Chapter 1, Lesson 1
How to Read the Nutrition Label
Introduction
Every packaged food has a Nutrition Facts label, but reading it isn’t always easy. This label gives you key facts about calories, nutrients, and serving size. Knowing how to read it helps you make informed choices about what you're eating and how much of it you actually need.
Do you actually know what you’re eating?
According to the FDA, nearly half of U.S. adults say they read food labels, but far fewer fully understand them. In fact, a 2021 study found that only about 9% of consumers could accurately interpret % Daily Value on a standard label.
That’s why we’re starting here. Once you understand how to read the Nutrition Facts label, you’ll be better equipped to make smart, confident food choices.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this lesson you’ll be able to:
Find the serving size and calculate how much you’re really eating
Understand what calories actually mean
Use % Daily Value to spot high or low nutrients
Know which numbers to aim high or low for (fiber vs. added sugars, etc.)
Serving Size
Always Start Here
All other numbers (calories, %DV, nutrients) are based on this amount
What does it mean?
Serving size tells you how much the nutrition numbers are based on and how many servings are in the package.
Serving sizes are not recommendations — they reflect what people usually eat, not what you should eat
They’re listed in everyday units (like cups or pieces), followed by grams (g)
All calories, fats, sugars, and % Daily Values (%DV) on the label are based on one serving
Why it matters:
A snack bag might say “15 chips per serving,” but the bag has 3 servings. That means you’re eating 3x the listed sugar, salt, and calories if you eat the whole bag.
Tip: Check “servings per container.” Most people eat more than one.
Example: (Lasagna—1 cup vs. 2 cups)
See how everything doubles when you double the serving size?
Calories
How much energy is in one serving of food
What does it mean?
Calories = energy your body gets from food
Labels show calories per serving, not per package
If you eat more than one serving, multiply the calories accordingly
Calories aren’t bad, but they can add up fast — especially in sugary drinks or ultra-processed snacks.
Why it matters:
Eating more calories than your body needs = stored as fat
2,000 calories/day is the general reference, but your needs depend on:
age
gender
height and weight
physical activity level
To achieve or maintain a healthy body weight, balance the number of calories you eat and drink with the number your body uses.
Nutrients
What you should get more of — and what should you get less of?
Use the nutrition label to choose foods with less of what you don’t need and more of what your body needs. That’s how you match nutrition to your own goals.
What does it mean?
This part of the label tells you how much of certain key nutrients are in one serving. Some of these are great to get more of — others, you’ll want to limit.
You can use this section to match the label to your personal health goals.
Nutrients to get Less of:
These are nutrients most people already eat too much of, which leads to health problems over time.
Saturated Fat – Linked to heart disease
Sodium (Salt) – Linked to high blood pressure
Added Sugars – Can make it harder to stay within calorie limits or get enough other nutrients
What are Added Sugars?
Added during processing — like table sugar, syrups, and sweeteners
Not the same as natural sugars (like in fruit or milk)
On the label, "Includes Xg Added Sugars" means it’s part of the Total Sugars
Example:
If a yogurt label says:
Total Sugars: 15g
Includes 7g Added Sugars
Then 8g are natural, and 7g were added during processing.
Nutrients to get More of:
These nutrients are often under-consumed in the U.S., and eating more of them can support long-term health.
Dietary Fiber – Supports digestion, helps control weight, lowers blood sugar
Calcium & Vitamin D – Support strong bones and teeth
Iron – Helps prevent anemia (low energy, weakness)
Potassium – Helps regulate blood pressure
The Percent Daily Value
(%DV)
Use %DV to balance your day: eat more of what your body needs, and less of what it doesn’t.
What does it mean?
% Daily Value (%DV) shows you how much of a nutrient is in one serving compared to what you need in a full day. It's based on a 2,000-calorie daily diet, which is just a general guideline.
Everyone’s needs are a little different.
Why it matters:
The %DV makes it easy to compare nutrients across foods, even if the amounts are listed in different units (like mg, g, or mcg).
You don’t need to do math — the label does it for you!
%DV helps you know whether something is low or high in a nutrient.
General Rule of Thumb:
5% DV or less = Low in that nutrient
20% DV or more = High in that nutrient
Aim High in:
Fiber, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Vitamin D
Aim Low in:
Saturated Fat, Sodium, Added Sugars
Example:
A frozen lasagna has 37% DV of sodium per serving. That’s a lot (over 1/3 of your daily limit). Eat two servings, and that’s 74% DV, almost your entire day’s worth of sodium.
Use %DV to decide between products—just make sure you're comparing equal serving sizes.
Nutrients Without a %DV
Some nutrients don’t list a %DV on the label
Trans Fat: No safe limit has been set, so there’s no %DV—but it’s best to avoid completely.
Total Sugars: Includes both natural and added sugars; no official limit, so no %DV listed.
Protein: Only shows %DV when the food is marketed as “high protein” or is made for kids under 4.
The Nutrition Facts label shows you the % Daily Value (%DV) for each nutrient. But what does that number actually mean for your health?
Learn more here:
Nutrition Facts Label Variations
Most labels look similar—but some use special formats based on the product.
These are the only label formats that actually change how nutrition info is presented or interpreted, not just how it looks, so we’re focusing on these two.
Dual-Column Labels
Some packages are small enough to eat in one sitting, but technically contain more than one serving. That’s where dual-column labels come in.
They show nutrition info per serving and per package
This makes it easy to see what you’re really eating—especially if you finish the whole bag!
Example:
A bag of pretzels has 3 servings. Instead of just showing calories for 1 serving, it also shows calories and nutrients for all 3 servings (the whole bag).
*Look for this format on things like snack bags, small pizzas, or microwave meals that could be shared but usually aren’t.
Single-Ingredient Sugar Labels
Products like pure honey, maple syrup, or white sugar are made of just one ingredient. That means they don’t have added sugars, but they still contain a lot of total sugar.
These labels still have to list the %DV for Added Sugars, even if the sugar is natural.
Key Things to Know
You might see a † symbol after “Added Sugars”
It leads to a footnote explaining that the sugar is natural, not added
The goal is to help you understand how that sugar fits into your daily limit
Example (Honey):
Total Sugars: 17g
Added Sugars: 0g
%DV for Added Sugars: 34%†
†This is the full amount of sugar in honey. Use it in moderation as it counts toward your daily sugar limit
Want to See More Label Formats?