I love the saying, “Knowledge is Everything,” because it is so true. Understanding the food labels and nutrition facts on the food we purchase is extremely important to our health. The more you know, another good tag line, about the ingredients you are putting in your body, the easier it is to make adjustments to a healthier diet. Here are the meanings behind some of the most commonly used phrases on food labels.

Good source of: The item has 10-19% of the Daily Value of that nutrient listed.

High In: 20% or more of the Daily Value recommended for that nutrient listed is included in product.

Light or Lite: At least 1/3 fewer calories than the regular version of that food, or no more than half of the fat. If it is in reference to sodium, it means the food has at least 50% less sodium than the regular version.

Lean: Less than 10 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 95 milligrams of cholesterol.

Extra Lean: Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 milligrams of cholesterol.

Reduced fat: 25% less fat than the regular version.

More: At least 10% more of a specific nutrient, compared to the regular version.

% Fat-Free: This designates the actual amount of food that is not made up of fat. Still watch out for the remaining calories! Just because it is 90% free of fat, the other 10% may be loaded with calories.

Reduced: At least 25% less of a nutrient, compared to the regular product.

Low: Less of a particular nutrient per serving than the regular version of that food. How much less depends on the nutrient.

• If a food is “low calorie,” it has less than 40 calories per serving.
• If a food is “low fat,” it has less than 3 grams of total fat per serving.
• If a food is “low in saturated fat,” it has less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving.
• If a food is “low cholesterol,” it has less than 20 milligrams of cholesterol per serving.
• If a food is “low sodium,” it has less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving.
• If a food is “very low sodium,” it has less than 35 milligrams per serving.

Free: Little or no trace of a particular nutrient per serving.

• If a food is “calorie-free,” it has less than 5 calories per serving.
• If a food is “fat-free,” it has less than 0.5 gram of total fat per serving.
• If a food is “free of saturated fat,” it has less than 0.5 gram of saturated fat per serving.
• If a food is “cholesterol-free,” it has less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol per serving.
• If a food is “sodium-free,” it has less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving.
• If a food is “sugar-free,” it has less than 0.5 gram of sugars per serving.

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