Nutrition labels are like a table of contents in a book. They tell you what's inside the food you're eating and list its smaller parts.

The Nutrition Facts food label gives you information about nutrients in the food. Your body needs the right combination of nutrients, such as vitamins, to work properly and grow. The Nutrition Facts food label is printed somewhere on the outside of packaged food. Most nutrients are measured in grams, also written as g. Some nutrients are measured in milligrams, or mg. Other information on the label is given in percentages. These numbers are based on eating 2,000 calories in a day. A calorie is a unit of energy, a way of expressing how much energy you would get by eating a certain food.

Label-building skills are intended to make it easier for you to use nutrition labels to make quick, informed food choices that contribute to a healthy diet. You and your dietitian should work together to design a meal plan that's right for you and includes foods that you enjoy. Check the Nutrition Facts on the label, when you’re considering foods with low- or reduced-calorie sweeteners. You can compare the calories in the sugar-free version to the regular version as well as the fat content of the labels to see whether you’re really getting fewer calories and lesser fat. You may also choose the regular version of a food and cut back on the serving size instead of buying the sugar-free version. This might be more economical at times.

What to Check in the Nutrition Facts: You can also use the Nutrition Facts label on foods to guide you. The first thing to check is the serving size. The second is the total carbohydrate, which tells you its content in one serving of the food.

The information in the main or top section can vary with each food product; generally it contains product-specific information as serving size and calories. The bottom part contains a footnote with Daily Values (DVs) for 2,000 and 2,500 calorie diets. This footnote provides recommended dietary information for important nutrients, including fats, sodium and fiber. The footnote is found only on larger packages and does not change from product to product.

Servings per Container or Package: Serving size and the number of servings are the first criteria to measure the nutrient facts of a food package. It is standardized and provided in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by the metric amount, e.g. the number of grams, so that it is easier to compare similar foods. The serving size on the food package influences the number of calories and the nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the label.

The label also tells you how many servings are contained in that package of food. The number of calories in a single serving of the food is listed on the left of the label. This tells you the amount of energy in the food. Less calorie intake is advised otherwise you might gain weight. Another important part of the label is the number of calories that come from fat. Check this because it's good to limit fat intake.

N.B. Foods labeled as sugar-free still contain carbohydrate. To check the amount of sugars in the Nutrition Facts label, keep in mind that it includes both added sugars and naturally occurring sugars. It is more helpful to check the total carbohydrate because it gives a better picture of all the carbohydrate in a single food.

Most Indians don't get enough dietary fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron in their diet which is necessary for promoting a healthy digestive system and improving health. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain dietary fiber and low saturated fat and cholesterol helps reduce the risk of heart disease.

Knowing about nutrition facts label can help you plan your nutrients intake such as what nutrients you should cut back on and which nutrients to consume more.

Percent Daily Value: The footnote on the bottom of the nutrition facts label tells you of the %DVs. This information, sometimes with a dietary advice, is often there on all food labels. DVs are recommended levels of intakes. DV percentages on food labels are based on recommended daily allowances - meaning the amount of something a person should get each day. For instance, there's a recommended daily allowance for fat, so the food label might say that one serving of this food meets 10% of the daily value. The daily values are based on an adult's needs, not children, although these are often more or less similar depending on their age and size.

Some percent daily values are based on the amount of calories and energy a person needs. These include carbohydrates, proteins, and fat. Other percent daily values - like those for sodium, potassium, vitamins, and minerals stay the same no matter how many calories a person eats.

Upper Limit
The nutrients that have "upper daily limits" are listed first on the footnote of larger labels. It means eat "less than" the Daily Value nutrient amounts listed per day.

Lower Limit
This indicates the least amount of dietary fibre you should consume per day, that is “more than” the Daily Value nutrient amounts listed per day.

If you are concerned about your intake of sugars, make sure that added sugars by the name of corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, dextrose, sucrose, honey, and maple syrup are not listed as one of the ingredients.

Total Carbohydrate: The total carbohydrate is the number of carbohydrate grams in one serving of food. This total is broken down into grams of sugar and grams of dietary fibre.

Protein: This number tells you how much protein you get from a single serving of the food. Your body needs protein to build and repair essential parts of the body, such as muscles, blood, and organs. Protein is often measured in grams.

Fat: The total fat is the number of fat grams contained in one serving of food. The different kinds of fat, such as saturated, unsaturated, and trans fat may be listed separately on the label.

Cholesterol and Sodium: The amount of cholesterol and sodium (salt), measured in milligrams, in a single serving is included on the food label.

Vitamin A and vitamin C are two specially important vitamins, in a serving of the food listed on the label. Each amount is given as a percent daily value. If a food has 20% of vitamin A, that one serving of food gives an adult one fifth of the vitamin A needed for the day.

Calcium and iron are two specially important minerals in a serving of the food. Again, each amount is given as a percent daily value. If a food has 4% of iron, that one serving of food gives an adult 4% of the iron needed for the day.

Calories per Gram show how many calories are in one gram of fat, carbohydrate, and protein. This information is the same for every food and is printed on the food label for reference.