Putting a Nutrition Label into Use for Health and Performance

Written by Maria Di Iorio, RD, CD

Hey Utes! Have you ever looked at a nutrition fact label (NFL) and thought, “What do all these numbers and percent’s mean?” You’re not alone! NFLs have changed over the years and it is hard to keep up with what every section means. Fear not! Let’s take it step by step and put meaning to each section!

But wait! Why are these labels important and why should I spend time learning how to read one? Great question! The NFL help us determine the nutritional content of a food item. All packaged food items will carry a NFL. By learning how to read one, you will be able to make informed choices on which foods you pick at the grocery store and bring home to fuel your body.

We will be using the NFL from the FDA website as it has each area clearly sectioned for ease. Please reference the above diagram for the rest of this post.

Step 1: Serving Information

This section of the NFL gives you two important points of information. First, it tells you the amount of a serving size. It is important to identify this point first because the rest of the information provided on the NFL is in reference to that serving size.

In the NFL above, it tells you one serving of this lasagna is 1 Cup (227 grams). Then, the second point of information tells you how many servings are in the entire container of lasagna. There are 4 (1 cup) servings in the entire container of this lasagna.

Step 2: Calories

Once you have identified serving amount, you can move down to the “Calories” section. Here it is important to READ THE FINE PRINT. Take a look in the Calories section. What are those tiny words printed at the top of the box? It says “Amount per Serving”. This tells you how many calories will be in a single serving of that food item.

1 cup serving of lasagna = 280 Calories.

The total amount of Calories tells you how much energy your will be provided by eating that one serving of lasagna. It factors in the amount of energy from the carbohydrates, protein, and fat in the lasagna to give you a grand total for one serving!

Step 3: Nutrients

This section indicates what kind of nutrients the lasagna will provide if you ate one serving. It is important for athletes to read this section before selecting a food item! Athletes want to make sure a food item is NUTRIENT DENSE, not just calorically dense. Nutrient dense means a food contains more than just calories for energy, it also contains a good source of vitamins, and minerals.

Let’s go through the “Nutrients” section to see how this lasagna holds up.

Fat: one serving of this lasagna contains 9 grams of fat. In the NFL, it also indicated the amount of saturated fat one serving contains.

Saturated fat is linked to increased inflammation in the body and for athletes it is advantageous to eat this type of fat in low to moderate amounts. 9 grams of fat is on the higher end but it is likely from the cheese and beef which are good protein sources when consumed in moderations.

Carbohydrates: one serving of this lasagna contains 34 grams of carbohydrates. This will provide a good amount of carbohydrate for working muscles!

Protein: one serving of this lasagna contains 15 grams of protein. This would be a great post-workout/game meal. Athletes want to shoot for eating 15-30 grams of protein following a workout or competition to build and support muscle!

Step 4: % Daily Value

Take a look at the far right of the NFL. You will see the section highlighted in purple. This section tells you how much of each nutrient you are eating in a percent towards the recommended daily value of that nutrient. % Daily Value is on a 0%-100% scale.

Let’s look at the vitamin and mineral section of the NFL. It is the last section starting with Vitamin D.

It shows 1 serving of lasagna contains:

• 25% of your daily calcium (high source)

• 8% of your daily iron

• 10% of your daily potassium

Evaluation:

Let’s combine all the information we just learned from the NFL to determine if this would be an appropriate food item to add into an athlete’s diet.

One serving of lasagna does contain a good amount of carbohydrate and protein to assist with refueling the body post workout/competition. It does contain saturated fat but from quality food sources so it would want to be eaten in moderation throughout the diet.

Additionally, it does contain a good amount of calcium per serving and also contains iron and potassium in modest levels.

Overall, since this lasagna contain additional vitamins and minerals it would be considered a nutrient dense food item and one that can be worked into any athletes’ diet in moderation!

Work Cited:

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/how-understand-and-use-nutrition-facts-label. Accessed May 17, 2020.