In six months, our oldest child will be moving out on his own. Excuse me while I cry a little… He will be attending a university 4,500 kilometres away!! For the first time in his life, he will be 100% responsible for feeding himself. So this week I took some time to teach him how to read the Nutrition Facts table on the side of some of his favourite foods. In order to make informed food choices, my 18 year old son needs to understand the levels of nutrition he’ll be getting from the food he will have to choose on his own.
I’m not even sure they’ve noticed the side of the box of cereal before this….
In 2015 my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, it took this tragedy to realize how important what we put in our bellies is to our overall health. In caring for him, I learned all about the Nutrition Facts table (NFt) which is found on most packaged food products in Canada.
After you read this blog post and take the Nutrition Test below… I challenge you to carve in an extra 30 minutes into your next grocery shopping trip. Take the time to read the Nutrition Facts table on the packaged items before you put them in your cart. Maybe there’s a similar packaged food product that is a better choice for your family.
Ultimately, what you chose to feed your family is up to you, all I ask is that you make the most informed choice you can.
There are three quick steps to help you focus on the facts and help you learn how to read a Nutrition Facts table:
Step 1: Start with SERVING SIZE
Look at the amount of food. Compare this to the amount you actually eat. Serving size is not necessarily the suggested quantity of food you should eat. The serving size tells you the quantity of food used to calculate the numbers in the nutrition facts table.
By checking a product’s serving size, you can:
- understand how much of a nutrient you are eating
- compare calories and nutrients between 2 similar packaged food products
- compare it to the amount you actually eat
Step 2: Use the % DAILY VALUE
Read the % Daily Value (% DV). The serving size has a little or a lot of a nutrient. The % DV is found on the right-hand side of a Nutrition Facts table. Use the % DV to compare packaged foods.
Step 3: Look at a NUTRIENT
Let this help you make a better choice for you and your family. Choose packaged foods that have more of the nutrients you want in your diet, like fibre and calcium, and less of those you don’t, like saturated and trans fats and sodium.
- 5% DV or less is a little
- 15% DV or more is a lot
This applies to all nutrients with a % DV.
Learn how to use the Nutrition Facts table with a four-step quiz, test your knowledge daily for your chance to win a $300 grocery gift card from RCC and FCPC, click here to take the quiz until March 31, 2017. Make informed food choices for you and your family.
I’m also giving away $100 gift card to Walmart. Enter to win below, my giveaway ends March 15, 2017 at 11:59pm EST. Open to Canadian readers only.
Do you know what you’re eating? Follow along on social media using the hashtag #FocusontheFacts to share tips and learn facts on health and safety topics, such as the Nutrition Facts table.
Disclaimer: In a joint effort between the Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC), Health Canada, Retail Council of Canada (RCC), the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG), the Nutrition Facts Education Campaign (NFEC) ~ of which I am participating in and receiving compensation for ~ is designed to increase Canadians’ awareness, use and understanding of the Serving Size and % Daily Value (% DV), on the Nutrition Facts table (NFt), to help them make informed food choices for their families.
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33 Comments
Packaged food in most cases are very poor choices for healthy living. But by reading the labels it certainly can help you make better choices.
I always look at nutritional value before buying any new products
I learnt that I need to read labels more and watch my sodium and sugar intake!
Biggest thing I learned is how to read the Fiber content!
I really started to read the tables when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in my recent pregnancy. Huge eye opener!
This was a very useful tool I learnt way back in food and nutrition class in high school! A refresher is always great 🙂
I learned that I don’t eat very healthy at all! I need to make sure I am more careful with what I am taking in…
I learned how to read about the serving sizes
I have learned about the sodium and cholesterol levels , for health reasons 🙂
I learned that you have to be careful, the serving size is not necessarily the amount of food that you should eat.
I have learned about serving sizes!! I was not factoring that in when I was looking at the contents of what was in our foods.
I learned that the serving size is not necessarily the suggested quantity of food you should eat.
That the information given isn’t always for the whole package.
I learned you really need to look at the serving size to determine how healthy it is!
i’ve learned that serving size is the key to reading the label properly
I have always read the labels and it certainly does help when making better choices.
I learned that using the % DV can help you choose better-for-you foods.
I have learned that I need to make wiser food choices! The %DV will tell me if I am getting a lot or a little of a nutrient.
I’ve learned how to understand the labels and how to make better food choices!
The biggest thing I’ve learned about my food choices based on the Nutrition Facts Table is that almost everything I buy has more sugar in them than I expect or would like. I’d like to cut back on that now that I am aware.
Now I read the nutritional facts when I go shopping! I learned how to read the labels now!
The biggest thing I learned was about a serving size and the percentage of fiber, fat, sodium and sugar contain in them.
I learned that the serving sizes are not what I had thought they were. I also have to read the labels carefully for sugar content.
Because of the Nutrition Facts table, I’ve learned about that I need to choose food that are lower in sodium and food that have more fibre.
I learn that you really have to pay close attention to serving size!
We are big Nutrition Facts readers and get frustrated that the serving sizes are not standardized.
I learned how to determine serving sizes.
I have always been a label reader but sometimes forget to look at the serving size. It is of no value to me if I can only eat 1/8 of a cup of something. I mean, some of the serving sizes are really small. I’m trying to cut down on my sugar, salt and sodium.
I find the percentage of daily value very helpful, especially when it comes to nutrients. Sometimes something that you think has lots of vitamins etc in it has very little
I have learned alot espcecially over the last 2 years with my son being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and 6 moths later with celiacs disease. The biggest thing I have learned is portion CONTROL.
I learned more about daily values and why that is important to look at
The most important point that I took from this is that I have to check portion size when looking at the nutrition facts that are listed.
Always look for portion size/SERVING SIZE – the more you eat the more “NUTRIENT” adds up
Salutrated trans fat is the most concerning to me