Food labels provide you with the most accurate nutrient information when we know what we are looking for. Most labels provide three categories of information:
- nutrition facts table
- ingredient list
- nutrition claims
The nutrition facts table is a standardized table and is found on most pre-packaged foods. It lists calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, protein, vitamin and mineral content. This table allows you to see the nutrition composition of the product and helps you to compare it to similar products. Some of the nutrients are listed as a % Daily Value. This is a scale from 0% to 100% and tells you if there is a little of a lot of that nutrient in the food item. For example, a food item with 5% Daily Value for vitamin C means this food item is not a good source of Vitamin C. However, if the food item shows 40% Daily Value for Vitamin A, then this food is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
The ingredient list tells you what ingredients are found in the product. All ingredients are listed from most to least. For example, if sugar was the first ingredient listed, then the product contains more sugar than any other ingredient. Looking at the first 3 or 4 ingredients gives us a good idea what the product is mainly made of.
Nutrition claims listed on a product must be supported by scientific evidence. There are two types of claims: nutrient content claims and health claims. The nutrient content claim tells you about one specific nutrient such as: sodium, fat, or sugar. For example: no sugar added. Health claims tell you how your diet can affect your health, for example: a diet rich in a variety of vegetables and fruit may help reduce the risk of some types of cancer.
How to use the label information for carbohydrate counting
Check the Serving Size:
The serving size is not always the recommended serving size, but rather the size the manufacturer has chosen to base their information on. On this label, the serving size is ˝ cup (125 ml). Are you eating more, less or the same?- Find Carbohydrate:
The total amount of total carbohydrate in grams is listed first. This number includes starch, sugars and fibre. On this label the total carbohydrate is 17 grams. - Subtract Fibre:
Fibre does not raise blood sugar therefore it is subtracted from the total carbohydrate to provide the “available carbohydrate”. To calculate available carbohydrate on this label, we would do the following: 17 g total carbohydrate – 3 g fibre = 14 g available carbohydrate. - Calculate Carb Choices:
Remember: 12 - 18 g carbohydrate = 1 carbohydrate serving or 1 carb choice. Therefore: 14 g carbohydrate = 1 carb choice
Now You Try!!
- What is the serving size?
- How much carbohydrate is in this product?
- How much fibre is in this product?
- Calculate available carbohydrate:
total carbohydrate - fibre = available carb - How many carbohydrate servings or carb choices?
Answer: 36 grams carbohydrate = 2 1/2 choices