Help for Healthy Eating
The food label can help nutrition-conscious people make wise food choices. This can be important to teens who sometimes shop not only for themselves but also for the whole family.

The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, enforced by FDA, requires almost all food products to be labeled with the nutritive values they contain per serving. Serving sizes now are more uniform across all product lines, so that you can more easily compare the nutritional values of similar foods; for example, ice cream and frozen yogurt. And the serving sizes are closer to amounts people really eat.

Also, the government has set strict definitions for claims like "low fat" and "light," so when you see them, you can believe them.

FDA now allows food labels to carry claims about the relationship between a food or nutrient and a disease or health-related condition; for example, calcium and a reduced risk of osteoporosis, a bone disease; and sodium and an increased risk of high blood pressure. So far, FDA has approved 10 claims, which are supported by significant scientific evidence.

Thanks to the growing scientific knowledge about diet and health relationships, healthy eating is more socially "in" than ever before. Eating a healthy diet is not difficult with knowledge of a few of the basics and can help you excel on the playing field, in school and in your social life.

For more information on food labels visit the following links:

How to Understand Food Labels

Food Labels Make Eating Good Easier