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The Food Label, the Pyramid And Historic, Archive Document Do not assume content reflects current scientific l<nowledge, policies, or practices. Check It Out! The Food Label The Pyramid And You U.S. Department of Agriculture Home and Garden Bulletin Number 266 Check it Out... * The Food Label, the Pyramid, and You He The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have revamped food labels to make planning a healthy diet easier for you and your family. By law, most foods are required to display a Nutrition Facts panel. The law also requires that label claims such as "lite," "low fat," and "high in fiber" not be just advertising hype—that they actually " be true. The Food Guide Pyramid was developed to help you make healthy food choices. The Pyramid is an outline of what to eat each day. It helps you follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans—seven basic principles representing the best, most current advice from health and nutrition experts. Together, the new food label and the Food Guide Pyramid are powerful tools for building a healthy diet. This brochure will help you use these tools while you're at the grocery store. What Does Healthy Eating Mean? Healthy eating means following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans—advice for healthy Americans 2 or more years of age. Nutrition experts agree that following these seven principles will help you enjoy better health and reduce your chances of getting certain diseases, such as heart disease and some forms of cancer. The Guidelines are: A Eat a variety of foods A Maintain healthy weight A Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol A Choose a diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grain products A Use sugars only in moderation A Use salt and sodium only in moderation A If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation Use These Tools To Build a Healthy Diet Food Guide Pyramid A Guide to Daily Food Choices Fats, Oils, & Sweets KEY USE SPARINGLY Q Fat (naturally occurring O Sugars and added) (added) These symbols show fat and added sugars in foods. Milk, Yogurt, Meat, Poultry, Fish, & Cheese Dry Beans, Eggs, Group & Nuts Group 2-3 SERVINGS 2-3 SERVINGS Vegetable Fruit Group Group 2-4 SERVINGS 3-5 SERVINGS Bread, Cereal, Rice, & Pasta Group 6-11 SERVINGS Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The Food Guide Pyramid helps you put the Dietary sweets group. These are foods such as salad dressings, Guidehnes into action. The Pyramid shows you the oil, cream, butter, margarine, sugars, soda, candy, food groups and the number of servings from each and sweet desserts. These foods add calories but few group to eat each day. The number of servings that's nutrients. right for you depends on how many calories you need. That depends on your age, sex, size, and how active Whether a specific food fits into your diet depends on you are. To get needed nutrients, almost everyone what other foods you eat during the day. Remember, should have at least the lowest number of servings it's your total diet that counts. If some of your choices recommended. during the day are relatively high in fat, cholesterol, sugars, and sodium (for example, a rich dessert for Within the five major food groups below the Pyramid dinner or a salty snack), try to choose foods that are tip, try to choose foods that are lower in fat, saturated lower in fat, cholesterol, sugars, and sodium the rest fat, cholesterol, added sugars, and sodium. Go easy of the day. on foods at the tip of the Pyramid—the fats, oils, and Let the Label Work for You The new food label can Nutrition Facts %Daily Value (DV) shoves help you compare foods Serving Size 1 cup (228g) how a food fits into your Servings Per Container 2 within Pyramid food LcmrrAT overall daily diet. Higher Amount Per Serving groups and help you percentages mean greater SLICES Calories 260 Calories from Fat 120 decide which to choose. amounts of nutrients. % Daily Value* On the label front you Total Fat 1 3g 20% Whether or not the food fits might find some terms Saturated Fat 5g 25% Cholesterol 30mg 10% into your diet depends on defined by the Govern- Sodium 660mg 28° what other foods you eat. that can be used to ment Total Carbohydrate 31 g 10% For most people, the goal is describe a food's nutrient content. These Rvefree, low, Dietary Fiber Og 0% to choose foods that add up Sugars 5g lean, extra lean, high, good source, reduced, fewer, less, to about 100% of the Daily Protein 5g Value for total carbohydrate, light, and more. Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 2% dietary fiber, vitamins, and Calcium 15% Iron 4% minerals. For the first time, foods that meet certain standards ' Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 will be allowed to carry heahh claims about the link calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs: Daily Values that have Calories 2.000 2,500-^ between certain foods or nutrients and specific dis- been set for certain Total Fat Less than 1 00 80g eases. For example, the label of a food that is low in fat Sat Fat Less than 20g 25g nutrients are listed on Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg may carry a claim about the relationship of a low-fat Sodium Less than 2.400mg 2.400mg larger packages for both a Total Carbohydrate 300g 375g 2,000- and a 2,500-calorie diet to reduced risk of cancer. Meat and poultry prod- Dietary Fiber 25g 30g Calories per gram: diet. (A 2.000-calone diet ucts have not yet been approved to carry such claims, Fat 9 • Carbohydrate 4 Protein 4 is about right for many but mav do so in the future. women, teenage girls, and less active men. A 2.500- The food package provides a Nutrition Facts panel that calorie diet is about right for contains information that will help you fit the food into many men, teenage boys, and very active women.) your overall daily diet. Nutrition Facts must tell you how much saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, and certain nutrients are contained in each serving. Serving sizes A list of ingredients is iNGREDIENTS: BLEACHED FLOUR, SUGAR, must now be based on standards set for similar kinds of PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE now required on almost all food. That makes it easier to compare the nutritional SHORTENING, FRUCTOSE, WATER, CORN foods, even standardized SYRUP, COCOA, WHEY BLEND, CORN value of similar products. ones such as mayonnaise STARCH, SALT, SODIUM BICARBONATE. LECITHIN. ARTIFICIAL FLAVORINGS, AND and bread. Ingredients are ARTIFICIAL COLORS, listed from most to least by weight. If you have food allergies, the ingredient list can help you identify products that might pose a problem for you. Action, Action . Maintain Healthy Weight Keep the Food Guide The Food Guide Pyramid recommends choosing foods lower in fats Pyramid in mind when and added sugars most of the time. Remember that fats and added you choose foods. Almost sugars add calories, but few nutrients, to foods. everyone needs at least the minimum number of Check the label for claims servings from each of the such as low, reduced, five major food groups. light, or less that describe the calorie content per serving. Read the fine print next to the claim. For Look for the products with example, a reduced-caloric the words good source or salad dressing label might high used to describe the tell you that regular salad vitamin, mineral, or fiber dressing contains 140 content per serving. Foods calories per 2-tablespoon labeled good source must serving, while the reduced- contain 10%- 19% of the calorie version contains Daily Value for the nutrient 105 calories per serving. per standard serving. Foods labeled high must contain at least 20% of the Daily Nutrition Facts Compare the amount you Value per standard serving. Serving Size 1 cup (228g) usually eat to the serving Servings Per Container 2 size shown on the label. If Check labels for a claim Amount Per Serving the labeled serving size is Calories 260 Calor es from Fat 120 about diet and osteoporosis 1/2 cup and you eat 1 cup, Daily Value* to find foods that are good % you have to double the Total Fat 13g 20° 0 sources of calcium. amount of calories and Saturated Fat 5g 25% other nutrients listed. Be on the lookout for nutrition information that is on display in many stores Use Salt and Sodium for the most popular fresh vegetables and fruits and Only in Moderation meats, poultry and seafood. Total Carbohydrate 31 g 10% Remember, you don't have The Food Guide Pyramid Dietary Fiber Og 0% to pick foods that contain recommends making lower Sugars 5g 100% of the Daily Value for sodium choices from all Protein 5g vitamins and minerals to get food groups most of the Action, Action . Read the Food Label Choose a Diet Low in Fat, Choose a Diet with Plenty of Eat a Variety of Foods Maintain Healthy Weight Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol Vegetables, Faiits, and Grain Products Pyramid recom- Keep the Food Guide The Food Guide Pyramid recommends choosing foods lower in h The Food Remember that the Food foods m the Pyramid in mind when and added sugars most of the time. Remember that fats and add mends limiting Guide Pyramid recom- and making you choose foods. Almosl sugars add calories, but few nutrients, to foods.
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