Look on food packages for the part marked “Nutrition Facts.” This section provides you with information on how much nutrition this particular food provides, as well as information about how many servings are in the package, how big a serving is, and how how many calories there are in a serving.

Looking at the Nutrition Facts food label, can you answer the following questions?

• How many calories does this food have?

• How much sugar is in this food?

The nutrients listed here are measured in what we call grams and milligrams. They're very tiny amounts, but they are very important to your body. Some vitamins and minerals are also listed by percentages, telling you how much the food gives you based on what you need each day.

Now find a Nutrition Facts label on a food package at home. Can you determine what's in the foods you eat?

FIGURE 1.4: Nutrition Facts label

The revised Nutrition Facts food label