If you have ever been on a diet,
you may already be familiar with food nutrition labels and how to read
them. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration established the use of food
labels in order to provide consumers with key information regarding the
nutritional content of packaged foods. In addition to providing
information about serving size and caloric content, food labels also
offer important information regarding the recommended daily values for
certain nutrients.
History
Recommended
daily values for nutrition are based on the Dietary Reference Intake
guidelines established by the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences. The Dietary Reference Intake system was developed
in the late 1990s as an expansion of the Recommended Dietary Allowance
guidelines, which date back to World War II. Today, the Institute of
Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board is responsible for updating the
Dietary Reference Intake guidelines.
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Identification
The
most easily recognizable symbol associated with recommended daily
values are the labels that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration puts on
food packaging. FDA nutrition labels must be prominently displayed on
all packaged foods and they must contain several key pieces of
information. According to the FDA, a proper food label should indicate
serving size, servings per container, calories per serving, a breakdown
of the fat, sodium and cholesterol content, carbohydrate and protein
content and the guidelines for percentage of daily values.
Recommendations
Meeting
your daily recommended value for certain nutrients can contribute to
improved health overall. According to the Mayo Clinic, the average adult
requires 3,500 milligrams of potassium, approximately 25 milligrams of
fiber, 50 grams of protein, 5,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin A,
60 milligrams of vitamin C, 1,000 milligrams of calcium, 18 milligrams
of iron, 400 micrograms of folate (more if you're pregnant or
breastfeeding), 6 micrograms of B-12, 400 IU of vitamin D, 30 IU of
vitamin E and 2 milligrams of vitamin B-6.
What to Limit
Consuming
too much of certain other nutrients present in food can potentially
lead to health problems. The Food and Drug Administration recommends
consuming less than 65 grams of fat, 20 grams of saturated fat, 300
milligrams of cholesterol and 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day. In
addition, the Mayo Clinic notes that there is no established daily value
for trans fat or sugar, and you should avoid foods high in both to
avoid increasing your risk for diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
Considerations
The
information contained on food labels is based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
If you regularly consume significantly more or less than that amount,
you may need to adjust your percent daily values up or down to establish
the appropriate intake level. Percent daily values are specific to the
serving size of individual foods so you may also need to adjust your
percent daily values if you are eating smaller or larger portions
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