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American Association of Diabetes Educators
American Cancer Society
American Heart Association
American Obesity Association
American Society for Clinical Nutrition
Consumer Federation of America
Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation
Diabetes Research Institute Foundation
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
National Black Women's Health Project
Shape Up America!
| What’s in the Facts? Nutrition facts for a recipe are easy to read and understand. They list the amount of nutrients per serving. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, you can not only use nutrition facts to help limit those nutrients you want to cut back on, but also to increase those nutrients you want to consume in greater amounts. Serving size: The size of a serving for a recipe, or yield, influences all the nutrient values listed in the nutrition fact. Serving sizes are based on the amount of food people typically eat. Pay attention to the serving size, and compare it to how much you actually eat. Calories: Calories provide a measure of how much energy you get from a single serving. Note that the nutrition fact lists the number of calories per serving, not the total number in the recipe. Be careful to know the difference. Eating too many calories is linked to overweight and obesity. Fat: This number indicates how much fat is in a single serving of food, and is usually measured in grams. It may be broken down into saturated fats (mainly animal fats), and unsaturated fats, such as polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats (mainly vegetable oils). The FDA has recently proposed also including trans fats on food labels. Cholesterol and Sodium: These numbers tell you how many milligrams of cholesterol and sodium (salt) are in a serving of this food. According to the FDA, eating too much fat or too much sodium may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases like heart disease, some cancers, or high blood pressure. Carbohydrate: Carbohydrates are usually measured in grams, and this number indicates how much carbohydrate is in a single serving of this food. Carbohydrates are important as an energy source for the body. They are divided into two types: complex carbohydrates, or starches, and simple carbohydrates, or simple sugars. Sugar: This number is the amount of simple sugars in a single serving of a recipe. Dietary Fiber: Dietary fiber is the part of plants ("roughage" or "bulk") that is not digested and is not absorbed into the body. Americans often don’t get enough dietary fiber in their diets. Eating fiber, among other nutrients, can help reduce the risk of some diseases and conditions. Protein: This number tells you how much protein is in a single serving of this food, and is usually measured in grams. Adapted from US Food and Drug Administration’s Guidance on How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Panel on Food Labels |