How to Read a Food Label

Commonly eaten frozen meal

Always pay attention to the serving size!  

• Let's start with the calories.  Your daily intake of calories depends on your height, weight, gender, and age.  You can easily compute it online.  The calories from fat are what you need to worry about.  Those are considered "empty calories.
• Total fat includes saturated, trans, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats.  This meal has a total fat content of 21g and lists 4.5g of saturated fats, so where did the rest go?  Believe it or not, they can still be hidden under trans fats.  (The WORST kind for you).  And some may be in the polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats. Your daily limit for fats is at most 65g.
• Cholesterol includes all of the fats listed above. Your daily limit for these is at most 300mg.
• Your daily limit for sodium is at most 2400 mg.  A teaspoon of table salt has 2,345 mg of sodium, so with just that you've already gone over your daily limit.  Many people eat way too much of this.  The average American has 3400 mg a day.
• Potassium is needed for a healthy nervous system.  Most people are deficient in it because the daily intake is 3500mg.
• Carbohydrates can be good or bad.  The most you should have a day is 300g.  
• Fiber cannot be digested.  But we still need lots of it.  25g a day is recommended.  This provides bulk for your intestinal track, keeping you "regular."
• Sugar, sugar, sugar.  Women should only have 20g a day, and men should only have 36g.  As you can see, the woman has already gone over her limit for the day with this meal.
• Protein is one of the most essential nutrients we can get.  The daily limit is 50g. Protein is a building block for every body cell you have.  Hair and nails?  They're made of protein.  So are your bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.