February 2025

All packaged food sold in the U.S. is required by law to have a nutrition label. There’s a lot of information on nutrition labels — so much that it can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Here are three things to focus on:

Serving size

This is the key to figuring out how much fat, sugar, calories, and nutrients you’ll consume. Start by determining how big a serving size is. Then, decide how many “servings” you will eat. You need this to scale all the other information on the label accordingly. For example, if a serving size of breakfast cereal is one cup but you plan to eat two cups, you’ll need to multiply everything on the label by two to know how much you’re consuming.

Added sugar

Two sugars are listed on the label: “Total Sugars” and “Added Sugars.” The added sugar tells you the total number of grams of added sugar (e.g., from sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, or honey). The total sugars include the amount of added sugar plus any naturally occurring sugars (e.g., in yogurt, there may be naturally occurring sugar from the milk, as well as from any added fruit). The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting your daily intake of added sugars to no more than 25 grams for women and no more than 36 grams for men.

Sodium

Nutrition labels must list the number of milligrams of sodium in a serving. This is important because packaged food is often high in sodium. The AHA recommends limiting sodium to 2,300 mg per day — and ideally 1,500 mg per day. Athletes or those in hot climates may need more, and individuals with certain health conditions should consult their doctor for personalized recommendations.