The nutrition facts label provides us with a great amount of information. But what good is that information if we don't understand it?

The first place to look is at the serving size. This number is important because the amount of nutrients and calories for every product is based on one serving. Servings per container shows how many servings are in an entire package. Be sure not to confuse the entire package as one serving.

Below the serving size, the number of calories per serving is listed. Calories measure the amount of energy that comes from a single serving. Some products also list calories from fat, or how much energy is coming directly from fat. If you are trying to reach or maintain a healthy weight, this section will be helpful. Balancing the calories you consume with the calories you burn during activity is important to managing a healthy weight. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume; to maintain a healthy weight, you must burn equal amounts of calories that you consume.

After looking at the serving size and calories per serving, it is important to look at the nutrients the food contains. Nutrition facts labels list macronutrients such as fat, carbohydrates and protein, as well as micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

The nutrients that are listed closer to the top of the label should be limited. These nutrients include total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium. Excessive amounts of these nutrients can lead to chronic health conditions. The nutrients that are listed in the lower half, such as vitamins, minerals and fiber, should be consumed more often. These nutrients can help decrease the risk of chronic diseases.

Listed on the right side of the food label are percentages that represent how much of the daily requirement for a nutrient is in one serving of the product. For example, if a nutrition label lists 10 percent for vitamin A, that means one serving provides 10 percent of the total amount of vitamin A needed each day, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. You will see that trans fat, sugar and protein do not have a percentage listed, because no recommended intake has been established.

To help you understand the percent daily value a little better, use this quick guide: 5 percent daily value or less is low; 20 percent or more is high. Look for foods that contain close to 5 percent for saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and contain close to 20 percent for vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Finally, it is important to be aware of the ingredients that a product contains. At the bottom of the label is a list of ingredients in descending order by weight. A product contains larger amounts of the ingredients listed at the top of the ingredient list. Those listed near the bottom are used in smaller amounts. Nutrition facts labels are required to list common allergens such as wheat, egg, soy, milk, nuts or fish.

Nutrition facts labels provide a lot of information that explains what and how much a particular food contains, but the information is useless unless we know how to interpret it. Using this information will not only help you understand what is in foods, but it will also help you to make healthier choices.

Kelly Marsteller is a clinical outpatient dietitian at Memorial Hospital. Healthy Helpings is a column written by nutritionists in York and Adams counties.

More:
Healthy Helpings: Understanding the nutrition facts label