How to Read Nutrition Labels: A Complete Guide

Why Nutrition Labels Matter

Nutrition labels are one of the most powerful tools available for making informed food choices. Understanding what the numbers mean can help you manage your weight, meet specific dietary goals, and avoid ingredients that may not align with your health objectives.

In the United States, the FDA requires nutrition facts labels on most packaged foods. The current label format, updated in 2020, was redesigned to make key information more prominent and easier to understand.

Serving Size: Start Here

The serving size is listed at the very top of the label, and every number below it relates to this specific amount. This is critical because a package that looks like a single serving might actually contain two or three.

For example, a bottle of soda might list a serving size of 240ml, but the bottle contains 600ml — meaning you need to multiply everything by 2.5 if you drink the whole thing.

Always check the "servings per container" to understand how the numbers relate to the total package.

Calories

Calories measure the total energy a food provides. The current FDA guideline uses 2,000 calories per day as a reference, though individual needs vary based on age, sex, weight, height, and activity level.

As a general guide: 40 calories per serving is considered low, 100 is moderate, and 400 or more is high.

Macronutrients: The Big Three

Total Fat

Listed in grams, with sub-categories for saturated fat and trans fat. The daily value for total fat is 78g based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Aim to limit saturated fat to less than 20g per day and avoid trans fat entirely.

Total Carbohydrates

Includes dietary fiber, total sugars, and added sugars. The daily value for carbs is 275g. Pay special attention to the "Added Sugars" line — the FDA recommends keeping added sugars below 50g (about 12 teaspoons) per day.

Protein

Listed in grams with a daily value of 50g. Most active adults need more than this minimum, particularly if building muscle or recovering from exercise.

Percent Daily Value (%DV)

The right column shows what percentage of your daily recommended intake one serving provides. Use the 5/20 rule as a quick guide: 5% DV or less is considered low, while 20% DV or more is considered high.

This means if a food shows 25% DV for sodium, that single serving provides a quarter of your recommended daily sodium intake — which is high.

Micronutrients to Watch

The updated label requires four specific micronutrients to be listed: Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, and Potassium. These were chosen because many people do not get enough of them.

Look for foods that are high (20% DV or more) in these nutrients. You can use our nutrient search to find the best food sources for any specific vitamin or mineral.

The Ingredients List

Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. The first ingredient makes up the largest proportion of the food. Watch out for sugar appearing under different names: high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, sucrose, and many others are all forms of added sugar.

If the ingredients list is long and full of words you cannot pronounce, that is generally a sign of a heavily processed food.

Practical Tips

Compare similar products by looking at the nutrition facts per 100g rather than per serving, since serving sizes can vary between brands. Our compare tool makes this easy — just search for two similar products and see the differences side by side.

Focus on the nutrients that matter most for your goals. If you are watching your weight, prioritize calories and added sugars. If you are building muscle, focus on protein. If you have high blood pressure, pay close attention to sodium.

Use CalorieExpert to look up the nutrition facts for any food — including fresh foods that do not come with labels. Search over 300,000 foods in our database.