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How to Read Nutrition Labels

Learn the basics of reading nutrition labels to help guide you in making the right choices to hit your macronutrient goals.

1. Serving sizes

  • Serving sizes are used to make it easier to compare similar foods
  • All the nutrient amounts shown on the label refer to the size of the serving, not necessarily the whole container.
Pay attention to the serving size, especially how many servings there are in the food package

2. Calories

Calories provide a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of this food.

  • Calories in > Calories out = Weight Gain
  • Calories in < Calories out = Weight Loss
  • Calories in = Calories out = Stay the Same

In the example, there are 280 calories in one serving. If you ate the entire package you would consume 4 servings, or 1,120 calories.

When you begin to measure your food, you may come to the realization that you were over or under-estimating the amount of food you were consuming. Using a food scale is highly recommended when you begin calorie and macronutrient tracking.

3. What nutrients should you focus on?

The nutrients section of the nutrition label is the bulk of your information. It is where you will find your macronutrients and some key nutrients you need to watch out for. Other than the protein fat and carbohydrate content, you should take a look at the following:

Eat more of this:

  • Dietary fiber: Increased frequency of bowel movements, lowered blood glucose and cholesterol levels, and reduced calorie intake
  • Vitamin D and Calcium: Reduced risk of developing osteoporosis
  • Iron: Reduced risk of anemia 
  • Potassium: Reduced risk of high blood pressure

Eat less of this:

  • Saturated fat: Associated with an increased risk of developing CVD and high blood pressure
  • Sodium: Associated with an increased risk of developing CVD and high blood pressure
  • Added Sugars: This make it hard to meet important nutrient needs while staying within calorie limits.
  • Foods with extremely long and difficult to read ingredient lists

4. Percent Daily Values (%DV)

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Nutrients with %DV

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Nutrients without %DV

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