Nutrition Facts

When it comes to nutrition facts and health benefits for specific foods and beverages, Verywell Fit has you covered. From fruits and vegetables to whole grains, understanding different nutritional values helps you make educated nutrition choices.

While the numbers and percentages may seem confusing at first, a nutrition facts panel can quickly become a user-friendly tool. Whether your goal is weight management, heart health, managing diabetes, or just gaining general awareness, understanding what is going into your body has the potential to make all the difference in your personal wellbeing.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How do you read nutrition labels?

    The nutrition facts panel tells you what a serving size looks like, how many calories are in a serving, and how many grams of carbohydrate, fat, and protein are in that serving. It also highlights cholesterol, sodium, potassium, iron, Vitamin D, and calcium content. Some of these quantities are also expressed as a percentage, meaning that one serving of the food in question provides a certain percentage of the DV (daily value) for that nutrient. These numbers are based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet.

  • What does RDA mean in nutrition?

    RDA stands for Recommended Dietary Allowance. It is the average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98%) of healthy people.

  • How do nutritional needs change over time?

    Nutritional needs are highest during infancy, adolescence, and pregnancy. With age, some nutrient needs decline, but the need for protein may increase to prevent sarcopenia. Most importantly, nutrition is highly personalized at all stages of life and should be planned with the assistance of a registered dietitian.  

Key Terms

Page Sources
Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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  3. Lassi Z, Moin A, Bhutta Z. Nutrition in middle childhood and adolescence. In: Bundy DAP, Silva N de, Horton S, Jamison DT, Patton GC, eds. Child and Adolescent Health and Development. 3rd ed. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank; 2017.

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