Reading Food Labels: How You Can Make Healthy Choices For Your Child

by Lindsay Dunckel, Executive Director First 5 Nevada County

Printed in the Family Post: Spring Issue 2008

Want to eat healthier? Every boxed, canned and packaged food item contains nutrition facts that can help you make healthier choices for your family. Knowing how to read a nutrition label is important for choosing foods with healthy ingredients. Understanding food labels can also help you avoid selecting foods with hidden fats and sugar.

Too often, reading the nutrition facts can be confusing. That’s why First 5 Nevada County provides the following guide to help you understand nutrition labels and what they mean for your child.

Words to Watch – To make healthy choices for your child, pay close attention to the following “tricky” words.

• Serving Size: Serving size is the amount of food to be eaten at one time by an adult. All information below the serving size is based on only the individual serving, not the entire box or can of food. Be sure to look at the servings per container to find the total number of servings in a food package.
• % Daily Value: The percent daily value tells you the percentage of each nutrient or ingredient that the food contains. However, like the serving size, it is important to notice that this number is calculated for adults. Each percentage is likely to be much higher for a child’s diet. Look for foods with high percentages (20 percent or more) of good nutrients, such as vitamins.

Does a Body Good – The below ingredients are important for your child’s healthy development.

• Protein: Your child needs protein to develop parts of his or her body, especially building muscles. The foods highest in protein are meat, poultry, fish and dairy foods.
• Vitamins: Vitamins help build strong bones, give your child energy and can help prevent illness. Ask your doctor for the recommended amount of each vitamin – including vitamin A and C, iron and calcium – for your child.
• Fiber (or Dietary Fiber): Fiber is important for keeping your child’s digestive system healthy. Doctors generally recommend that 1 to 3 year olds have at least 19 grams of fiber per day and 4 to 8 year olds have 25 grams per day. Some of the best sources of fiber are wholegrain breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables, beans and nuts.

In Moderation – The ingredients below should be limited for a healthy diet for your child.

• Calories: Bodies use calories for energy. However, any calories your child does not use become stored as fat. Children who eat too many calories can become overweight. Look for foods that have a low or average amount of calories, between 40 and 100 calories per serving. Foods with more than 400 calories per serving are unhealthy for your child.
• Sodium: Sodium is another term for salt. Children should eat small amounts of sodium to prevent high blood pressure and heart problems later in life. Generally, a food with less than 5 percent sodium is considered healthier.
• Fat: Limit your child’s intake of foods high in saturated and trans fat. Eating too much saturated fat increases the risk of childhood obesity and can lead to heart disease. In particular, limit fried foods, whole-milk dairy products, fatty meats, vegetable oil and butter.
• Sugar: Eating too much sugar can also cause childhood obesity and increase your child’s risk of dental disease. Look for foods that are naturally low in sugar. However, be careful of some foods that are sugarfree. Often, these foods replace sugar with artificial sweeteners, which are not recommended for children under age 5.

Sources: American Heart Association and U.S. Food and Drug Administration