Eating a healthy diet can help you ward off heart disease, cancer and other ailments. The nutrition facts panel on food labels provides a lot of information you can use to choose healthier products. But how much of the nutritional fine print do you actually need to understand?

Well, I think it certainly helps to know the basics.

For instance, maybe you’re interested in the salt content of canned tomatoes you can use to make your favorite soup or chili. Or perhaps you’re concerned about the fat content of frozen pizza you could bake for a party.

Either way, having the ability to navigate the food label helps you quickly compare different brands. Looking on the back or side of each product’s package is usually the best place to start.

Learn how knowledgeable you are about food labels with this quiz.

1. A nutrition facts panel is required on all these items in your shopping cart except for which one?

a. A bag of baked bread

b. A box of raw pasta

c. A tin of canned tuna

d. A bag of raw carrots

2. What is the first thing you should look for on a food label?

a. Number of servings

b. Serving size

c. Calories

d. Total fat

3. The total number of calories are displayed on every package. True or false?

4. What does the “Daily Value” of a nutrient on a food label mean?

a. Amount of nutrient recommended each day

b. Amount of nutrient consumed each day

c. Serving size of each nutrient

d. Serving size of recommended nutrients

5. Ingredients on a food label are listed in descending order by weight. True or false?

ANSWERS

1. d. A nutrition facts panel must be displayed on the label of packaged and canned foods sold in grocery stores. Exceptions include raw fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry and fish, which do not fall under requirements for nutritional information listing.

2. b. The serving size is based on the amount people commonly eat of that food. It’s usually fairly similar among products in the same category. The importance of serving size is that amounts for calories, fat and other nutrients listed on the nutrition facts panel are all based on a single serving. So, for example, if you’re planning to eat two servings, you will need to multiply all the nutrient amounts by two.

3. False. The calories listed are for a single serving. If a single serving contains 150 calories, and the package contains two servings, eating the entire package will give you 300 calories – not just the 150 calories you thought you consumed. You will find the servings per container located near the top of the nutrition facts panel.

4. a. After each nutrient, a “Percent Daily Value” is listed. This number tells you the percentage of the recommended daily amount of a nutrient that is contained in a single serving of that food. It’s calculated based on the needs of an average adult on a 2,000 calorie diet. For fiber, vitamins and minerals, most people will benefit from foods with a high Percent Daily Value. For fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, most will want to choose foods with a low Percent Daily Value.

5. True. The first listed ingredient is present in greatest amount by weight. If sugar is listed first, this means that the product is sweeter than a product that lists the sugar last.

For more information: American Heart Association, www.americanheart.org.

Contact Dr. Elizabeth Smoots, a board-certified family physician and fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, at doctor@practicalprevention. com. Her columns are not intended as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Before adhering to any recommendations in this column consult your health care provider.

2007 Elizabeth S. Smoots