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Lethal Dose 50 What it means to you,
                           and other things you need to know!

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/flquiz2c.html This is is a very informative site.

HOW TO READ YOUR FOOD LABELS

• ·You should always read the labels on food to see if they are good for you. You should read the labels to see that you are getting everything you need each day. When you look at the labels don't get tricked when it says five grams of fat. You should look at the serving size on the nutrition label. The first two ingredients on the Ingredients List are the things that the food or drink has the most of. If one of the first two ingredients are sugar or an oil it is considered a junk food. There is a law that all foods or drinks have to have a nutrition label and it has to have the ingredients label.
   
• · A study in the January 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that people who read Nutrition Facts labels on packaged foods tend to eat less fat than those who don't peruse them. The study found that people who read food labels consume 6 percent less fat than those who don't read them. That may not sound like much, but the researchers say it's enough to decrease your risk for diet-related chronic diseases like obesity and cancer. Food labels help health-conscious shoppers compare products and purchase brands that offers the nutrition they are looking for. At the same time, shoppers need to remember that all products can fit in a healthful eating plan--if you balance your choices.
   
• · When the package says "no cholesterol" - what does it mean? Only animal products like meats, poultry, fish, eggs, liver, and milk products contain cholesterol. Vegetables and grains do not have cholesterol in them. So, when potato chips, vegetables oil, and frozen french fries advertise "no cholesterol" this is just stating the obvious - they are vegetable products and had no cholesterol to begin with. It's important to remember that "no cholesterol" may still mean "high fat."
• · When the package says "Light" or "Lite" - what does it mean? It could mean that the food has less fat or calories. Or, it might mean the food has less sugar or sodium. It may just mean it's lighter in colour than the "regular" version. There's only one way to find out. Read the label and compare.
• · The rule of thumb is to look for lower-fat foods. Read the nutrition information on the label and choose products that have the least amount of fat per serving.
• · Nutrition Information - Some food packages list just a few facts while others, like this cereal box label, provide you with more details. Once you understand a label like this, you'll know how to pick out the key pieces of information from just about any label.
   
• · Ingredients - are listed in order of greatest amount. The smaller the amount, the further down it appears in the ingredients list. Watch out! When fat is the first, second or third ingredient, the product is probably a high-fat item.
• · Serving Size - tells you the size of serving for which the nutrition information is given. If you eat more or less than this amount, remember that the calories and the content of other nutrients like fat and sodium increase or decrease as well!
   
• · Energy - is the calories (Cal) per serving. Energy is also given in kilojoules (kj).
   
• · Fat - shows the total amount of fat in one serving. Some products also give the content of various kinds of fat: poly unsaturates, mono unsaturates, saturates and cholesterol. However, to choose lower-fat foods, the most useful information is the grams of total fat.
   
• · Carbohydrate - includes the content of sugars, starch and fiber. In this example you get a complete breakdown of carbohydrates. Sometimes you get information on one type of carbohydrate only.
   
• · Sodium - is a measure of the amount of salt in a food.
   
• · Percentage of Recommended Daily Intake - shows us what percentage of our recommended intake is met by one serving of the food product.

DISCLAIMER: The information in this web site does not in any way replace or supersede the information on the product labeling or other regulatory requirements. Please refer to the  product labeling.