Speed Read a Food Label

Pressed for supermarket time? Still want to shop healthy?

Here’s how to quickly decipher the Nutrition Facts on food labels, using the “5-20 guide”:

• Nutrient Facts are listed as percentages of Daily Values (DV), in amounts per serving. For a single nutrient, 20% or more is a lot, and 5% or less is a little.
• For nutrients you may need less of, such as fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, look for foods with 5% or less DV per serving.
• For nutrients you may need more of, such as vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and fiber, look for foods with 20% or more DV per serving.

A few more quick label-reading tips:

• Check claims. If the front of the label gives a clue for “high” or “more,” “less” or “free,”Nutrition Facts gives the specifics.
• Remember the rule of doubles. Eating double the servings means double the DV for any nutrient and for calories.