Take 5 minutes and follow these 5 easy steps for reading the Nutrition Facts table.

1. Serving size
If you eat the serving size shown on the Nutrition Facts table, you will get the amount of calories and nutrients that are listed.
Always compare the serving size on the package to the amount that
you eat.

2. Calories
Calories tell you how much energy you get from one serving of a packaged food.

3. Percent Daily Value (% Daily Value)
% Daily Value puts nutrients on a scale from 0% to 100%. This scale tells you if there is a little or a lot of a nutrient in one serving of a packaged food.

4. Get less of these nutrients:
• Fat, saturated fat and trans fat
• Cholesterol
• Sodium
Choose packaged foods with a low % Daily Value of fat and sodium, especially if you are at risk for heart disease or diabetes.

5. Get more of these nutrients:
• Carbohydrate
• Fibre
• Vitamin A and Vitamin C
• Calcium
• Iron
Choose packaged foods with a high % Daily Value of these nutrients. If you have diabetes, watch how much carbohydrate you eat will affect your blood glucose levels.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE: • Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors • Canadian Home Economics Association • Canadian Public Health Association • Consumers’ Association of Canada • Food and Consumer Products Manufacturers of Canada • Kraft Canada Inc. • Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada - Health Check™ Program • National Institute of Nutrition • Shop Smart Tours Inc. © 2003 Canadian Diabetes Association and Dietitians of Canada. Reprint permission not required.

For more health information sign up for a free Nutrition Tour with one of our registered dietitians.