Lesson  -  Food Label Basics Reading Food Labels Digesting a Food label in Bite Size Pieces Supermarket Smarts What should you read first on a food label? Calories? Fat? Cholesterol? Nope. First check out the serving size. ALL the numbers on the nutritional label refer to one serving. So first, compare the stated serving size to the amount you really eat. The label here is for a frozen entree, so the serving size is the whole container. % Daily Value The percentages shown for cholesterol and sodium are the same for everyone. The other percentages apply only to those with daily diets of about 2,000 calories. But everyone can use the numbers to see which nutrients are supplied in abundance and which are very limited. Sugars and Protein % Daily Values are given for sugars or protein. Why? Sugar has no minimum amount that everyone needs to stay healthy. Protein is needed to stay healthy, but a lack of protein is very rare so no daily value is needed. Vitamins and Minerals This label shows daily values for two vitamins and two minerals. Other labels feature a longer (and voluntary) list of vitamins. Expanded vitamin lists are usually found on highly fortified foods such as breakfast cereal. The Fine Print The 2,000 calorie column shows the figures used to derive the % Daily Value on the food label. The 2,500 column shows values for an active adult male.