How to Find Lipids on Food Labels

Lipids are one of the major categories of nutrients that our bodies need to stay healthy. Too many lipids in our diet, however, can result in increased rates of atherosclerosis, heart disease and other chronic diseases. The three main types of lipids that are of concern are saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Some individuals need to keep track of how much fat and cholesterol they consume. As a result, the federal government has required food manufacturers to report the amount of fat and cholesterol through the Nutrition Facts panel, also known as the food label, which is on most food products.

Things You'll Need

• Nutrition Facts panel

Instructions

1. Identify serving size and number of servings in the food item. By determining serving size, you can portion out the amount of food associated with the information on the food label.

2. Scan the left side of the food label for the words "Total Fat." Beneath "Total Fat" you typically will see "Saturated Fat" and "Trans Fat." The amounts (usually in grams) listed tell you how much of each fat is in one serving of the food item. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for total fat is 20 to 35 percent of total calories for the average adult. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests limiting saturated fat to 10 percent of your daily calories and trans fat intake to as low as possible.

3. Scan the label for the word "cholesterol" to determine the amount of cholesterol in the food. Cholesterol is always listed in milligrams (mg). For reference, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that individuals consume no more than 300mg of cholesterol per day.

4. Determine the percent Daily Value (%DV) of fat and cholesterol the food contains. The percentages on the right-hand side of the Nutrition Facts panel represent how much this particular food item contributes to your daily needs of any particular nutrient. For example, if a label indicates that it has 18 percent of the daily value for total fat, then by eating one serving you will have met about 1/5 of your fat needs for the day. In general, a 5 percent or lower Daily Value percentage is low, and a 20 percent or higher Daily Value percentage is high.

Tips & Warnings

• These percentages are based on a 2000-calorie diet. If you typically eat more or fewer than 2000 calories, these values may not be as relevant.

• Keeping track of the multiple foods you eat throughout the day can be healthy, but your food intake is likely to average out over many days.

References

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
• U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid.gov: 2005 Dietary Guidelines