Understanding how to read a label will help you to incorporate many foods into your diet.  Look for the Nutrition Facts, section found on food labels.   Take a look at the Nutrition Facts label on a container of food as you read the information below:

 

1)                 Serving Size:  Remember to look and see how much of the item is considered a serving.  The nutrition information is always based on the serving size listed.

2)                 Look at Total Grams of Carbohydrate, to figure out how many servings (choices/exchanges) of carbohydrate are in this product.

Total grams includes sugars and complex carbohydrates and fiber, you do not need to count sugar separately.

3)                 To calculate servings of carbohydrates, take total grams of carbohydrate divided by 15 to equal servings.

4)                 If the amount of Dietary Fiber is 5 or greater you may subtract the amount of fiber from the total amount of grams of carbohydrate before dividing by 15 to give you the number of servings of carbohydrate.

 

                       

            Marianne Henley, RD, CDE

            Dietitian, Richmond Apothecaries Inc