Food Label Worksheet -- Jiayu Xin and Jae Won Kim

Food Label Worksheet

Name Jae Won Kim and Jiayu Xin /20 points

Select a partner to work with. Use this site to help with the questions:

www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ConsumerInformation/ucm078889.htm#see1

Pick up a food product that has a food label from the front of the room. With the assistance of the internet food label guide, answer the following questions on your food’s label. These questions should give you a good idea of the nutritional value of your food.

What is your food product?
snickers bar

1. What is the serving size?
1.42 ounces (40 grams)

2. How many servings per container?
one

3. How many calories per serving?
214 calories

4. How many calories are from fat?
130 calories

5. What percentage of each serving’s calories comes from fat?
(Do the math yourself.)
61%

6. What is the total fat percentage of your food?
22% of daily value

Is this content Low/Moderate/High?
High

7. What is the saturated fat percentage in your food?
18% of daily value

Is this content Low/High?
High

8. How much of your diet should come from saturated fats?
-no more than 7%

9. What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats?
Scientifically speaking, the saturated fat consists of single bond between fatty acids whereas the unsaturated fat consists of one or more double bonds between them.
Generally speaking, saturated fats are considered to be more unhealthy and to cause more deadly diseases and health conditions (e.g. increase in LDL (bad cholestrol), heart diseases, cancer, etc)
On top of that, saturated fats are found in animal products, whereas unsaturated fats are derived from plants.

10. What is the percentage cholesterol in your food?
Is that Low/Moderate/High
-3% of the daily value, which is low-moderate

11. How much sodium is in your food?
Is this content Low/Moderate/High?
-6% of daily value, which is moderate-high considering all the many sources we get salt from.

12. What is the carbohydrate content of your food?
Is this content Low/Moderate/High?
-6% of daily value, which is not a big number, but is moderate-high as carbohydrate can be consumed from almost all food.

13.What is the sugar content of your food?
Is this content Low/Moderate/High?
-31% of daily value, which is very high as it is almost a third of the amount of sugar needed daily.

14. Why are sugars not good for you?
-There are a countless number of reasons why sugars are not good for human body, and some of the examples of that are; sugar can suppress the immune system; sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body; sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating; sugar can contribute to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection, etc.

15. How much fiber is in your food?
8% of daily value

16.Why is fiber good for you?
-Fiber is good for our body for a number of reasons. First of all, it slows the rate that sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. Also, it makes your intestines move faster. Moreover, it cleans your colon, acting like a scrub brush, and furthermore, it helps keep you regular in your movement.

17. How much protein is in your food?
Is this content Low/Moderate/High?
-Although the amount of protein varies vastly depending on the person, the protein in a Snikers Bar is approximately 12% of daily value, which is moderate.

18. What is the Vitamin A , Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron content of your food?
Vit. A: 3% of daily value
Vit. C: 0% of daily value
Calcium 2% of daily value
Iron 2% of daily value
Are these amounts adequate?
No, because it contains no vitamin C, and more minerals and vitamins are needed to counteract so much unhealthy nutrients included in the food.

19. Overall, what would you say is the nutritional value of your food? Is it good for you? Why or why not?
-Overall, the nutritional value of the food we chose is quite bad, as it includes less of the considerably healthy nutrients (such as vitamins or minerals), whilst it has more of the relatively unhealthy nutrients (such as sugar or cholesterol).