
coconut and palm kernel oils, solid shortenings, and hard
margarines.
Meat (including chicken and turkey) and sh supply protein,
B vitamins, and iron. When selecting and preparing meat, poultry,
sh and milk or milk products, choose those that are lean,
low-at, or at-ree. Doing this, along with removing the skin rom
sh and poultry, are good strategies or limiting undesirable at
rom your diet. In addition, dry beans, which can be used as a
meat substitute, are a good source o protein and are non-at.
UnderstandingTrans
FatTrans at is one o the newest additions to the Nutrition FactsLabel, so you may be hearing more about it. Heres what you need
to know:
Most trans at is made when manuacturers hydrogenize
liquid oils, turning them into solid ats, like shortening or some
margarines. Trans at is commonly ound in crackers, cookies,
snack oods, and other oods made with or ried in these solid oils.
Trans at, like saturated at and cholesterol, raises your LDL
(bad) cholesterol. But unlike these other nutrients, trans at also
lowers your HDL (good) cholesterol. This urther increases
your risk o coronary heart disease.
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good
cholesterol
LDLbad
cholesterol
High-density lipoprotein (HDL): This good
cholesterol is the orm in which cholesterol
travelsback to the liver, where it can be
eliminated.
HDL helps prevent cholesterol buildup
in blood vessels. A higher level o this
cholesterol is better. Low HDL levels
increase heart disease risk. Discuss your
HDL level with your healthcare provider.Low-density lipoprotein (LDL): This bad
cholesterol is carriedinto the blood. It is the
main cause o harmul atty buildup in arteries.
The higher the LDL cholesterol level in the blood,
the greater the heart disease risk. So, a lower level
o this cholesterol is better.
LabelReadingTips
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a nutrient to get less o. When comparing
oods, look at the Nutrition Facts Label, and choose the
ood with the lower %DV o cholesterol. Be sure not to
go above 100% DV or the day.
5% DV or less o cholesterol islow
20% DV or more o cholesterol ishigh
One o the primary ways LDL (bad) cholesterol levels
can become too high in the blood is by eating too much
saturated at and cholesterol. Saturated at raises LDL
levels more than anything else in the diet.
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HDL
Cholesterol
What It Is:
Cholesterol is a crystal-like substance carried through the
bloodstream by lipoproteins the transporters o at. Cholesterol
is required or certain important body unctions, like digesting
dietary ats, making hormones, and building cell walls.
Cholesterol is ound in animal-based oods, like meats and dairy
products.
What You Should Know:
Too much cholesterol in the bloodstream can
damage arteries, especially the ones that supply
blood to the heart. It can build up in blood vessel
linings. This is called atherosclerosis, and it can
lead to heart attacks and stroke.
However, its important to know that not all cholesterol is bad.
There are two kinds o cholesterol ound in the bloodstream.
How much you have o each is what determines your risk o
heart disease.
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Its true that many dairy products, which contain high levels o
calcium, are relatively high in at and calories. But keep in mind
that at-ree or low-at types o milk products are excellent
calcium sources. Nutritionists recommend that you try to get
most o your calcium rom calcium-rich oods, rather than rom
calcium supplements. The Nutrition Facts Label can help you
make good high-calcium choices.
Other good sources o calcium are: canned salmon (with bones, which are edible)
calcium-ortied soy beverages
tou (soybean curd that is calcium-processed)
certain vegetables (or example, dark leay greens such as
collards and turnip greens)
legumes (blackeyed peas and white beans)
calcium-ortied grain products
calcium-ortied juice
LabelReadingTipsCalcium
Read the label to see how much calcium is in the ood
you are choosing.
5% DV or less islowin calcium
20% DV or more ishigh in calcium
Select oods that are high in calcium as oten as possible.
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NUTRIENT
Calcium
What It Is:
Calcium is a mineral that has a lot o uses in the body, but it is
best known or its role in building healthy bones and teeth.
What You Should Know:
Lack o calcium causes osteoporosis, which is the primary cause
o hip ractures. In act, the word osteoporosis means porous
bones. It causes progressive bone loss as you age, and makes
bones ragile so that they can break easily. Its extremely
important (especially or women) to get enough calcium
throughout your lie, especially ater menopause. Women are
at much higher risk or osteoporosis, but men can get it too.
A Note About Vitamin D
For calcium to be properly absorbed by the body, you also
need to get enough vitamin D. Many milk products and
cereals are ortied with vitamin D; also, vitamin D is produced
by the body when exposed to sunlight.
I you arent exposed to outdoor sunlight on a regular
basis, ask your healthcare provider whether you
should take vitamin D supplements.
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The web links provided in this booklet were current at time o publication. In the
event that they change, please visit www.da.gov and search by topic, such as
Seniors or Labelman.
Glossary of Key Nutrition Label Terms
Calcium: a mineral that builds and maintains strong bones. Calcium
helps prevent osteoporosis.
Calories: the energy provided by ood/nutrients. On the label,
calories shown are or one serving.
Calories rom Fat: Fat calories shown on the label are or one serving.
Cholesterol: a necessary nutrient rom animal-based oods that is
carried in the bloodstream. LDL cholesterol is bad and HDL
cholesterol is good.
Daily Value: the amount o certain nutrients that most people need
each day.
Nutrient: an ingredient in a ood that provides nourishment or
nutritional benet.
Nutrition Facts Label: the black-and-white box ound on ood and
beverage packages.
Percent Daily Value (%DV): the percentage o a nutrient ound in
one serving o ood, based on the established standard o 2000
calories per day.
Saturated Fat: a type o at that is solid at room temperature. It is
usually animal-based. This type o at is associated with certain
health risks.
Sodium: dietary salt that is important in the diet. However, too much
sodium can lead to high blood pressure and risk o heart disease.
Total Fat: the combined ats that provide energy to the body. Some
types o at are healthier than others.
Trans Fat: a type o at that is created when liquid at is turned into
solid at during manuacturing. Trans at has no daily value, and
should be replaced with unsaturated at in your diet whenever
possible.
Unsaturated Fat: a type o at that is liquid at room temperature; can
be plant-based or animal-based. These are usually good ats.
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and theNutrition Facts Label
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