NCPAD:Health Promotion: Nutrition Spotlight: Become a Savvy Supermarket Shopper

Nutrition Spotlight: Become a Savvy Supermarket Shopper

Every March, we celebrate National Nutrition Month®, a nutrition education and information campaign created by the American Dietetic Association. The campaign focuses on helping people make informed food choices and practice healthy lifestyle habits. This is a great time for us to rethink our own eating habits and find ways to improve them.

One way in which we can improve our health is to learn how to make informed, nutritious choices at the supermarket. With the thousands of foods on our grocery store shelves, it can be extremely overwhelming to even enter a grocery store, let alone decide what to purchase. There are simple strategies that you can use to become a more enlightened shopper.

Make a Plan

We all have done this before: We walk into the grocery store without a list and aimlessly push the cart up and down the aisles grabbing what looks good at the time. This is dangerous for our bodies and our wallets. Having a list keeps you on track and makes you less likely to purchase tempting treats. Before you make your list, decide what meals you will eat that week, then make a list of ingredients and products that you plan to purchase on your shopping trip, while keeping the layout of the store in mind. For example, if you remember that bread and cereal are in the same aisle, group those items together on your list. This will not only save you time, but will also minimize temptations by reducing the number of times you wander up and down aisles looking for specific products.

Decipher the Nutrition Language

Claims on food labels are all around us – Light, Lean, Healthy, High Fiber! Do you find yourself wondering what these words actually mean?

The following list explains what the Food and Drug Administration requires in order for food companies to make such claims. Once you know what the terms mean, you’ll be able to compare products on the shelves and choose your foods more wisely.


Claim	Requirements that must be met before using the claim in food labeling
Fat-Free	Less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, with no added fat or oil
Low fat	3 grams or less of fat per serving
Less fat	25% or less fat than the comparison food
Saturated Fat Free	Less than 0.5 grams of saturated fat and 0.5 grams of trans-fatty acids per serving
Trans Fat Free	Less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving
Cholesterol-Free	Less than 2 mg cholesterol per serving, and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
Low Cholesterol	20 mg or less cholesterol per serving and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
Reduced Calorie	At least 25% fewer calories per serving than the comparison food
Low Calorie	40 calories or less per serving
Extra Lean	Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram) serving of meat, poultry, or seafood
Lean	Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 g of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram) serving of meat, poultry, or seafood
Light (fat)	50% or less of the fat than in the comparison food (ex: 50% less fat than our regular cheese)
Light (calories)	1/3 fewer calories than the comparison food
High-Fiber	5 grams or more fiber per serving
Sugar-Free	Less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving
Sodium-Free or Salt-Free	Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving
Low Sodium	140 mg or less per serving
Very Low Sodium	35 mg or less per serving
Healthy	A food low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, and contains at least 10% of the Daily Values for vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein, or fiber.
"High," "Rich in" or "Excellent Source"	20% or more of the Daily Value for a given nutrient per serving
"Less," "Fewer" or
"Reduced"	At least 25% less of a given nutrient or calories than the comparison food
"Low," "Little," "Few", or "Low Source of"	but can only make the claim as it applies to all similar foods
"Good Source Of," "More," or "Added"	The food provides 10% more of the Daily Value for a given nutrient than the comparison food

(Information from the Food and Drug Administration found at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fdnewlab.html)

Learn the Labels

When you look at the Nutrition Facts label, first check the serving size and the number of servings in the package. Many people often assume that the label gives the nutrition information for the entire food or drink item. In reality, the number of servings for a product can vary from 1 to 100! Pay attention to how many servings there are in a package and then ask yourself, “How many servings am I consuming?”

What to Limit

The nutrients listed first (total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium) are the ones you especially want to limit. Eating too much of these nutrients may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, such as heart disease, some cancers, and high blood pressure. In addition, you want to monitor your intake of sugar, particularly added sugars in packaged foods such as cookies, cereals, and granola bars.

What to Increase

Dietary fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron all generally play important roles in improving your health and helping reduce the risk of some diseases and conditions. For example, getting enough calcium helps improve bone strength and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Eating a diet high in dietary fiber promotes healthy bowel function. In addition, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.

What Does the Bottom of the Food Label Mean?

First, the bottom of the label says, “Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.” Therefore, the “% Daily Values” shown for each nutrient on the food label are simply estimates, based on consuming 2,000 calories per day. Although you may require more or less calories per day, depending on your needs, you can still use the % Daily Value as a frame of reference. It can help you determine if a serving of food is high or low in a certain nutrient.

The remaining information in the full footnote of the food label may not be on the package if the size of the label is too small. When the full footnote does appear, as pictured above, it will always be the same. It doesn't change from product to product because it shows recommended dietary advice for all Americans and is not specific to one food. Daily Values in the footnote are based on a 2,000- and 2,500-calorie diet. Note how the Daily Values for some nutrients (protein, fat, and fiber) change, while others (cholesterol and sodium) remain the same for both calorie amounts.

Increasing your awareness about the foods around you will help make grocery shopping more enjoyable and interesting. Next time you go to the store, remember to make a list of the foods you intend to buy and examine the claims and food labels to make the best, most nutritious choices.

Please send any questions or comments to Gillian Goodfriend at ggoodfri@uic.edu.

This fact sheet was last updated on 03-10-2008.